Kendall, Susan L.

Nino, M

Stewart, S

English

SJSU ScholarWorks

San Jose State UniversitySJSU ScholarWorksFaculty and Staff Publications Library1-1-2010Using the iPhone and iPod touch@WorkSusan L. KendallSan Jose State University, susan.kendall@sjsu.eduM NinoSan Jose State University, mary.nino@sjsu.eduS StewartSan Jose Public LibraryFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/lib_pubPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Library at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty and StaffPublications by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@sjsu.edu.Recommended CitationSusan L. Kendall, M Nino, and S Stewart. "Using the iPhone and iPod touch@Work" Computers in Libraries (2010): 14-19.by Susan Kendall, Mary Nino, and Sandra Stewart 14 | MARCH 2010 » www.infotoday.com COMPUTERS IN L IBRARIES using the iphone and ipod touch@work Using the iPhone andiPod touch@TWork The rise of the mobile web and the ease of access afforded by smartphones, particularly the iPhone, have the potential to transform reference and customer service once again. he Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, where author Kendall serves as coordinator for collection development and government publications and author Nino works as interim associate dean, is a joint co-managed library of the San Jose Public Library, where author Stewart is youth services and programming manager, and the San Jose State Uni­versity Library, located in San Jose, Calif., the capital of Silicon Val­ley. Working in this merged public and academic environment, the authors find that the uses of technology transcend the differences and enhance the collaboration and exchange of new concepts. One innovation that has impacted libraries and society in gen­eral has been the introduction of cell phones with expanded capa­bilities—the BlackBerry, the iPhone, the Nexus, the Palm Pre, and the Droid, to name a few. Several employees have adopted the iPhone in particular and are examining ways to adapt its capabil­ities for the library environment. » www.infotoday.com « MARCH 2010 | 15 COMPUTERS IN L IBRARIES using the iphone and ipod touch@work The last decade has seen a steady rise in cell phone use and a steady decline in landline use. Indeed, cell phones are playing a more important role in society in gen­eral. According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer spending on all types of cell phones has skyrocketed while expenditure on land-lines has steadily declined. At a number of universities, land-lines are even being replaced by cell phones in dorms! An iPhone and its apps Introduction of the iPhone One of the most exciting innovations from Silicon Valley has been theintroduction of Apple’s iPhone and theburgeoning applications store available through iTunes. Apple introducedthe iPhone and the iPod touch (a touchscreen iPod with wireless access) in2007. In less than 2 years, more than3 billion applications (apps) have beeneither downloaded for free or sold viathe iTunes store. What has caused theunprecedented adoption of this product? Why have customers flocked to theiPhone, and what features make thisdevice so powerful? While it has theconventional features of a personal digital assistant (PDA), i.e., calendarscontact management, and a notes feature, the iPhone brings a new dynamicto a PDA environment. It functionsmore as a portable personal computerwith Apple’s sleek, intuitive interfaceThe iPhone and the iPod touch withtheir wireless/3G network capabilitiescan be used in the office, in public services areas, and in the stacks. With the iPhone Come the AppsWith more than 3 billion apps downloaded as of January 2010, the iTunes16 | MARCH 2010 » www.infotoday.com App Store continues to grow at an un­d rate. Many institutions sses are jumping into the eir own apps, hoping to en­er convenience and to in­y. With web access through es now outpacing access ptops or desktops, many li­ms have already developed ndly websites. Customized s are also gaining popular­er an ideal way to interact , providing easily accessible ntent and demonstrating  cachet at the same time. -specific apps, while not yet d or as ubiquitous as many l apps, are starting to ap­ould continue to explode in . According to its website,  of Columbia Public Library tem was the first library in to develop an iPhone appli­ers can search the catalog, , check hours, and find phone College and university li­ear to be moving quickly in on also. The iPhone apps for niversity, North Carolina ersity, and Duke University larly engaging, user-friendly, ehensive. Duke’s extensive ctions are beautifully show­ugh the app’s images sec­ provides superb marketing ss to the university’s library ibrary vendors such as In­terfaces, OCLC, Gale, and  offering mobile apps, and undoubtedly gearing up to ir own access points. ating iPhone Apps. When what iPhone apps can be r use in library settings,  criteria should be applied.  