This is the opening keynote at the Central Texas Library System's 2nd Annual Technology Conference: The Mobile Library. My presentation sets the stage for mobile device use among library users, discusses mobile services that users expect from other institutions, and highlights several libraries currently providing a variety of mobile services.

1. the current landscape
of mobile libraries
Rachel Vacek
University of Houston Libraries
CTLS Conference: The Mobile Library
December 2009
twitter: @vacekrae
www.slideshare.net/vacekrae

2. but first,
some stats…

3. The mobile
device
landscape
is HUGE,
and it's not
going away.

4. Cell phones are the fastest
growing communications device
in the history of the world.

5. 4.1 billion
It’s the number of
cellphone contracts
in the world.

6. 50 countries in the
world have over a
100% cell phone
penetration rate.
This means that the
average person has
more than one
phone.

7. The US has a penetration rate of about 78%.

8. Italy's is about 115%.

9. Hong Kong has the highest cell phone
penetration rate in the world at 163%.

10. 1.2 billion people use
email
2.5 billion people use
texting

11. 50% email users
want a reply < 24 hours
84% text users
want a reply < 5 minutes

12. 2.3 trillion
That's the number of
text messages
sent in 2008.

13. Let’s look a question
asked of Generation Y

14. Chec
king,
read
g on ing, a
T alkin ne send nd
the pho ing e
mails
Text messaging
Reading
magazines Visiting
Watching T
V n on-social
websites
Playing Wo
rld
Visiting social of Warcraft
networking sites

16. “Texting remains an important
communications tool for Gen Y,
with the average number
of text messages per month
exceeding 740.”
- From a study conducted by the Participatory Marketing Network
& Pace University’s Lubin School of Business’ IDM Lab, October 2009

17. 32% of all Americans
have gone online
with a mobile device

18. 3% of adults in the U.S.
own an e-book reader
- From the Pew Internet & American Life Project, September 2009

19. - From the International Digital Publishing Forum and the Association of
American Publishers. www.openebook.org/doc_library/industrystats.htm

20. Enough
already!

21. What does
all this
mean for
libraries?

22. "The most important thing
we can do is to ensure that
when the technology matures,
we are ready to deliver content
-Jason Griffey, Head of Library Information
Technology, University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga, and author of Mobile Technologies
and Libraries, coming in Jan 2010
Photo by Cindi Trainor

23. MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
HAS MATURED!

24. Libraries and library staff
need to become:
mobile

25. Libraries and library staff
need to become:
mobile -literate

26. Libraries and library staff
need to become:
mobile -literate
-aware

27. Libraries and library staff
need to become:
mobile -literate
-aware
-friendly

28. Libraries and library staff
need to become:
mobile -literate
-aware
-friendly
-providers

29. What types of
mobile services
are libraries
providing users?

30. Reference Video
Databases news
Library
websites Library
instruction
QR codes SMS
OPACs
Subject
guides
Audio Image
RSS Feeds collections
tours

31. Who is currently
providing mobile
services?

32. Mobile
Sites

33. Nashville Public Library

34. New York Public Library

35. North Carolina State
University Libraries

36. North Carolina State
University Libraries

37. North Carolina State
University Libraries

38. University of Denver

39. Mobile Apps

40. University of North Carolina

41. DC Public Library

42. SMS

43. Bryn Mawr College Library

44. Denton
Public
Library

45. Baylor University

46. Mobile
Collections

47. Hennepin County Libraries

48. Duke University Libraries

49. Duke University Libraries

50. Mobile
Instruction

51. Arizona State University

52. Arizona State University

53. John Hopkins
University
Libraries

54. Washington State
University Libraries

55. Mobile
Tours

56. Woodbourne Library

57. Seattle Public Library

58. Databases &
Other Electronic
Resources

59. Yale
University
Libraries

60. Other Cool
Mobile Services

61. Sacramento Public Library

62. Ryerson University
Library & Archives

63. E-Book Services

64. Holds about Long battery
1,500 books life
Historical Tons of free
photos from books
your collections available
Audio books
Easy to
circulate
Some have Built-in mp3
touch screens player
Supports
Read PDF articles Can use your multiple
downloaded from library’s free wi-fi formats
databases

65. What e-book
readers are
available?

66. Amazon
Kindle

67. Amazon Kindle App
for the iPhone

68. Sony Reader

69. Barnes & Noble
Nook

70. Other Brands
• Plastic Logic Que
• Aluratek Libre
• Entourage Edge
• iRex DR800SG
• Foxit eSlick Reader
• Interead’s CoolReader

71. Who is offering
e-book reader
services?

72. Texas A&M University Libraries

73. North Carolina State University

74. River
Forest
Public
Library

75. Howe Library

76. There are MANY more examples
of mobile libraries at
Library Success:
A Best Practices Wiki
www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries

77. What do you want
YOUR LIBRARY’S
mobile landscape
to look like?

78. Thank you!
Email: vacekrae@gmail.com
Blog: rachelvacek.com
Social: vacekrae
(gtalk, yahoo, twitter, flickr, delicious, etc.)
Friend me on Facebook!
Presentation available online:
slideshare.net/vacekrae