ALA TechSource Online Workshop given on Apr. 27, 2016.

1. Improving Your Library’s
Mobile Services
Bohyun Kim
Associate Director for Library Applications and Knowledge Systems,
University of Maryland, Baltimore, Health Sciences and Human Services Library
http://bohynkim.net | Twitter: @bohyunkim
ALA Workshop on April 27, 2016

2. What We Will Cover Today
1. Today’s mobile landscape
2. Mobile user behavior
3. Library’s mobile websites from 2007 to 2016
4. Responsive web design
5. Ways to improve your library’s mobile services
#alamobile

3. 1. Today’s Mobile Landscape
Source: GSMA, “The Mobile Economy 2015” http://www.gsmamobileeconomy.com/

4. In 2016 Worldwide
“Global Feature Phone and Smartphone Shipments 2008-2020,” Statista, accessed April 18, 2016,
http://www.statista.com/statistics/225321/global-feature-phone-and-smartphone-shipment-forecast/.

5. In 2016 North America
Senior Vice President and BCG, “Northern American Feature Phone and Smartphone Shipments 2008-
2020,” Statista, accessed April 18, 2016, http://www.statista.com/statistics/225371/feature-phone-and-
smartphone-shipment-forecast-in-north-america/.

6. Source: GSMA, “The Mobile Economy North America 2015”
http://gsmamobileeconomy.com/northamerica/, 2015.

7. comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-Cross-
Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016.
U.S.

8. U.S.
comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-Cross-
Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016.

9. Back in 2013: 37 percent of our Internet
time was spent on mobile.
ComScore, 2013 Mobile Future in Focus, white paper (Reston, VA: comscore, February 2013), 12,
http://www.comscore.com/Insights/presentations_and_Whitepapers/2013/2013_Mobile_Future_in_Focus.

10. Now: 65 percent of our Internet time is
spent on mobile.
35
65

11. comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-Cross-
Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016.

12. The Significance of the Mobile Web
 “The mobile Web is no longer an inferior or a
complementary means of accessing the Web. It is a
competitor to the desktop Web and will soon be accessed
by more people than the desktop Web. The mobile Web has
now surpassed the desktop Web as the most used digital
platform. Considering this situation, offering only a basic set
of information and features on the mobile Web is no longer
a viable strategy.” (p.13)
Bohyun Kim, The Library Mobile Experience: Practices and User Expectations, Library
Technology Report 49(6), ALA TechSource, 2013.

13. 2. Mobile User Behavior
https://www.flickr.com/photos/esthervargasc/9657863733/

14. comScore, “The 2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus,”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-Cross-
Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016.
U.S.

15. (a) More Mobile-only & Multi-platform
Users
 Mobile-only internet usage is becoming more prevalent,
driven largely by the 21 percent of Millennials who are no
longer using desktop computers to go online.
 More than 3/4ths of all digital consumers (age 18+) are now
using both desktop and mobile platforms to access the
internet, up from 68 percent a year ago.
 Meanwhile, the 55-years-and-older consumer segment is
actually the fastest growing faction of mobile users.
comScore, “The 2015 US Digital Future in Focus,”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2015/2015-US-Digital-
Future-in-Focus, 2015.

16. (b) Heavier Mobile Data Usage Driven by
Ubiquitous 4G Connection
Source: GSMA, “The Mobile Economy North America 2015”
http://gsmamobileeconomy.com/northamerica/, 2015.

17. (c) Increase in Mobile Traffic from Video
 Cisco forecasts that total mobile traffic driven by video will
grow nine times between 2014 and 2019, or at a 54% CAGR
(compound annual growth rate).
 As a proportion of traffic, video will increase to 75% of total
data in 2019, compared to 60% in 2014.
Source: GSMA, “The Mobile Economy 2015” http://www.gsmamobileeconomy.com/

18. comScore, “Mobile Internet Usage Skyrockets in Past 4 Years to Overtake Desktop as Most Used Digital
Platform,” https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-in-Past-4-Years-to-
Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-Platform, 2015.

