2. 2012: MACON
Mobilising Academic Content Online
1. Mobile discovery interface (using the
EBSCO API)
2. Mobile authentication bookmarklet tool
3. Good practice toolkit for publishers
and libraries
http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/macon
Twitter hashtag: #OUMACON #mlibs
6. Usability Functionality
Librarians expect lots of advanced options
Mobile devices have limited space on the screen and are used in a different
way to desktop devices – some compromise will be necessary to ensure
usability.
18. Reading full text
Phone type PDF HTML Plain text ePub
Smartphone (iPhone/Android)
Feature phone (Blackberry/ Maybe Maybe
N95)
Basic internet phone
20. Mobile Proprietary Web app
website app [HTML 5]
Website or App?
Platform independent Platform specific Platform independent
Use existing staff skills Staff need new skills
Build on existing skills
Limited access to device
Access to device hardware
hardware
Access to device hardware
Easy to find Hidden in app store
May be regulated by App store
Under your control
owner Can be used on desktop
Storage is server side Limited memory on device
Under your control
Difficult to personalise Inherently personal
No need to develop separate
Can only be used online Can be used offline versions for different platforms
1. What are the characteristics of mobile apps and mobile-optimised websites? July 2010.
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/4110
2. W3C Mobile Web Application Best Practices. December 2010. http://www.w3.org/TR/mwabp/
3. Neilson, J (2012) Mobile Sites vs. Apps: The Coming Strategy Shift. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-sites-apps.html
22. Which platforms or browsers do your users have?
Apps or websites?
Separate website or responsive design?
MONITOR TRENDS
23. Recommended reading
• JISC user behaviour observational study: User behaviour in resource
discovery:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/programmerelated/2010/ubirdfinalreport.aspx
• JISC TechWatch Report: Delivering Web to Mobile:
http://blog.observatory.jisc.ac.uk/2012/05/09/final-release-of-techwatch-report-
delivering-web-to-mobile/
• ComScore Datamine (for EU, UK and global trends):
http://www.comscoredatamine.com/category/mobile/
• Responsive Web Design: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-
design/
• M-libraries group on Mendeley: http://mnd.ly/JVA6Hv
24. M-Libraries Conference 2012
“From margin to mainstream: mobile technologies
transforming lives and libraries”
• 24-26 September at the Open University
• www.m-libraries.org
• Registration now open
25. Thank you
• OU Library mobile site: www.open.ac.uk/library/m
• Mobile Discovery Good Practice Toolkit (work in
progress): http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloudscape/view/2411
• MACON project blog: www.open.ac.uk/blogs/macon
