Putting your library on a mobile phone: It’s more than screen size

1. Putting your library on a mobile phone: It’s more than screen size LITAForum 2009 Cindy Cunningham October 2009

2. Overview • Brief introduction of OCLC mobile pilot • Some industry statistics • Early adopters • What makes it mobile? • Library challenges and things to consider • Conclusion • Questions

3. Why mobile? • OCLC is a global organization—over half of its 140M records are in non-English languages—and it serves populations around the globe, where mobile usage is very high. • Mobile access spans the spectrum of library users and reaches the emerging library users: the young and the technorati. • Also, ironically, it is preferred access for those who do not have PCs, who live in developing countries and/or who live in rural areas. • OCLC strives to offer web-scale solutionsthat help libraries and library users, and as a research organization wants to stay out front, helping libraries explore the latest solutions.

4. Why a pilot? • Needed to gauge user interest, confirm user patterns and preferences. • Wanted to learn more about the mobile space before making a big investment in resources. • Found a platform company already working in the mobile library space that could ramp up quickly, offer reliable and responsive technical support, support all devices and expand along with us.

5. Why WorldCat? delivers: • A single place to learn about libraries and library holdings • Visibility for every library, by driving Web and mobile traffic back to the user’s library of choice • Web-scale through WorldCat.org • The best positioning to reach users everywhere • The WorldCat Registry is free to all libraries and directs users to their closest library • Update your profile: • http://worldcat.org/registry/institution

6. Why Boopsie? • Mobile platform to support enterprise solutions • Winner of the 2009 AT&T Fast Pitch Platinum Award in the Enterprise Category (WorldCat Mobile pilot app sited as an example of the application features of speed and indexed searching) • Started working with Pepperdine and had a working mobile platform for libraries up and running • Could guarantee quick implementation, full support for trouble-shooting and adjustments/innovations • Could support international installations and huge data sets in multiple language codes

7. Some industry statistics • As of October 2007, there were: • 1 billion PCs • 1.2 billion internets users, • 3.3 billion mobile phones (Vint Cerf, Google Analyst Day, Oct 07) • US mobile phone market penetration: • 84% by end of 2007, growing past 100% by 2013 (SNL Kagan) • 115 million smartphones shipped; 410 million by 2012(ABI Research) • Mobile internet users will grow 19% by 2012, to 91.7 million users (Kelsey Group) • 80% of teens with phones use text messaging regularly, say “email is for business dealings” (news.com) • One in ten households in the US no longer uses a landline but relies upon a mobile phone (Library Journal, Oct 15 08)

8. Access methods for local mobile content Subscribers Accessing Local Mobile Content* by Access Method, Three-Month Average * Local contentdefined as searching for information on maps, movies, business directories or restaurants (US Mobile Subscribers Age 13+) Source:  Comscore, June 18, 2009

9. US Subscribers: Verizon - 86M AT&T - 78M Sprint - 50M T-Mobile – 30M Worldwide: Vodaphone – 300M Orange – 100M O2 – 35M China Mobile – 750M+ Mobile Phone Users by Carrier Source: Comscore, 2009

10. Some early adopters • American University Libraries • Ball State University Library • Boston University Medical Center Mobile Library • Cal Poly Pomona University Library • Hanover College, Duggan Library • Harvard College Library • University of Illinois Library • New York University Libraries • University of Richmond Library • St. John’s University, College of St. Benedict • University of Virginia Library

15. What makes it mobile? • Actionable—user is ready to act • Geographical component—where is the nearest…? How do I find…? • Speed—I can’t wait • Relevance—small screen—give me only what I can use • Economy of effort—don’t make me key too much on these small pseudo-keyboards • One device for everything—I will read as well as search on this device

33. Challenges and things to consider • Resources—staff, budget, full, on-going support • Deliver relevance—expectations are high and you can only dazzle once • Apps store support—multiple stores and requirements, long wait time • One access point—what if the OPAC users switch—what else do you need to communicate via the mobile interface? • Metrics—plan to capture what you need • Staffing—share the support so that everyone understands it and can deliver good customer experience

34. Conclusion • Don’t start until you’re ready to keep going • Think it through—it’s easy to shoot from the hip • Have a roll-out plan and communicate what is available and what is coming—user expectations are high:> • Don’t let one maverick developer with time on his hands talk you into it withouthaving a full plan for on-going development

35. How to follow the pilot and learn more • Go to www.worldcat.org and click to learn how to download the mobile app. • Give us e-mail feedback: worldcatmobilepilot@oclc.org • Follow the WorldCat blog: www.worldcat.org/blogs • Follow WorldCat on Twitter: @worldcatorg • Join our social network: http://worldcatmobile.ning.com/?xgi=7hFEY1p>