19. (d) Growing Digital Media Consumption as
a Whole
 While most of the growth in digital media consumption over
2010-2014 has occurred on smartphones (up 394 percent)
and tablets (up 1,721 percent), these mobile platforms are not
eating into aggregate time spent on desktop.
 Digital media consumption on the desktop platform has also
grown 37 percent since 2010.
 Americans engage with screens during more occasions
throughout the day than ever before.
comScore, “The 2015 US Digital Future in Focus,”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2015/2015-US-Digital-
Future-in-Focus, 2015.

20. U.S.
comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-
Cross-Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016

21. comScore, “The 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report,” https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-
Whitepapers/2015/The-2015-US-Mobile-App-Report, 2015
U.S.

22. U.S.
comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus” https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-
and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-Cross-Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016

23. comScore, “2016 US Cross Platform Future in Focus”
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2016/2016-US-
Cross-Platform-Future-in-Focus, 2016

24. Monica Anderson, “Technology Device Ownership: 2015,” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, October 29, 2015,
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/.
In the U.S.,
45% of all
Americans
now own a
tablet.

25. (e) Decline in the Ownership of Some
Digital Devices
 Smartphones are transforming into all-purpose devices that can take the place of
specialized technology, such as music players, e-book readers and gaming devices.
 This explains why those ages 18-29, ownership of MP3 players and computers has
declined by double digits in the past five years. In 2010, three-quarters of 18- to
29-year-olds owned an MP3 player; by 2015, only half (51%) had one.
 There is a similar pattern with computer ownership. Today, 78% of adults under 30
own a laptop or desktop computer, compared with 88% who did so in 2010 .
Monica Anderson, “Technology Device Ownership: 2015,” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, October
29, 2015, http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/.

26. Aaron Smith, “U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015,” Pew Research Center:
Internet, Science & Tech, April 1, 2015,
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-
2015/.
U.S.

27. (f) Are Mobile Users in a Rush?
 Not always but they expect the mobile Web to be as fast and
usable as the desktop Web.
 “People are turning to their smartphones more to utilize their
downtime than to meet some urgent need and users are not
always in a huge rush when they are using their
smartphones.” (p.11)
 “People are willing to and actually do turn to their mobile
devices for a longer time than just a few minutes and for tasks
that can be complicated.” (p.12)
Bohyun Kim, The Library Mobile Experience: Practices and User Expectations, Library
Technology Report 49(6), ALA TechSource, 2013.

28. https://www.flickr.com/photos/superk8/6531240027

29. Categories of Mobile Use
 Lookup/Find (urgent info, local): I need an answer to
something now – frequently related to my current location in
the world.
 Explore/Play (bored, local): I have some time to kill and just
want a few idle time distractions.
 Check In/Status (repeat/micro-tasking): Something important
to me keeps changing or updating and I want to stay on top
of it.
 Edit/Create (urgent change/micro-tasking): I need to get
something done now that can’t wait.
Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (New York: A Book Apart, 2011), p. 50.

30. Mobile Consumer Behavior
 There’s a persistent myth that mobile users are always
distracted, on the go, “info snacking” in sessions of 10
seconds. That’s certainly part of the mobile experience, but
not the whole story. Mobile isn’t just “mobile”. It’s also the
couch, the kitchen, the three-hour layover, all places where we
have time and attention to spare. 42 percent of mobile users
say they use it for entertainment when they’re bored. Those
aren’t 10-second sessions. That means we shouldn’t design
only for stunted sessions or limited use cases.
Josh Clark, “Nielsen Is Wrong on Mobile,” .Net Magazine, April 12, 2012,
www.netmagazine.com/ opinions/nielsen-wrong-mobile.

31. The Second Screen
Stephan Marais, “The Rise of the Multi-Screen Phenomenon,” Mediavision, June 5, 2013,
http://www.mediavisioninteractive.com/blog/facts-and-figures/the-multi-screen-phenomenon/.

32. Mobile Device Use For a Prolonged Period
Danielle Bulger, “smartphone owners: A Ready and Willing Audience,” Compete Pulse blog, March 12,
2010, http://blog.compete.com/2010/03/12/smartphone-owners-a-ready-and-willing-audience.

