Legal Research

Mobile Libraries

'Mobile libraries used to be bookmobiles. Now it`s something different.

The University of Cambridge has released the report: M-Libraries: Information use on the move: a report from the Arcadia Programme by Keren Mills.

You can find a PDF of the full report here.

``These results suggest it is not worth libraries putting development resource into delivering content such as eBooks and e-journals to mobile devices at present. EBooks are already accessible via some mobile phones, such as iPhones and Windows Mobile devices, and audio files such as podcasts and audio books can easily be played on many mobile phones or portable media players. At present, however, most users are put off by the constraints of the technology, such as poor screen quality. iPhone users are already more inclined to read eBooks on their phones, according to comments from the respondents to this survey.``

Lordy! Can you imagine a sillier conclusion. Most people in the world don`t have e-mail, telephones, or enough food to eat. Let`s wait until they do before we prepare libraries for a change that's happening now.

I remember leading one assoication that had the e-mail addresses of 97% of it`s members and there were still some nervous nellies who felt that we should wait until everyone caught up.

No wonder some people think that libraries lag!

Is there somehtig in our culture that says we always have to be behind the curve, lagging, and always playing catch up?

Stephen

Full post as published by Stephen's Lighthouse on June 25, 2009 (boomark / email).