Using mobile technologies in libraries and information centers

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 14-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dheeraj Singh Negi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of mobile technologies to develop new ways of Libraries and Information Centre. Mobile devices help to connect with patrons. Creating a library application (“app”) or mobile Web site that allows patrons to access library hours, view their library account or even search databases is easier than most people think. The resources below should help libraries begin to plan and implement their own unique mobile presence: analyzing the present usage of mobile devices; providing an overview of devices, providers and features; describing the various activities these devices support for well library use; focusing how libraries and our librarians are responding with services tailored for these devices; and what can be done by libraries in future in this respect”. Design/methodology/approach – Information and Communications Technology continues to expand the boundaries of higher education into the “anytime/anywhere” experiences. Mobile communication is transforming how people search, receive and interact with information on a daily basis. In just a few short years, smart phone ownership has skyrocketed, and popular use of e-readers has been steadily on the rise. These advanced mobile tools provide portable access to the world of information, across boundaries of subject, discipline and industry. Findings – Mobile technology holds great promise for enabling libraries to provide enhanced services in a form users increasingly are demanding. If this promise is to be fully realized, however, libraries will need to conduct analyses and make smart decisions to address the issues outlined above, support staff education and explore partnerships and new funding models, and be prepared to compromise with respect to their traditional information delivery models. Originality/value – The explosion of advanced mobile technology and robust digital information collection capabilities should prompt libraries to examine carefully the ramifications for user privacy. Libraries can maintain their commitment to user privacy without overcompensating by imposing burdensome security measures or annoying interruptions. For example, libraries do not have to show users a privacy statement or security warning every time they want to access information on a mobile device. A single log-in and acceptance of terms of use, similar to the procedures for other mobile applications and services, should suffice. At the same time, libraries can take the opportunity to educate users in best practices with respect to privacy issues associated with the use of mobile devices.

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Yuan Lai ◽  
Yung-Chin Yen

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how mobile devices could be applied to substantiate cognitive apprenticeship model to optimize nursing students’ learning experiences in clinical settings. Design/methodology/approach Eight female students from a nursing college in Taiwan were recruited in this study. They enrolled in a three-week nursing clinical practicum session in the area of psychiatric nursing. Findings Analysis of interview data from students and instructor showed that use of the mobile technology could promote the effectiveness of cognitive apprenticeship model, especially for processes of reflection, coaching, scaffolding and articulation. Originality/value The present study intended to bridge the gap between mobile technologies and cognitive apprenticeship. This study explores students’ experiences and expectations of using mobile technology in clinical nursing courses and clarifies how the cognitive apprenticeship model fits students’ experiences during using mobile technology in the clinical nursing course.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karlene Cousins ◽  
Daniel Robey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role that mobile technologies play in mobile workers’ efforts to manage the boundaries between work and non-work domains. Previous theories of work-life boundary management frame boundary management strategies as a range between the segmentation and integration of work-life domains, but fail to provide a satisfactory account of technology’s role. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply the concept of affordances, defined as the relationship between users’ abilities and features of mobile technology, in two field studies of a total of 25 mobile workers who used a variety of mobile devices and services. Findings – The results demonstrate that the material features of mobile technologies offer five specific affordances that mobile workers use in managing work-life boundaries: mobility, connectedness, interoperability, identifiability and personalization. These affordances persist in their influence across time, despite their connection to different technology features. Originality/value – The author found that mobile workers’ boundary management strategies do not fit comfortably along a linear segmentation-integration continuum. Rather, mobile workers establish a variety of personalized boundary management practices to match their particular situations. The authors speculate that mobile technology has core material properties that endure over time. The authors surmise that these material properties provide opportunities for users to interact with them in a manner to make the five affordances possible. Therefore, in the future, actors interacting with mobile devices to manage their work-life boundaries may experience affordances similar to those the authors observed because of the presence of the core material properties.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1053-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Kuciapski

