Handheld/Mobile
From ml2sig
Contents |
Library websites describing their mobile projects
- UVa mobile project: Describes mobile interfaces currently available and forthcoming along with development notes and updates.
Mobile-friendly features via regular websites
- User's Lib post Library OPACs & mobile-friendly features: most common is ability to text a call-number to your phone. The new VuFind powered Mirlyn also includes this feature.
Mobile Library Web Interfaces
There are a variety of techniques for creating mobile web content. Some institutions just offer a text-only view of their regular site, some create a secondary interface designed specifically for mobile devices, often with separate style sheets for different devices. The most successful mobile interfaces don't try to offer full functionality but provide access to the essential bits that users are more likely to need via a mobile device
Note: some mobile interfaces are viewable from a regular browser, some "device detection" and are only viewable from a mobile device, and "apps" involve downloading an application to the device.
- NYPL: very nice all-in-one mobile access to catalog, website, and digital collections.
- Yale Medical Library: Part website, part portal. Links to standard info about hours & contact and also provides access to databases/resources (highlighting those that have mobile interfaces) and and searches catalog, pubmed, e-journals, and databases and presents results in an easily read mobile interface.
- Orange County Library System: Catalog, locations, calendar, & videos.
- UVa mobile website: hours, news & events, staff listing, & text a librarian service.
- [www.worldcat.org/m/ OCLC Worldcat] (only viewable from mobile device)
- Google book search
- Mobile RefWorks
- DCPL's iPhone app: will let you search for items, show location, place a hold, and find library hours etc.
- Duke Mobile: iPhone app and web interface (uses device detection) for the entire Duke system (not just the library). The iPhone app includes access to some of the library's digital image collections.
Mobile Reference Services
Mobile Marketing/Event Broadcasting
ebooks
ebook devices & apps
Phones
The iPhone/iPod Touch is often touted as having potential for being the most popular ebook reading device due to the fact that it's a multi-functional device.
- Stanza app: iPhone app that provides access to over 100,000 free books to download and read on your phone.
- Amazon's iPhone Kindle app:
- eReader: Available for multiple devices (iphone, palm, blackberry, etc. Access to premium Fictionwise content.
Kindle
Sony Reader
Stats and mobile related research
- 2009 Horizon Report: lists mobile technology as one of the technologies that will become much more integrated into learning environments within the next year.
