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Mobile web vs apps: what's right for your user?

Abstract

With the advent of ever more sophisticated mobile devices, an increasing number of library users are ‘going mobile’, accessing the web and apps (AKA ‘downloadable applications’) whilst on the move. Most phones sold in the UK today may be classed as smartphones, and this combines with the growing profile of other portable web-accessible devices to give libraries pause for thought; the way in which users are able to access our resources has changed, albeit with some demographic differences. Jon Fletcher examines the way that, despite the perceived ubiquity of the ‘all-powerful app’ in advertising campaigns (seemingly implying that everyone owns an iPhone), there is much for each library to think about before deciding their own course of action. After all, before you take your service to the user, you’d better make sure they’re going to be there to find and use it..

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