Purpose Although mobile devices are ubiquitous among employees, their awareness and readiness to use mobile technologies for competence development is still not widespread and therefore requires further exploration. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to explain the determinants that affect employees’ intention to use mobile devices and software for knowledge transfer during the process of knowledge management. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model based on the UTAUT with new variables concerning relative usability (RU) and user autonomy (UA) and new connections between the determinants was developed as a result of a subject matter literature review. A structural equation modelling approach was used to validate the model on the basis of data collected via a survey collected from 371 employees from 21 sectors, both public and private. Findings The UTAUT model extended by new variables like RU and UA explains employee acceptance of mobile technologies for knowledge transfer reasonably well. New proposed variables highlighted that the usability of technology compared to other solutions and user autonomy in the selection and the use of applications have the strongest impact on the employees’ intention to use mobile devices and software for knowledge transfer. Research limitations/implications This model explains the 55 per cent behavioral intention of employees to use mobile technologies for knowledge transfer. Even though it is quite high in terms of acceptance theories, some new variables should be explored. Furthermore, study does not verify whether m-learning acceptance for knowledge transfer is sector-specific. Practical implications Mobile technologies used for knowledge transfer by employees should allow for high UA through their ability to select solutions that they find convenient, use of preferred platforms, personalize applications and utilize devices and software in various environments. They should not be simplified and should have the same functionality and efficiency of use as alternative solutions like web and desktop applications, even if additional effort to learn them would be required. Mobile technologies that take into account UA and RU support the process of employees capturing, distributing and effectively using knowledge. Originality/value The elaborated model provides a valuable solution with practical implications for increasing mobile technologies acceptance for knowledge transfer. The study results contribute both to knowledge management and technology acceptance research fields by introducing two new determinants for the acceptance of technologies in knowledge transfer, such as UA and RU with several additional connections between existing UTAUT variables.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Vanessa Agila-Palacios ◽  
Ana García-Valcárcel Muñoz-Repiso ◽  
María Soledad Ramírez-Montoya

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of two active methodologies on digital competences development using mobile devices. The first methodology is project-oriented learning (POL); the second one is case-based learning (CBL). The analyzed digital competences belong to the communication and collaboration area of framework DIGCOMP.Design/methodology/approachThis article shows the results of the quantitative stage with a design pre-experimental pre-test–post-test. A questionnaire was designed and applied to an intentional sample from two different courses. In total, 178 students completed the questionnaire in the pre-test, and after five months, 38 students completed the questionnaire in the post-test.FindingsThe results show that students to whom POL was applied increase by 7% competence of interaction with mobile technology. The results also show that the students to whom CBL was applied to increase all four competencies (interaction +8%, share +6%, collaboration +5%, netiquette +4%).Research limitations/implicationsSelf-perception for the evaluation of digital competence and the short study time are limitations to generalize the results, so a longitudinal study is necessary and complemented with qualitative analysis, to present a better validation of the contribution of active methodologies to the development of digital competences.Originality/valueThe rapid advance of technology and the results of various investigations make evident the need of digital competences development. The most common process is digital literacy through techno-functional training. However, these research results confirm that it is possible to promote these digital competences from a practical view and implicitly in active methodologies educational practices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alona Forkosh-Baruch ◽  
Hagit Meishar Tal

Students enter classes with mobile devices and use them for learning; however, these are also distracting devices. Some teacher educators display positive attitudes; others display negative attitudes, depending on their perception of the advantages and disadvantages of mobile technology for learning. This paper represents findings of a study that examined teacher educators' attitudes towards the use of mobile technology in classes, and their reactions to its use. The study identified three types of reactions: proactive, preventive and indifference. Findings show that teacher educators perceive the benefits of using mobile technology in their classes as outweighing the disadvantages. However, the majority is indifferent, e.g. do not initiate new uses of mobile technologies in class, but do not prevent its usage. A correlation was identified between the lecturers' reactions to uses of mobile technology and the familiarity with its possibilities and potential in class.


