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This article was downloaded by: [University of Connecticut] On: 11 October 2014, At: 03:51 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/werm20 The Handheld Library: Mobile Technology and the Librarian. Meredith P. Goins a a Oak Ridge Associated Universities , Oak Ridge , TN Published online: 30 May 2014. To cite this article: Meredith P. Goins (2014) The Handheld Library: Mobile Technology and the Librarian., Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 11:2, 107-109, DOI: 10.1080/15424065.2014.908106 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15424065.2014.908106 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions

The Handheld Library: Mobile Technology and the Librarian

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Connecticut]On: 11 October 2014, At: 03:51Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Electronic Resources inMedical LibrariesPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/werm20

The Handheld Library: MobileTechnology and the Librarian.Meredith P. Goins aa Oak Ridge Associated Universities , Oak Ridge , TNPublished online: 30 May 2014.

To cite this article: Meredith P. Goins (2014) The Handheld Library: Mobile Technology andthe Librarian., Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 11:2, 107-109, DOI:10.1080/15424065.2014.908106

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15424065.2014.908106

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever orhowsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arisingout of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

on a specific search technology used in other environments and could beadapted for catalogs. Vector space search is easier than Boolean search for usersand has the capacity to offer requested features such as ranking, freshness, andsearch suggestions.

Other chapters describe additional methods of catalog evolution,including mobile catalogs, using Functional Requirements for BibliographicRecords (FRBR) to combine search and browse features, and enablingthe catalog for the semantic web by using Linked Data. ‘‘The mobile librarycatalogue’’ reviews mobile devices, applications, platforms, and networkissues, and then details potential mobile library services. The chapter endswith a case study in which the number of mobile users was steady butlimited. ‘‘FRBRizing Your Catalogue’’ offers a brief history of FRBR and thenoutlines FRBR implementations in Dutch-speaking libraries in Belgium. Theauthors focus on ways in which FRBR metadata creation affects both thecataloging process and the user experience of the catalog. ‘‘Enabling yourcatalogue for the Semantic Web’’ explains the basics of a Linked Data projectincluding the principals, technological basics and the process of buildinga data model. Other chapters in this volume include an essay on supportingdigital scholarship, an OCLC strategist’s perspective on the catalog as part ofa broader information network, and an overview of commercial and opensource cataloging products in Europe which offer varying degrees of theenhancements described in this work.

Catalogue 2.0will find its strongest audience among catalogers, metadataspecialists, digital librarians, and library technologists. But anyone curiousabout the ways in which libraries are evolving to stay meaningful to modernusers will enjoy this broad, well-written, and thought-provoking effort.

Marcy L. BrownVocollect by Honeywell

Pittsburgh, PA

THE HANDHELD LIBRARY: MOBILE TECHNOLOGY AND THELIBRARIAN. Peters, Thomas A. and Bell, Lori, eds. Santa Barbara, CA:Libraries Unlimited, 2013. 218p. ISBN 978-1-61069-300-4. $65.00.

The Handheld Library is a useful exploration of the continually evolvingrole of public and academic libraries and librarians in delivering mobileservices to their users. With the myriad of devices, operating systems, apps,standards, and protocols, the key issues of mobile library services comesdown to control, or who owns the information we access and experience,and the evolution on how libraries and librarians deliver materials to patrons.This book is arranged in five parts grouping short chapters written by

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separate authors or groups of authors. There is some minor duplication ofthought and content if the text is read from cover to cover. However, eachchapter or part can stand on its own. Of the 20 chapter contributors, allbut three are associated with academic libraries in some fashion, includingone who is associated with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.All of the authors are based in the United States.

Each chapter begins with a bulleted list of key points. References areavailable at the end of each chapter, with a full index and a brief biographyof each author in the back of the book. Clear black and white graphics areavailable throughout many chapters. In the introduction, the editors describethe birth of e-lending, which came in 1999 via Audible.com and continuedto describe how compact discs and MP3 players revolutionized mobileaccess, including offerings via the National Library Service for the Blindand Physically Handicapped.

