Mobile Library Instruction

The Washington State University Libraries offer patrons how-to help with library tools and resources through brief MP3 audio recordings which can be uploaded to iPods and other mobile devices. The WSU Libraries present a 3-minute guide to the map collection, 2- minute tutorials on how to select search terms and use Boolean operators, as well as instructional audiocasts on using their online databases to find journal articles.
The Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University offers lengthy podcasts instructing listeners how to create maps, conduct citation searches, and ask-a-librarian.
The Alden Library at Ohio University has created a series of short audio files describing intercampus requests, reserving group study rooms, obtaining reference assistance, and library workshops.

iTunes University has hundreds of educational podcasts which can by uploaded to patrons' MP3 and portable media players and taken to-go, many of which are from college and university libraries.
Texas A&M Libraries has their own channel on iTunes featuring downloadable video casts covering topics such as finding books, articles, databases, and e-journals, several types of library catalog searches, and a virtual tour of the library.
The Faculty Workshop Series at the Arizona State University Libraries is a video podcast series which can be found by accessing the ASU Library Channel within iTunes. The three to five minute videos concerning finding articles, getting started doing library research, and finding books can be viewed on portable devices such as a video iPod at the learner's convenience.

Washington State University Libraries - http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/science/podcast.htm
Johns Hopkins University Libraries - http://www.library.jhu.edu/podcasts
Ohio University Libraries - http://www.library.ohiou.edu/podcasts
iTunes - http://www.apple.com/itunes

From On the Move (pdf, tagged http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/38154) pg 43

Mobile Collections
Libraries are offering their patrons digital media collections that they can take to-go, enabling them to benefit from library services remotely.

The Thomas Ford Memorial Library and the St. Joseph County Public Library are both offering audiobooks ranging from The Devil Wears Prada to Animal Farm preloaded on lendable iPod Nanos for patrons to take with them. Librarians will also load audio titles onto patrons’ own iPod devices for the duration of the 3-week loan period. The Crouch Fine Arts Library at Baylor University has transferred all listening assignments for the semester's music courses onto iPods which are organized by professor and course number. Students can check-out these pre-loaded iPods from the library for up to 12 hours. The University of Virginia Library has created a collection of over 2,100 e-books from their Etext Center which includes American history titles, American and British fiction, major authors, and Shakespearean works. They have had more than 8.5 million downloads from their website over 21 months.

The Overdrive digital media service has partnered with over 7,500 libraries to offer audiobook collections, e-books, video, and music files to library patrons. Patrons who belong to a participating library can transfer a wide range of media items to their cell phones, such as documentaries and feature films, narrated audiobooks, and jazz and opera CD's which can be played on mobile devices using the Overdrive console. MobiPocket and Adobe Reader e-book titles may also be borrowed and uploaded to portable devices. The New York Public Library is utilizing the Overdrive service for their eNYPL offering which includes access to over 2,500 MobiPocket compatible e-books. The C/W Mars library network in Massachusetts offers the Overdrive service to their 150-plus member libraries including Berkshire Community College and the State Library of Massachusetts. And the University of Alaska Fairbanks provides their students, faculty, and staff with foreign language study audiobooks as well as historical and political resources through the ListenAlaska Web portal, stocked with Overdrive titles.

Thomas Ford Memorial Library - http://www.fordlibrary.org
St. Joseph County Public Library - http://sjcpl.lib.in.us/
Baylor University Library - http://www.baylor.edu/lib/finearts
University of Virginia Library - http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks
Overdrive - http://www.overdrive.com eNYPL - http://ebooks.nypl.org
C/W Mars library network - http://cwmars.lib.overdrive.com
University of Alaska Fairbanks - http://listenalaska.lib.overdrive.com

From On the Move (pdf, tagged http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/38154) pg 42

Mobile Audio Tours

Libraries are making guided tours more convenient for patrons with busy schedules by offering self-service audio tours available for handheld devices. Rather than asking patrons schedule an appointment in advance, or learn to utilize a new technology, these new audio tours make the most of patrons' MP3 players and cell phones to impart information.

Duke University Libraries provides a 10-part audio walking tour of its Bostock Library, available for download as MP3 files. The Simmons College Library offers students, faculty, and staff the ability to check out an iPod pre-loaded with a guided audio tour of its Beatley Library and Information Commons. The University of Southern California offers an 8-part video tour of its Doheny Memorial Library through its iTunes University Campus Life channel, giving remote mobile users a glimpse of the structure. Students and staff at Arizona State University can download a walking tour of the Hayden Library through the Library Channel on iTunes U. The C.V. Starr East Asian Library at Columbia University provides enhanced audio podcasts of its facilities in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Tibetan.

Another way libraries are offering mobile tours of their collections, services, and buildings is through the Guide by Cell service. This unique service enables library visitors to dial into a toll-free number on their cell phones to access a guided tour of the library. Patrons are able to specify particular items they are interested in learning about, approach the excursion at their own pace, and leave comments and feedback for the library. This interactive service is being used by the Dartmouth College Baker Berry Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library and Museum, and the Library of Congress. A similar service is Museum 411.

Duke University Libraries - http://library.duke.edu/about/perkinsproject/audio-tour.html
Simmons College Library - http://my.simmons.edu/library/tour
iTunes - http://www.apple.com/itunes
C.V. Starr East Asian Library - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/eastasian/tours.html
Guide by Cell - http://www.guidebycell.com
Museum 411 - http://museum411.com

From On the Move (pdf, tagged http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/38154) pg 42

Mobile Databases
It's not only libraries that have seen the writing on the wall with regard to the mobile Web, but academic software and database providers have started taking portability to heart.
Endnote has rolled out mobile functionality for Pocket PC owners with their X1.0.1 release.
Factiva's news database has a search interface for mobile Web users, as does the
Westlaw legal research database.
Hoover's Mobile: Library patrons can access detailed company information while on the road
National Library of Medicine makes it possible for medical students to research remotely through PubMed for handhelds.

Endnote - http://www.endnote.com
Factiva - http://mobile.beta.factiva.com
Westlaw - http://wl-w.com
Hoover's - http://mobile.hoovers.com
PubMed - http://pubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov

From On the Move (pdf, tagged http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/38154) pg 42