Author(s):  
Joanna Lumsden

Mobile technology has been one of the major growth areas in computing over recent years (Urbaczewski, Valacich, & Jessup, 2003). Mobile devices are becoming increasingly diverse and are continuing to shrink in size and weight. Although this increases the portability of such devices, their usability tends to suffer. Fuelled almost entirely by lack of usability, users report high levels of frustration regarding interaction with mobile technologies (Venkatesh, Ramesh, & Massey, 2003). This will only worsen if interaction design for mobile technologies does not continue to receive increasing research attention. For the commercial benefit of mobility and mobile commerce (m-commerce) to be fully realized, users’ interaction experiences with mobile technology cannot be negative. To ensure this, it is imperative that we design the right types of mobile interaction (m-interaction); an important prerequisite for this is ensuring that users’ experience meets both their sensory and functional needs (Venkatesh, Ramesh, & Massey, 2003). Given the resource disparity between mobile and desktop technologies, successful electronic commerce (e-commerce) interface design and evaluation does not necessarily equate to successful m-commerce design and evaluation. It is, therefore, imperative that the specific needs of m-commerce are addressed–both in terms of design and evaluation. This chapter begins by exploring the complexities of designing interaction for mobile technology, highlighting the effect of context on the use of such technology. It then goes on to discuss how interaction design for mobile devices might evolve, introducing alternative interaction modalities that are likely to affect that future evolution. It is impossible, within a single chapter, to consider each and every potential mechanism for interacting with mobile technologies; to provide a forward-looking flavor of what might be possible, this chapter focuses on some more novel methods of interaction and does not, therefore, look at the typical keyboard and visual display-based interaction which, in essence, stem from the desktop interaction design paradigm. Finally, this chapter touches on issues associated with effective evaluation of m-interaction and mobile application designs. By highlighting some of the issues and possibilities for novel m-interaction design and evaluation, we hope that future designers will be encouraged to “think out of the box” in terms of their designs and evaluation strategies.


Author(s):  
Laura Briz-Ponce ◽  
Juan Antonio Juanes-Méndez ◽  
Francisco José García-Peñalvo

This paper attempts to provide some insights about the use and perception of undergraduate students about the applications of these devices at University and the importance they give to the adoption of mobile technologies in their education. The methodology used for this purpose was a designed survey distributed to different undergraduate students of Medical Schools from University of Salamanca. It collects information of the most relevant aspects that the students consider when they interact with mobile devices, how often they use them and the type of apps they download. Also, it makes an especial mention of training apps and their handling by the participants. The survey is based on the Technological Acceptance model of Davis. This model helps us to understand the current situation of mobile technologies from the point of view of students. This paper also analyses the existing relationships between the different factors that could influence in their attitude to accept the mobile technology.


Author(s):  
Nigel McKelvey ◽  
Adam Crossan ◽  
Kevin Curran

Mobile technology today is increasingly being used to help improve underdeveloped and developing areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. With the statistics showing the number of adults in Africa owning mobile devices steadily increasing, mobile technology has been a popular area of interest to use to help improve areas such as healthcare and education throughout African cities and rural areas. Common that ways mobile technology is being used to help the residents of sub-Saharan Africa are in the sectors of health care and education. Mobile technologies being used in these areas whilst simple are incredibly effective and successful in helping to better the quality of health in education in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the projects and systems developed using mobile technology focus mainly on urban areas. While reports state the huge increase in the number of those using mobile devices in Africa, along with the large estimated increase in the coming years, the difference between rural African countries and countries which contain urban cities is substantial.


Author(s):  
Oluwatoyin Oyeyemi Obinyan

With the rapid advancement in technology in the last two decades, mainly because of the advent of the internet, the world no longer works the same. The advent of wireless networks and more recently mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, etc. following the internet, contributed a lot their applicability in library's operations. As contained in extant literature, mobile devices have become a very important part of communication not only for telephone service users but also for the internet users. The two main reasons behind success of mobile technology is the benefits such as mobility and ubiquity served by mobile devices. To this end, the chapter explores the application of mobile technology on service delivery in libraries, the advantages and disadvantages. Also highlighted were the skills required by the librarians in incorporating mobile technologies to library services.


Author(s):  
Qing Li ◽  
Zhuo Wang ◽  
Arkhadi Pustaka

Cyberbullying refers to intentional hostile behaviors using digital technologies. With the increased availability of and access to mobile technologies, such as smart phones, tablets and Portable Digital Assistants (PDA), more and more cyberbullying perpetrators have picked up these tools to aggressively and repeatedly inflict harm on their victims who often unavoidably use mobile technology for legitimate reasons. This has posed new challenges to schools and parents who have been trying to prevent and resolve such issues. The present article is an overview of past and present research on mobile-based cyberbullying, including the roles mobile technology plays in cyberbullying, the numerous ways it is employed, the groups it affects, and possible approaches to address the issues. In spite of the raised public concerns, little research has been done to research cyberbullying through mobile devices and our study is the first attempt to systematically review the existing literature in this field.


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