Usage of mobile technologies has skyrocketed over the last decade. Since 2013, their internet usage rates have increased from 16.2% to 52.2%. Mobile traffic has increased by 222% in that time. This change can be attributed to the surge in smartphone ownership for the general population. 81% of US citizens age 18+ have smartphones.
Mobile technology statistics are not restricted purely to smartphones. Tablets such as the Apple iPad and Google Pixel Slate have increased dramatically in sales and ownership. The iPad has been so successful in recent years that Apple is beginning to focus more on them as a product than MacBook.
While items like MacBooks and laptops will obviously continue to be essential for many functions (for the foreseeable future), we can expect to see mobile devices take dominating control over the major market.
The way we use these technologies is continually changing. Traditional laptops and PCs are being used primarily for large projects and resource-intensive applications. Once again we can look to Apple for information on these trends. Apple has discontinued many of its smaller, less powerful MacBooks while continuing to increase their overall power. This makes MacBooks less accessible to the public, but Apple has answered this by improving their iPad and keeping it relatively affordable.
This trend will continue for the next few years until it inevitably levels out (laptops and PCs will not become completely obsolete). University libraries are adapting quickly to these changes.
The OSU Library has made its resources and websites mobile-friendly in recent years. Previously, the mobile and desktop sites were two different pages, and many pages were not mobile friendly at all. The site is now easier to navigate and more cohesive regardless of the platform. The navigation bar has been moved into a drawer for mobile sites and the pages display identically respective to their dimensions on any screen.
The technology students are able to check out at the Edmon Low Library has also adapted to this rise in mobile popularity. Students are able to check out Microsoft Surface tablets from the circulation desk, which can be easily converted to laptop-like devices by attaching the provided keyboard.
Many of the items available for checkout from the Edmon Low Creative Studios and the circulation desk have a mobile-friendly approach. They provide chargers for most phones, clamps that allow smartphones to be mounted on tripods and gimbals to give phones smooth video on the move.
The OSU Library is also currently developing a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. When the app initially launches, it will allow students to reserve a study room or a spot in the Edmon Low Creative Studio. The app will also let students see the status of any books they have checked out or any fines they owe.
In the future, the app will also display the number of computers, express printers and scanners that are open to use. There are also plans to have the number of each item available at the Tech to Go and laptop checkout desks viewable on the app. These features will allow students to better plan their trips to the Library to make their visit more effective.
As resources inevitably continue to become more accessible on mobile devices, libraries will continue to provide tools to make them more accessible to students. Do you think mobile technologies will continue to increase in usage and dominate the market? Let me know how mobile technology is influencing you!
Posted by Jacob Hinchey, Emerging Technology Intern
Showing posts with label Anywhere Library Access. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anywhere Library Access. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Available Online
With the craziness of school, work and daily life, finding time to get to the library can be tough.
Luckily, the OSU Library knows this and has created several ways for students to continue learning and using the library without walking through Edmon Low’s big brass doors.
The library provides an abundance of online services and resources to students at Oklahoma State. Anywhere Library Access allows students who are off campus to simply log on using their OSU email and password. They can then access thousands of databases, articles, books and journals that are online or can be requested and picked up at the library.
Teryn Moorman, the OSU Library event communications intern, said she is thankful for the library’s online access, especially during her busy pre-finals and finals weeks.
“I can complete assignments from the comfort of my own home,” Teryn said. “I can also keep learning over breaks!”
Document Delivery is another favorite among students. The library is home to millions of books, and I feel extremely fortunate to have this resource at the tips of my fingers. However, while books are a resource that we have tons of, time is not. Document Delivery makes the potentially time-intensive task of finding a book stress-free. Students can go to the library’s website and request the book they need. The book will be retrieved and placed at the Circulation Desk for students to grab on the way to the next activity in their hectic schedules.
Even with the plethora of books at the library, sometimes it just doesn’t have the book you’re looking for. Not to worry, the library planned for this too. Interlibrary Services allows students to go online and request books, articles, journals and more! If available, ILS simply borrows the requested material from another library or institution and, when it arrives, places it at the Circulation Desk to be picked up.
Alex Cooper, a graduate student at OSU, uses Document Delivery and ILS regularly.
“ILS and Doc Delivery are great, especially when I’m in a hurry,” Alex said. “I like being able to just go pick the book up. It saves me a lot of time.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Students can go online to book study rooms, browse the library’s digital collections and even renew books. Citation and research guides, digital maps, databases and more are also available online.
Personally, I use the study room reservation and book renewal services the most. I find the online study room reservation system particularly convenient because when it comes to group projects, finding somewhere on campus to get together is tough. Reserving a room online ensures that my group will have a quiet place to work, and it only takes about 30 seconds to make the reservation! It couldn’t be easier.
The services I’ve mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. They are there to facilitate learning and make students’ lives just a bit simpler. I’m incredibly thankful to have these services available to me, and I know my experience at OSU would have been a lot different without the Edmon Low Library and its resources.
If you ever have questions about the online services and resources the library offers, you can always chat with someone at the library. Don’t worry, you can do that online too.
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
Luckily, the OSU Library knows this and has created several ways for students to continue learning and using the library without walking through Edmon Low’s big brass doors.
The library provides an abundance of online services and resources to students at Oklahoma State. Anywhere Library Access allows students who are off campus to simply log on using their OSU email and password. They can then access thousands of databases, articles, books and journals that are online or can be requested and picked up at the library.
Teryn Moorman, the OSU Library event communications intern, said she is thankful for the library’s online access, especially during her busy pre-finals and finals weeks.
“I can complete assignments from the comfort of my own home,” Teryn said. “I can also keep learning over breaks!”
Document Delivery is another favorite among students. The library is home to millions of books, and I feel extremely fortunate to have this resource at the tips of my fingers. However, while books are a resource that we have tons of, time is not. Document Delivery makes the potentially time-intensive task of finding a book stress-free. Students can go to the library’s website and request the book they need. The book will be retrieved and placed at the Circulation Desk for students to grab on the way to the next activity in their hectic schedules.
Even with the plethora of books at the library, sometimes it just doesn’t have the book you’re looking for. Not to worry, the library planned for this too. Interlibrary Services allows students to go online and request books, articles, journals and more! If available, ILS simply borrows the requested material from another library or institution and, when it arrives, places it at the Circulation Desk to be picked up.
Alex Cooper, a graduate student at OSU, uses Document Delivery and ILS regularly.
“ILS and Doc Delivery are great, especially when I’m in a hurry,” Alex said. “I like being able to just go pick the book up. It saves me a lot of time.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Students can go online to book study rooms, browse the library’s digital collections and even renew books. Citation and research guides, digital maps, databases and more are also available online.
Personally, I use the study room reservation and book renewal services the most. I find the online study room reservation system particularly convenient because when it comes to group projects, finding somewhere on campus to get together is tough. Reserving a room online ensures that my group will have a quiet place to work, and it only takes about 30 seconds to make the reservation! It couldn’t be easier.
The services I’ve mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. They are there to facilitate learning and make students’ lives just a bit simpler. I’m incredibly thankful to have these services available to me, and I know my experience at OSU would have been a lot different without the Edmon Low Library and its resources.
If you ever have questions about the online services and resources the library offers, you can always chat with someone at the library. Don’t worry, you can do that online too.
Posted by Jenny Berry, electronic communications intern
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