33. Mobile First, Literally
 Mobile has quickly
moved from being
just another way to
consume content to
a platform that helps
us accomplish more
all day, every day.
65
35
comScore, “Mobile Internet Usage Skyrockets in Past 4 Years to Overtake Desktop as Most Used
Digital Platform,” https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-
in-Past-4-Years-to-Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-Platform, 2015.

34. Don’t Dumb Things Down on Mobile
 “There are, of course, differences based on mobile and
desktop usage patterns; but the core value of a web service
remains the same across both formats and beyond. In fact,
you’ll quickly find your customers will expect to do just about
everything (within reason) on mobile. Especially those who
primarily (or only) use their mobiles to get online. So don’t
dumb things down on mobile—focus on what really matters
most anywhere people can access your website.”
Luke Wroblewski, Mobile First (New York: A Book Apart, 2011), p. 22.

35. https://www.fastcompany.com/3058
617/the-future-of-work/the-future-
of-microsoft-office-many-apps-
many-interfaces-many-
devices?partner=rss

36. (g) We Spend More Time
with Our Smart-phone
than Our Partner.
 While the average British
smartphone owner spends 97
minutes a day with their nearest
and dearest, they spend 119
minutes – just shy of two hours –
on their phones.
Mobile Life Report by O2/Samsung (2013),
http://news.o2.co.uk/?press-release=i-cant-talk-
dear-im-on-my-phone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smith/6267342711/

37. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/05/scientists-how-phubbing-
or-phone-snubbing-can-kill-your-romantic-relationship/

38. Internet on Maslow’s Pyramid

39. Share & Discuss in Chat!
Do you notice any interesting or new behavior by
mobile device users that can be relevant to libraries?
What is it & how is it relevant?
Any questions or comments for the presenter or
fellow workshop attendees so far?

40. 3. Library Mobile Websites
 In the past, mobile-optimized websites were separate from
desktop websites and included limited information such as
the library’s hours, contact information, etc.
 They were miniaturized versions of the full desktop websites
just for mobile device users.
 Since then, most library websites have been redesigned to be
responsive, making separate mobile-optimized websites
obsolete.

41. Example of a Non-Responsive Website
http://library.harvard.edu/

42. Harvard Libraries
– 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016
https://m.harvard.edu/libraries

43. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/harvard-mobile
https://m.harvard.edu/libraries

44. Auto-Redirect to
the Mobile Site
http://www.lib.umich.edu/http://m.lib.umich.edu/

45. CSU Pomona Library Mobile Website
– 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016
http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/m/

46. 2016
http://www.cpp.edu/~library/index.shtml

47. University of Minnesota Libraries
– 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016
https://www.lib.umn.edu/mobile

48. https://www.lib.umn.edu
2016

49. VCU Libraries – 2013 and 2016
http://www.library.vcu.edu

50. NCSU Libraries Mobile Website
- 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2016
http://m.lib.ncsu.edu

51. 2016
https://www.lib.ncsu.edu

52. 2013 & 2016 - Search Boxes Are Staying

53. http://www.richlandlibrary.com
Richland Library

54. Today’s Library Mobile Websites
 There is no longer a substantial difference between a mobile
website and a desktop website.
 Rather, one library website is served with the layout that
renders the site best on the platform of a user’s choice.
 And that is achieved by making the library website responsive.

55. 4. Responsive Web Design (RWD)
 A responsive website is the one that responds to and adjusts
itself to a different size of a device screen, on which the
website is viewed.
 The term, “responsive web design,” has become popular from
the article that a web designer and developer Ethan
Marcottee wrote in 2010.
 The goal of responsive web design is to make a web page
look equally well regardless of the screen size of a device.
Ethan Marcotte, “Responsive Web Design,” A List Apart, May 25, 2010,
http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design.