an important issue—many ee or are priced at less than offers good value. Memory ts of apps are a considera­h, especially with an older del such as the 8G. Criteria  include the following: precedenteand businefray with thable customspire loyaltsmartphonthrough labrary systemobile-frieiPhone appity and offwith usersmobile comarketingLibraryas developecommerciapear and shpopularitythe District­ (DCPL) sys the nation  cation. Us­ place holds numbers. ­ braries app this directi Stanford U State Univ are particu and compr­ digital colle cased thro tion, which for and acce­ holdings. L, novative In­ others are others are  expand the Evalu. exploring  adapted fo evaluation­ Price is notapps are fr$5, which  requiremention thoug­ iPhone mo to considerCOMPUTERS IN L IBRARIES using the iphone and ipod touch@work App Function Price TripIt Track travel information, share itineraries, displays flight status Free with paid Premium version Xpenser Track expenses Free Calendar Scheduling – syncs with Outlook, Google Calendar, etc. Comes pre-loaded Boopsie Track conference programs Free Evernote Save and tag documents, webpage snippets, photos, voice memos Free with paid Premium version Dragon Dictation Voice-to-Text Converter Free Dragon Search Voice searching for Google YouTube, Twitter, and Wikipedia. Free RedLaser Use camera as bar code reader. Link to library catalog via WorldCat and local setting $1.99 RSS Readers Check blogs and RSS feeds Free and varying prices Apps that promise to improve productivity •	 Cost. Is the application free? If not, is there a “lite” version available to investigate? •	 Reviews. While many apps are reviewed in blogs, some library apps have been reviewed in library-related journals such as Library Journal. •	 Version. Is this the most recent app, or has it been replaced by a newer version or a competing app? •	 File Size. Is this app a memory hog? If so, are there competing apps that would have less of an impact on the iPhone’s performance? •	 Authorship. Who developed the app? Do they have a reputation for quality products? •	 Membership. Does the app require you to enroll before you can access the app or its full capabilities? •	 Privacy. Does the app keep your information private? Is there password capability? •	 Web Interface. Is there an accompanying web interface? Apps for Productivity. While many iPhone users have organized and streamlined their personal lives with the iPhone, how can its capabilities be harnessed for in-library use? Several productivity apps can be adapted for in-house use and are easily accessible by employees. Job-related activities such as professional development, training, scheduling, record keeping, emergency procedures, and expense tracking are areas that could benefit from the efficiency and portability of iPhone apps. TripIt Conference attendees can use the TripIt app to track travel itineraries with confirmation numbers, dates, phone numbers, and maps. TripIt also accepts reservation information from hundreds of travel websites. Travel confirmations are arranged into a well-organized and easily accessible format on the iPhone. TripIt itineraries can also be synced with Outlook, Lotus Notes, iCal, and Google Calendars. Xpenser Xpenser is a web-based utility that allows you to track expenses using many different devices, including an iPhone. You can send an instant mes­sage, a tweet, an email, a phone call, or a photo of a receipt to add expenses as you go. Xpenser tracks and adds these expenses for you and allows you to ex­port the report in several different for­mats, including Excel and Quicken. Calendar While at off-site meetings, schedul­ing future meeting times and locations can be challenging. The iPhone calen­dar makes it easier to plan future meetings on-the-go and allows you to sync with your work calendar. Boopsie At conferences such as the ALA an­nual conference that involve multiple ses­sions, instead of carrying a bulky paper program around, access Boopsie to see which sessions are scheduled. Boopsie is compatible with all web-enabled phones. Evernote Documents located on internal in­tranets are often hard to access from outside the network. Evernote allows for saving and tagging of documents such as meeting minutes, planning doc­uments, photos, working bibliographies, out-of-order signs, ongoing service-desk updates, most-often-requested maps, training documents, and presentations. During a recent emergency evacuation, it was no problem to check on employee schedules and emergency numbers of building technicians while standing outside the library. Dragon Dictation Not everyone has the manual dex­terity to use the iPhone keyboard easily. Dragon Dictation simplifies creating text on the iPhone. Open the app, speak into the microphone, and Dragon Dicta­tion converts your words into text, which » www.infotoday.com « MARCH 2010 | 17 using the iphone and ipod touch@work COMPUTERS IN L IBRARIES can then be copied and pasted into in­stant messages, emails, and the like. Dragon Search Dragon Search enables searching in Google, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, and Wikipedia by converting voice commands to keywords. RedLaser Using the camera, scan UPC bar codes to access product information and pricing on any item. Recent upgrades allow for scanned UPC book bar codes to be searched in the WorldCat data­base and linked to library catalogs. RSS Readers There are many RSS readers avail­able with varying capabilities and prices. We use the mobile version of Bloglines, which is not an app but rather a mobile web address accessible at http://i.bloglines.com. Apps for Marketing and Train­ing. Just as there are apps that improve productivity, so are there apps that can impact both marketing and training. Facebook Harness the most popular social networking site to promote library events and services. The iPhone app al­lows you to post photos directly. Flickr Instantly upload images to your photo stream. Customers with Flickr accounts can post and tag their photos taken at the library and tag them with the library name so that others can view all library photos together. Qik Using the iPhone camera, create videos and send them to YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook. This app works Marketing- and training-related apps App Function Price Facebook Promote events, create fan page for