Library Tech Goes Mobile: Computers in Libraries 2009

If Aaron Schmidt had one word to describe the takeaway from this year’s Computers in Libraries? It would be “mobility.”

“People were really excited and kept asking about how they can deliver library services via mobile devices,” says Schmidt, the digital initiative librarian for the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL).

At the recent Computers in Libraries conference (CIL) held in Arlington, VA, Schmidt spoke about the iPhone application he helped develop for DCPL, which allows patrons to search its catalogs, look up branch hours, and even reserve a book. An added bonus? The library has made available the source code, so other institutions can customize and use the app.

It couldn’t come at a better time. Mobile devices will be the primary way people connect to the Internet by 2020, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And as many librarians in the K–12 community know, teens and younger kids already favor cell phones and handheld devices to do their networking.

Mobile computing was just one of the topics covered at CIL by public, K–12, and other librarians seeking to keep their institutions on the cutting edge of how people connect with and engage information. The annual event, now in its 24th year, was held March 30–April 1 and was sponsored by Information Today.

“Providing a mobile application like DCPL’s or a text reference system is going to be important,” says Anne Slaughter, a librarian at Oak Park (IL) Public Library, who attended CIL and is especially keen on this issue. Presenters also discussed ways to integrate online technologies, including social networks and digital messaging, into library services.

Amy Kearns, program coordinator for the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, noted the ever-growing prominence of Twitter at CIL and beyond. “This is where a new wealth of conversation and information is going on,” she says. Kearns believes Twitter can play an educational role particularly in K–12 schools, by bringing students into libraries to follow tweets, like the other-worldly reports by NASA’s Mars Rover.

Harnessing digital tools helps libraries attract users, according to Schmidt. He’s particularly excited about using text messages as gaming clues. This could bring students into their local branch, where they would conduct research to uncover the answers. “One thing we are focusing on is creating content online and positioning the library as the place to use that,” says Schmidt. “It’s where you get instruction and help.”

Schmidt says that while the digital divide is narrowing, there will always be a need for people to learn how to use 21st-century tools. “Libraries can help close that participation gap, training people on how to use this cool stuff on the Web,” he says.

Slaughter couldn’t agree more. That’s why her branch is letting teen patrons write and post book reviews on its new Web site. Kids already flood the place after school, crowding around computers to listen to music and post messages. Now they can create digital content at the library, too. “Many of them are interested and excited about posting book reviews on the new site and to have a voice others will listen to,” she says.

“We need to keep a human face on libraries, and technology can help us do that,” Slaughter adds. “[CIL] was really good for us to see how we can use technology to help libraries fulfill needs in new ways and set up paths for people to make that as intuitive as possible.”

Photo by Polly-Alida Farrington.