56. RWD - Benefits
 Offers the full content for mobile device users.
 No need to locate the mobile version link or remember the
separate URL for the mobile version (if there is no auto-direct
in place).
 Nor the hassle to toggle between the mobile site and the
desktop site.
 The goal is to offer all library services available regardless of
the platform a patron is using, in a manner that is easy to
navigate and intuitive to use.

57. What Makes RWD Responsive?
 A flexible, grid-based layout
 Flexible images
 Media queries
 Always design for mobile first, and then for desktop.

58. Comparison
Bohyun Kim, The Library Mobile Experience: Practices and User Expectations, Library
Technology Report 49(6), ALA TechSource, 2013.

59. (i) RWD - Common Problem 1
 An extremely long page
filled with too many
navigation items,
links, and more links.

60. Streamlinecontent

61. (i) RWD - Common Problem 2
 Responsive sites usually do not
give users an option to go back to
the full desktop website.
 For those who are familiar with
the existing library website and
know exactly where to go and get
the information they want, the
automatic change in the website
layout on a small-screen device
can be disorienting and
confusing.

63. Opt-out Option by Developers
 Provide an option for mobile device users to opt out of responsive design by
removing or changing the viewport meta tag.
 Examples: http://responsiveviewport.com/
http://fofwebdesign.co.uk/template/_testing/opt-out-rwd/index.php
 “Should Users Be Forced into a Responsive Design (without the Ability to Opt
Out)?,” Stack Exchange - UX, May 1, 2012,
http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/20824/should-users-be-forced-into-a-
responsive-design-without-the-ability-to-opt-out .
 Chris Coyier, “Opt-Out Responsive Design?,” CSS-Tricks, September 12, 2012,
http://css-tricks.com/user-opt-out-responsive-design/.
 BeverlyH, “Opting Out of Responsive Design (choosing desktop layouts on
mobile),” Dynamic Drive Blog, April 16, 2015,
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/forums/entry.php?310-Opting-Out-of-Responsive-
Design-%28choosing-desktop-layouts-on-mobile%29

64. Opt-out Option by Users
“How to Disable the Mobile Version of a Website on Your Phone”
http://www.howtogeek.com/176932/how-to-disable-the-mobile-version-of-a-website-on-your-
phone/

65. (i) RWD - Common Problem 3
Brad Frost, “Separate Mobile Website Vs. Responsive Website,” Smashing Magazine, August 22, 2012,
http://mobile.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/22/separate-mobile-responsive-website-presidential-
smackdown/.
A typical page - 687 KB and
loaded in about 8.75 seconds.
A typical page - 4.2 MB and
took whopping 25 seconds to
load.

66. https://blog.kissmetrics.com/loading-time/
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/speed-is-a-killer/

67. RWD Resources and Tools
 Bootstrap
https://getbootstrap.com/
 JQuery Mobile
https://jquerymobile.com/
 Ethan Marcotte, “Responsive Web Design,” A List Apart, May 25, 2010,
http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design
 Matthew Reidsma, Responsive Web Design for Libraries: A LITA Guide,
American Library Association, 2014.
 Matthew Reidsma, “Responsive Web Design for Libraries: Beyond the
Mobile Web,” in Mobile Library Services: Best Practices, ed. Charles
Harmon and Michael Messina (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2013), 79–
94.

68. Share & Discuss in Chat!
Is your library mobile website and other related
library systems responsive?
If so, what are some of the issues your library is
experiencing in terms of providing good library
service to mobile device users in the library website
or beyond?
What are some of the projects your library is
planning for in order to address those issues?

69. 5. Improve Your Library’s Mobile Services
(a) Responsive Website

70. (b) Library Catalog

71. http://search.library.utoronto.ca

72. (c) Databases, eBooks, e-Journals

73. (d) eBooks & Audiobooks

74. (e) Discovery Layer

75. (f) Authentication
& Full-Text View

76. (g) My Account & Interlibrary Loan

77. (h) Course Reserves

78. (i) Chat & Room Reservation

79. (j) Digital Collections

80. (k) App Recommendations
http://libguides.mit.edu/c.php?g=
176092&p=1158704

81. http://guides.library.harvard.edu/hks/mobile_apps

82. (l) Native Apps
https://loc.gov/apps/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-
congressional-record/id492077075