library to share info Free Flickr Instantly uploads photos of events. Use widget to feature on your website Free Qik Creates a video player and upload to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube Free (advanced features - $1.99) Twitter Marketing last-minute info Prices range from free to $5. Recommended Twittelator (free) and Tweetie ($3) Wikipedia Post, edit, and link articles to your library Free Yelp Social networking customer review site Free YouTube Allows for viewing of filmed storytimes, events, and tutorials Free (comes with iPhone) Wikipedia is one of the most visited sites on the internet, having a com­plete and up-to-date entry is essential. Yelp Customers are talking about your li­brary and it is likely they are posting on Yelp. Use this app to follow what they are saying. Responding to reviews on Yelp offers a great opportunity to ad­dress patron concerns. This app allows you to draft reviews of businesses, but to post you must go to their website. Flickr allows you to instantly upload images. on older iPhone models that do not have a video recorder. Twitter Send out up-to-the-minute infor­mation on events or unexpected emer­gencies or closures. Twitter apps range in functionality and price. Wikipedia Write a complete entry for your li­brary. If an article already exists, be sure to fact-check the article. Since 18 | MARCH 2010 » www.infotoday.com COMPUTERS IN L IBRARIES  using the iphone and ipod touch@workYouTube Use this app to watch database tu­torials in addition to promotional and training videos. Apps Take Us Beyond the Desk. Generally, most library employees are still tethered to desktop computers with internet access. Given the move­ment to roving reference and point-of­need customer service, the iPhone and iPod touch offer a way for librarians to help users where and when they need it most. Often, users feel reluctant to approach a reference desk and may be less intimidated asking a question when library employees are providing roving reference. On busy days when there is a line for computers, a librar­ian can offer quick and easy access to a catalog record via the iPhone or iPod touch. A library-specific app such as DCPL’s can easily ascertain if a book is in, and if it is not, it can place a hold. Librarians have created bibliographies and webliographies for years. Consider creating an “app-iography” to address the different types of reference and in­formation questions that users are likely to ask. Apps for the United States white pages, Yellow Pages, and geographical maps can be utilized to assist patrons with other typical questions fielded by librarians. Questions regarding local landmarks, businesses, or events can be addressed by apps such as Yelp, iCon­cert, IWant, Around Me, Citysearch, and Fandango. Consider using these apps as a starting point for your own li­brary-specific reference “app-iography.” Conclusion Library service models changed dramatically with the proliferation of online resources. The rise of the mobile web and the ease of access afforded by smartphones, particularly the iPhone, have the potential to transform refer­ence and customer service once again. Subject Apps Phone Directories Superpages, White Pages Mobile, Who Called Encyclopedias/Dictionaries Dictionary.com, iThesaurus, iQuotations, Wikipedia Job Search Craigspro, Indeed, Jobs by Career Builder Events iConcert, Local Concerts Maps iBART, MapQuest4Mobile Medical Epocrates, Pubmed on tap lite, WebMD Consumer Consumer Reports, Yelp Real Estate Zillow News BBC, CNN, NPR News, Thomson Reuters News Pro, Yahoo! News Cooking Epicurious, Big Oven Fitness Restaurant Nutrition Finance Yahoo! Finance Law Nolo’s Plain English Law Dictionary Movies Fandango, IMDB, Flixter Music Shazam, iTunes, Lastfm Names Baby Names Sports ESPN Score Center, SportsTap Travel AirportStatus, iWant, Kayak, Travelocity traveltools Weather Accuweather, WeatherChannel Government AMBER Alert, State Government apps – e.g., CA Gov Locator Citation Help MyZotero, RefWorks Mobile Start your “app-iography” with some of these apps. The iPhone and iPod touch offer a way for librarians to help users where and when they Librarians as information profes­sionals are in a unique position to use this technology not only to increase personal productivity, but also, and more importantly, to provide mean­ingful services and resources for their customers. Susan Kendall received an M.L.S. from the University of Denver and an M.A. in history from the University of Nevada–Las Vegas. She is presently the coordinator for collection development and government publications at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and need it most. serves as an education liaison to the SJSU College of Education. Her email is susan.kendall@sjsu.edu. Mary Nino received an M.L.S. from San Jose State University and is presently working as the interim asso­ciate dean at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose. Her email is mary.nino@sjsu.edu. Sandra Stewart received an M.L.I.S. from the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign. She is currently youth ser­vices and programming manager for the San Jose Public Library. Her email is sandra.stewart@sjlibrary.org. www.infotoday.com « MARCH 2010 | 19 Copyright of Computers in Libraries is the property of Information Today Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. 

Using the iPhone and iPod touch@Work

San Jose State University

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&amp;context=lib_pub

Using the iPhone and iPod touch@Work

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

SJSU ScholarWorks

San Jose State University