Putting research into practice: Mobile technologies in libraries
1. Putting research into
practice: Mobile technologies in
libraries
Jo Alcock and Annmarie Lee
Birmingham City University
CILIP Umbrella Conference
3rd July 2013
2. Overview
Research
Jisc-funded m-library community support
project
Practice
Birmingham City University Library and
Learning Resources
Conclusions
Implications for researchers and
practitioners
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•
•
5. M-library community support project
"to help support and engage the emerging
m-library community by reviewing and
synthesising existing research and
evidence-based guidance"
Evidence Base & Owen Stephens Consulting
November 2011 - September 2012
http://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/
8. Pathways to best practice
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hockadilly/5744624394
9. BCU Library and Learning Resources
• A student population of 25,000
• About a third of our students study part•
•
•
time
Six academic faculties offering over 350
courses
Eight campus libraries
Increase in users learning from a
distance
13. Mobile technologies working group
• Representatives from different campuses
•
•
•
and parts of library, plus a CICT
colleague
Meet on a monthly basis
Bring ideas together and work on small
scale investigative projects
Organic process to enable new
opportunities
14. Working group projects
• Library functionality in mobile app
• Mobile treasure hunt for inductions
• Supporting learning and teaching (e.g.
augmented reality)
• Recommended apps for outreach
• Mobile access to resources
• Google Maps for location-based
orientation
19. Implications for researchers
• Ensure research is informed by practice
o Need to be aware of pain points
• Ensure information is accessible to
practitioners
o Improve awareness by sharing at
practitioner events
o Produce short easy-to-use guides
20. Implications for practitioners
• Look for research to inform practice
o Starting a new project? Has it been done
before? Has someone published lessons
learned and tips for best practice?
• Remain aware of current research
o Follow research blogs and tweets
• Help provide information to inform
research
o Contribute to research surveys
21. Benefits of collaboration
• Both sides can learn from each other
o Two way process - practice informed by
research, research informed by practice
• Help improve practice and research
22. Thank you for listening
Jo Alcock
@joeyanne
Jo.Alcock@bcu.ac.uk
Annmarie Lee
@annmarielee66
Ann-Marie.Lee@bcu.ac.uk