83. (m) Mobile Device Checkout
https://library.fiu.edu/using-the-library/device-checkout

84. (n)Telepresence Robots
http://library.uta.edu/technology/technology-robots

85. http://www.doublerobotics.com/

86. (o) Wi-Fi Hotspot Lending
https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/item/show/8874535081_wi-
fi_hotspot_device

87. http://hotspot.nypl.org/

88. (p) Mobile Payment

89. (q) Indoor Map
https://www.google.com/maps/about/partners/indoormaps/

91. (r) Indoor Navigation
 An app developed at the
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
provides location-based
recommendations using
the user’s mobile device
signal and beacons.
Source: James F. Hahn, “Indoor
Positioning Services & Location
Based Recommendations,” March
10, 2016, presented at the
Code4Lib 2016 Conference,
https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/han
dle/2142/89471.

92. (s) Full Wireless Coverage

93. (t) Charging Station
https://www.library.wisc.edu/college/2013/11/02/new-charging-lockehttps://duprelibrary.wordpress.com/tag/charge/

94. Today’s Mobile Web
 The mobile Web is now the most popular platform for
accessing the Web.
 All tasks available in the desktop Web should be supported
on the mobile Web.
 And more should be offered based upon the features only
available on the mobile device.
 Improving library’s mobile services is now all about providing
better mobile user experience as a whole.
 Focus on how mobile devices user can have the best user
experience inside a library building as well as in a library
website and associated systems.

95. A Wish-list from 2009
 Being able to search the library catalog on the mobile device.
 Request or place an item on hold from their phone.
 Customizable options and personalized information from the library
regarding their library account and other services such as:
 Contacted by text messaging when a requested library item was
available for pickup or when a material was nearing its due date.
 Text message reminders about upcoming library appointments.
 Being able to customize their mobile web experience such as:
 Being able to pick their favorite databases or choose their own top
ten links to see on a mobile Website
 A library building guide and an explanation of the call number system.
 Text or have a live chat with a librarian about a research question or how
to cite a source.
Jamie Seeholzer and Joseph A. Salem, “Library on the Go: A Focus Group Study of the Mobile Web and the
Academic Library,” College & Research Libraries 72, no. 1 (2011), 15-19.

96. Mobile Access to Libraries Surges
 Compared with Pew surveys from recent years, fewer Americans 16
and older reported visiting a library, bookmobile, or library website in
the last 12 months.
 But, among those who have used a public library website, 50%
accessed it in the past 12 months using a mobile device such as a
tablet computer or smartphone – up from 39% in 2012.
John B. Horrigan, “Libraries at the Crossroads,” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, September 15, 2015,
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/.
Andrew Albanese, “Pew Survey: Traditional Library Visits Dip; Mobile Access Surges,” PUblishers Weekly, September
15, 2015, http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/68049-pew-survey-
traditional-library-visits-dip-mobile-access-surges.html

97. Library First, Mobile Second
http://www.germantracesnyc.org/
http://augmentedreality.miamioh.edu/portfolio-items/shelvar/

98. To Summarize,
 RWD for library content, systems, and services
o The library website, catalog (OPAC), e-books &
audiobooks, full-text databases, articles, e-journal list, and
digital collections
o Authentication, ‘My account’ management, course
reserves, interlibrary loan, room/computer reservation,
chat reference for mobile users, etc.
 Create and sustain great user experience for browsing,
checking out, and reading e-book/audiobooks on a mobile
device.

99. To Summarize, (continued)
 Mobile device & Wi-Fi hotspot device lending service
 Recommend and introduce useful apps for library users.
 Develop native apps, if appropriate and possible.
 Look out for new services for mobile users.
o Telepresence robot, mobile payment, indoor map, indoor
navigation, mobile notification text alerts, gamification,
etc.
 Wireless coverage / charging station / more power outlets
 Marketing and communication for mobile users

100. Questions / Comments?
Twitter: @bohyunkim
Blog: http://bohyunkim.net/blog