Journal Apps: a comparison of 4 Journal Apps specifically designed for personalized reading (medical) scientific literature
Guus van den Brekel
University Medical Center Groningen, Central Medical Library, Groningen, The Netherlands a.j.p.van.den.brekel@med.umcg.nl
Keeping up to date is one of the most difficult tasks in modern times for medical staff ánd librarians. The constant exponentially growth of information (on the Web) is causing many to dispare. But on the same Web comes up with new innovative ways of dealing with this task constantly. While email alerts are still the most dominant way for medical staff to keep up to date, the use of mobile devices and medical Apps is catching up fast. At the start of 2013 the Central Medical Library of the UMCG started a public trial and comparison period between 4 Journal Apps specifically designed for personalized reading of scientific literature. I will offer an extensive comparison for 3 medical journal Apps (docwise, Read by QxMD & Docphin) plus BrowZine which covers all academic areas. Many practicalities for medical libraries to set up these Apps for their patrons and access to the collections will be shared. Supporting and facilitating medical professionals in education, patient-care and research is the main focus for medical and health librarians. We constantly have to attempt to make their workflow more efficient and easier. To be abled to advice patrons about efficient ways of keeping up to date, we háve to know what tools are out there. In this presentation I will picture the wide range of possibilities of keeping up to date in relation to the rise of (medical) Apps. In my CEC workshop I want to go even more into more detail on these possibilities.
14. CEC3 Workshop EAHIL 2014
Criteria for comparison
• Registration process
• User Interface
• Performance
• Access to full text
• PDF view + extra's
• Share options
• "Open In" other Apps
• Notifications
• Search Options
• Support
22. Browzine Docwise Read Docphin
Registration
User interface
Performance
Access full-text
Pdf view &
extra's
Share
"Open in"
Notifications
Search
Support
Gold BronzeSilver 4th
(Subjective rating by course participants mixed with my experiences with the apps)
30. If you want to be seen as an expert ...
...then your expertise has to be seen
Lorcan Dempsey http://www.slideshare.net/lisld/the-inside-out-library
Comparison, early 2013
Institutions registration, free
Start ups
3 months
Support for all 4
4 different apps, a lot of different features
Why the focus on these apps? Can they be compared?
Struggle with keeping up to date!
User diversity
They are individual persons you are serving with personal tools
To decide what apps to go for, or to advise a staff member
Ask questions
Are they looking for topic via search or
Tocs
Want to read online first as they appear?
Or just the tocs when they are ready?
wireless Access to digital library inside organisation
And! Off-campus access solution
Or you want to keep up in a different way
Small devices
Expanded content: Jstore
Very subjective, absolutely not objective
Over 11.000 staff, around 4600 researchers that contribute to publishing
My library CMB, serves this community, mainly in facilitating medical education, teaching, patient care & research.
Team of 6 reonsoble for ...
Me: besides being medical information specialist, also coordinator electronic services & innovations
Basically: boosting awareness of current staff publications UMCG
Resarch Office rsponsible for collecting & analysing. Using their own designed workflow & tools, is publising in rather uninteresting way, pdf, once a year. Huge task which takes them months, and therefore is always too late, behind. 2011 numbers/lists have not yet been published.