I had a clash at this point in the day as I wanted to go to this session on mobile information literacy stuff facilitated by Andy Walsh @andywalsh999 but I was also keen to go to the session pitched by Jo Alcock @joeyanne and Anna Martin @annalmartin about what we can learn from the retail sector to improve our customer experience. I spoke to Andy and Jo before the sessions saying I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to go to and Andy suggested in the spirit of a true unconference I dip in and out of both. Good idea, but it didn’t happen! I got too into the mobile stuff one and to follow is a summary of that session.
Andy set out the agenda for the discussion – questions. Lots of questions, which got me thinking but only generating more questions rather than any solutions or suggestions. So, what I’ll start with a question – what did we discuss?
This is probably not in the right order, but you’ll get the idea.
What information do people want via their mobile?
We discussed what people actually use mobiles for in terms of finding information. For example, database providers like Science Direct and Ebsco have released apps for their databases as well as professional organisations like the Royal Society of Chemistry. At the University of Brighton, as well as other HEIs, we’ve released an app for our VLE, Studentcentral which is a Blackboard product. I tell my students about these tools, but wonder if they are keen to and will ever use them. Do people want to access and search databases from their mobile or is that a task better suited to the desktop?
We also have a mobile friendly version of our library catalogue, which I can see being used more on a mobile than a database like Science Direct for example. If students have a specific title they want then this sort of short search task to find a piece of information, in this instance, the shelfmark, which they can have on the screen in front of them to go and locate the book. Job done.
Our Online Library website and the Information Services website look ok mobile too so finding opening hours, locations information on a mobile is another example of the sort of information we think people would tend to use their mobile for.
In relation to that, reminders, calendars and all that sort of information can be accessed on a mobile which means we don’t have to remember dates, times, phone numbers, email addresses etc as our mobile will do all that for us. Andy asked if we don’t need to use our headspace for that sort of information, then what are we doing with it? Who knows!
24/7 access
We did discuss the nature of 24/7 access and the constant connectivity and expectations related to that. Sarah Nicholas @SarahNicholas mentioned a service at Cardiff they have a Library Chat Service
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/insrv/libraries/index.html which students could use from their mobile and although it clearly states the times that Library Chat is available and it’s obvious when someone is online, is this the sort of service that people will come to expect out of normal working hours?
In addition to this there is the issue of our own balance with being connected and work and all that. Paul Stainthorp @pstainthorp made a point that he could get into work on a Monday morning and people ask him if he’s read their email. As I’ve got all my inboxes set up on my iphone I have got into the habit of checking my work inbox either last thing at night or first thing in the morning before I even get to work. Added to that Twitter, which I check pretty regularly and the RSS feeds I’m pretty much connected all the time. Both Sarah and Paul made a good point about having your own boundaries/limits about this, for me and this sounds silly, but it’s knowing that is ok to do and people aren’t going to think I’m lazy or not interested or not committed or whatever.
Perception and attitude
There was also discussion around how others perceive use of mobiles. There was all that hoo ha a while ago about tweeting at events and people around not getting what was happening and thinking tweeters were being a bit rude, playing with their phones. How widespread is ?
What do people want?
Can we have a mobile technology strategy and still move quickly enough to respond to wants/needs for apps, mobile friendly sites or do we take so long to produce an app for example that by the time it gets out there things have moved on? Do people actually want these things? How do we find out what people want? I wonder how may places do have a strategy for this sort of thing. At Brighton I don’t think we do, but one might be in the making. We do have ace people developing tools for mobiles, which is great, but, me being a bit impatient sometimes feels like it’s taking too long! It’d be good to be more involved with this sort of thing, but I don’t know how I could contribute, I defo can’t develop an app, I wouldn’t know where to start, but user testing, seeing if our students/staff would make use of apps like the Studentcentral one that we have library staff could do.
Teaching mobile information literacy – tools, cloud stuff
So we teach people how to search for information with the tools available to them, do we need to do the same with mobile stuff or should there be a seamless move from desktop to mobile and vice versa. Like we discussed in session 1 about the transition from school to college to uni to work are young people growing up around technology really digital natives? Do they really know how to make the most of the tools available to them? In my limited experience probably not, so maybe there is room for getting people to learn by doing and using stuff for specific tasks. Lots of things to think about there.
A mix up of discussion and no real, concrete way forward it seems. People should just carry on being creative and forward thinking and develop mobile friendly sites or apps and throw caution to the wind if a mobile technology and learning strategy exists!
Next up, session 4 – the embedded librarian – a cross sector discussion facilitated by Laura Woods @Woodsiegirl, Samantha Halford @samanthahalf and with Sian Blake @funktious as chief note taker.