‘‘Part 1: Mobile Tech Trends in Libraries’’ offers three chapters definingmobile technology such as quick response (QR) codes, text messagereference, and making a library website and catalog mobile-ready. A briefoverview of how libraries need to plan for and market these services is alsocovered. ‘‘Part 2: Mobile Library Users’’ looks at utilizing mobile technologiesto help patrons in situ. Not only does this part give great ideas for utilizingmobile technology, but it also gives the nuts and bolts of policy, marketingof programs, and the actual physical ramifications of mobile technologyon the library’s physical structure. Orientations and self-guided audio andvideo tours can be created using QR codes, or point-of-need instructioncan occur at a moment’s notice by scanning a link or texting a referencequestion. Of course, Wi-Fi and trained staff are needed to successfully deliverthese services. As stated in the sixth chapter’s key points, ‘‘The quality ofthe library’s wireless network has become a key performance indicatorfor successful libraries of all types’’ (51).

‘‘Part 3: Mobile Access to Content’’ contains 70 pages on how QR codes,web design, e-books, and mobile catalogs allow users to access their library’scontent via mobile means and some of the ramifications of such use. Forexample, the Bring Your Own Device (BTOD) aspect of mobile technologymeans that libraries have to offer a variety of methods to access the samecontent under different tools. Staff also need to be fully trained to utilize thiscontent on multiple devices. Chapter 10 guides readers through full technicaldetails on building a mobile catalog, including how to optimize a websitefor mobile usage, how to utilize responsive web design, and what standardsto consider when utilizing mobile web interfaces. Of special interest to thehealth sciences is Chapter 12, ‘‘Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries,’’which gives an excellent description of the challenges faced by medicallibrarians in implementing electronic resources. Topics such as platformdetermination, user identification, marketing of the services, monitoringusage of the services, and content selection criteria are covered. The author

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includes an appendix of sample mobile resources guides and web pagesfrom medical libraries, a detailed list of notes, and further readings inaddition to references. The final chapter in the third part of this book,‘‘Mobile Technologies and Archives: Using the New to Preserve the Old,’’looks at how to inventory a collection using mobile technology.

‘‘Part 4: Mobile Reference’’ contains three chapters covering short messageservice (SMS) reference, including chats, instant messages, and e-mail. Thereis information on who should be involved in offering these services, whatsoftware should be used, and what the best practices in mobile referenceare. Chapter 16 talks about a memorable two-year research project titled‘‘Mobile 4 Women,’’ which investigated librarians’ roles in researching howmessage content and type of message contribute to treatment outcome andhealth literacy in community-based SMS health programs in the UnitedStates and Africa. In ‘‘Part 5: Mobile Professional Development and NewOpportunities,’’ the authors look at continuing education and professionaldevelopment opportunities involving mobile technology for library staff.

In reviewing the authoritative nature of this publication, much of theinformation cited is from 2011 and is outdated. The introduction states that‘‘[t]he International Telecommunications Union (ITU 2011) estimates that atthe end of 2011 there were over 6 billion active mobile phone subscriptions’’(x). It would have been better to discuss the mobile telephone saturation andpenetration instead. The ITU currently states that mobile growth is slowing:‘‘There are almost as many mobile-cellular subscriptions as people in theworld, with more than half in the Asia-Pacific region.’’1 However, Internetstatistics change rapidly, and due to the very nature of print publication therewill be a lag between writing and the time of release to the public. Overall,this book helps to show the breadth of what could be accomplished ina library of any type using mobile technology. Readers should expectto use this book in all stages of developing mobile technology offerings, fromthe physical plant to the fiscal planning, to the content provider selectionsto the outreach. Although not exhaustive, this book gives a great start inwhat to consider during the planning, implementation, training and evaluationstates of mobile technology.

REFERENCE

1. ‘‘The World in 2013: ICT Facts and Figures.’’ Available: <http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013.pdf>. Accessed Novem-ber 30, 2013.

Meredith P. GoinsOak Ridge Associated Universities

Oak Ridge, TN

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