Rolling out m. and app – lessons in similarity

Tom Ruthven, Digital Library Innovation and Development

UNSW Library

Mobile Services at UNSW Library

• Students always on their mobile devices – continuous wi-fi upgrade• Mobile promoted heavily to student demographic• Products and expertise available for libraries

• SMS notifications – UNSW Library– students NEVER read their emails

• Library map and directory - Abuzz– Tour on website not geared to finding your way round the libraries

• Mobile App – Boopsie and Ex Libris Primo Web Services for searching– Get in early

The University of New South Wales

• 52,284 students: 15,000 post graduates, 14,199 international students • 7,737 staff: 4,200 academics, 3,800 professional• 3 campuses; 8 Faculties, 66 Schools, 97 affiliated institutes• 300,000 e-books, 900,000 print books• 88,250 online journals, <2,000 active print• 5,000,000 searches this year

Development process

• Project proposal• Stakeholder input• Essential and nice-to-have, but pragmatic• Approval by senior management• Project team• Test scripts• Deadlines

SMS notices

• iFrame in User Interface (Primo) of borrower record (Aleph bor-update)

• Second shorter email sent to external SMS service

• Messages for:– loan due– loan overdue– recall an item on loan to you– reserved item ready for pick up– interlibrary loan ready for pick up– interlibrary loan is being mailed to you– intercampus loan is ready for pick up

SMS notices

• Clearly defined goal• Applications well understood by Library• University infrastructure in place (SMS vendor)• Development and testing expertise

Library map and directory

• http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate

Library map and directory

• Build on existing service (touch screen)• Excited, local vendor• Android 2.X• Buried in app when we had only one library map• UNSW corporate branding wasn’t decided for mobile• Ownership of maps• Moving collection

Library map and directory

Library app

Library app

Library app

• UNSW corporate branding wasn’t yet decided for mobile apps• Map coordinates • Which colour is yellow?• Pictures of Outreach Librarians, Senior Management, and Library buildings• Position of Spinner circle hard to see• Back button on iOS • Items due not in red on iOS• Text changes: “My Account” to “MyLibrary”

Library app• Does not work with iOS2• The yellow screen of death

• FRBRised records• Search results not the same as the web interface

– Scope– XML namespace– Web services started to require Institution– Exclusion of “Expand beyond my collections”: initially filtered out then Primo web service– Web services started to require IP

• Relevance sorting: leave blank• Which link for online: GETIT, LINKS, linktorsrc, openurlfulltext, or openurl• Last record of the first page is first record on second page• Cancel hold/recall does not take effect

• Can’t renew an item• Fine amounts not showing

Library app

• RefTracker from Altarama• RSS feed of Library news looks good but not full news item from Blog• Library news shows 660 days of news• EZProxy: detect Mobile and provide different style sheet• SFX: detect Mobile and provide different style sheet• DigiTool: ‘I agree’ on copyright page does not take you to item on Android

default browser, works on iOS• Library guides from Springshare: “How Do I Find” not displaying well• e-book readers and mobile devices

Library app

Working with the rest of the University

• Icon development• Branding rules• Listing in other apps• Inclusion within other apps: Blackboard • UNSW Web Masters Group

Working with vendors

• Very good• Very responsive• Interested in development that fits needs• Happy to share knowledge• Time zones• Sometimes hard to get attention after development finished• Where is the problem?

Common lessons

• Clear, core requirements• Project plan• Expect to make mistakes• Integrate into library business units

• User feedback• Deeper usage reporting• Need test environments• Continual development

• Ongoing relationship with vendor(s)• Phone platforms

Feedback from users

?What is mobile?

Refine Search• In the Library• Online • Books• Articles

• Reserve an item• My e-shelf• Link from catalogue to map

Thank yout.ruthven@unsw.edu.au