Library and learning experiences turned mobile: A comparative study between LIS and non-LIS students

The rapid developments of wireless telecommunication networks and the widespread increase of smartphone ownership around the world have created tremendous impacts on the services provided by institutions of higher education worldwide on several dimensions. Unarguably, mobile technologies have created new and unforeseen opportunities for educators, information services providers and students to experience the new horizon of teaching, learning, as well as knowledge transfer and creation. Taking into consideration that since Library and Information Science (LIS) students are training to become future LIS professionals, they are expected to be ready as well as active in integrating mobile technology into their daily learning practices.This study was set up to examine two groups of students (namely: LIS versus non-LIS students) at Peking University – their attitudes and level of activeness in adopting mobile technology in their daily life, as well as in their learning practices. Quantitative questionnaire survey was used for data collection, and a total number of 319 responses (i.e., LIS, 63 and non-LIS, 256) were collected from this study. Findings of this study reveal that no significant differences were found between the two student groups (LIS versus non-LIS) in many areas. In fact, both LIS and non-LIS student groups were using their smartphones to engage in different learning, research, social networking, pastimes, and recreational activities on similar level. However, it was concerning to note that the LIS student group was slightly less active in accessing the online services and resources provided by their university library. This was a particular finding that went against the researchers' original anticipation. However, such unexpected finding did not mean that these LIS students were necessarily less active or ‘open’ as mobile learners. For the reason that in comparison to their non-LIS counterparts, they were equally as active as in terms of using their mobile devices for other learning (particularly collaborative learning) and research purposes. Further studies are recommended to determine various factors that are hindering these LIS students from using the university library's online resources and services on a more active level.     

Connecting with Health Science Students and Faculty to Facilitate the Design of a Mobile Library Website

Observing increasing usage of smartphones by students and faculty of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, librarians at Rowland Medical Library decided to explore student and faculty interest in a mobile website for the library. Focus groups were held to examine interest in a site, essential resources to include on a site, and format of the site itself. The study found significant interest in the development of a mobile library website; additionally, participants believed it essential that the site be simple and easy to use and that only certain library resources should be included on the site.     

The Digital Literacy Partnership Website: Promoting Interdisciplinary Scholarship Between Faculty,Students, and Librarians

ABSTRACT

In 2013, the Center for Digital Scholarship at Miami University was established and coincided with the redesign of the Children's Picture Book Database, which had a successful web presence for nearly 20 years. We developed the Digital Literacy Partnership (DLP) website project in order to upgrade the project to Omeka as a new digital management tool and to establish a second resource called the Health Literacy Database. Over time, the project grew to include three databases with the mission to promote the contributions of literacy, health, and technology on learning. In this case study, we describe the role of academic libraries in supporting faculty and student design projects; share the history and mission of the DLP project; and explain the digital team of faculty, librarians, and undergraduate students. We also outline the production of public health eBooks targeted to children and adults with low literacy skills; the social marketing decisions we made from web usage statistics; and the technical lessons learned throughout this collaborative digital project.     

Displacement and Supplemental Effects of the Mobile Internet on Fixed Internet Use

Mobile devices facilitate the use of mobile services that are similar to services used via fixed Internet connections. The objective of this article is to assess displacement effects between fixed and mobile Internet services, and to research the role of technical capabilities of mobile handsets and demographics as moderators. This study is based on a sample of 628 respondents who have access to fixed and mobile Internet services. The respondents' usage of services was analyzed. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on the use of information, communication, entertainment, and transaction services. Mobile Internet reinforces, rather than replaces, Internet usage. When people possess an iPhone^® or (mobile) laptop, this reinforcement effect is present for entertainment services. With respect to transaction services, the Blackberry^® makes a stronger case. With the exception of gender, demographic characteristics do not have a moderating effect. Women display a stronger reinforcement effect than men in relation to transaction services. To the best of our knowledge, no study to date has investigated the displacement effects of fixed Internet services by the mobile handset. This empirical study contributes to the literature regarding the displacement effects of mobile Internet services.     

Platform War vs. Platform Synergy? A Longitudinal Analysis of Media Substitution between Personal Computers and Mobile Devices

ABSTRACT

Research on media substitution theory has examined substitutional and/or complementary relationships between new and existing media. This study focuses on the growth of mobile platforms and investigates the relationship between mobile devices and personal computers. Using Nielsen’s panel data that provide electronically recorded media usage (N = 2,396), this study analyzes yearly changes in time allocation to mobile devices and PCs at total and content-specific usage levels during mobile 4G transition. Results suggest a complementarity dynamic between mobile devices and PCs; however, the patterns were more nuanced in light of the role of individual and structural factors when determining media choice.     

移动端到PC端的微信跨渠道使用行为研究

[目的/意义]探究微信用户从移动端到PC端的跨渠道使用行为影响因素,丰富多渠道环境下用户渠道扩展行为研究,为相关企业更好地发挥多渠道优势提升服务品质提供参考和建议。[研究设计/方法]通过日记研究追踪30位用户三天内不同渠道的微信使用情况,发现微信用户从移动端到PC端的跨渠道使用行为与使用情景和感知差异的关系;构建使用情景、感知差异、感知整体性以及使用意愿的结构方程模型,探索微信用户从移动端向PC端扩展的内在机理。[结论/发现]多渠道环境下,使用情景、感知差异和感知整体性都显著影响微信跨渠道使用,其中使用情景通过感知差异发挥作用,感知差异比感知整体性更为强烈,且性能差异和硬件差异是感知差异四个维度中影响力较强的两个。[创新/价值]同时从探索性角度和验证性角度对微信用户从移动渠道扩展到PC渠道的影响因素展开研究,可为之后的研究提供方法借鉴。     

Mobile Web Site Ease of Use: An Analysis of Orbis Cascade Alliance Member Web Sites

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes 37 Orbis Cascade Alliance members' Web sites to determine ease of use across mobile devices. Based on that analysis and a literature review, guidance is provided on how libraries' mobile Web sites may be improved. Web sites were examined to determine ease of locating frequently accessed resources on mobile devices that were identified in the literature: contact information, hours, databases, library accounts, and search boxes. Scalability of Web sites on mobile devices was also evaluated and was found to be non-existent in nearly a quarter of examined libraries. Areas for consideration and improvement are presented across Orbis Cascade Alliance libraries that can easily be applied globally.     

Academic Libraries and Use of Mobile Devices: Case Study of Slovenia

This study aims to explore the use of mobile technology among students of University of Ljubljana (UL), Slovenia, in order to improve academic library services. We focused on the use of mobile library services of academic libraries in general and students' reading of full text resources on mobile devices in particular. A questionnaire was administered online to collect data from students within all faculties of University of Ljubljana. Assuming that the attitude towards using mobile devices to read scholarly e-resources is also affected by students' perception of mobile devices, we researched this in the context of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). UL students perceive mobile devices as generally useful for reading scholarly e-resources, but with shortcomings. They perceive mobile devices as practical for easy access to e-resources while they do not see them as appropriate for reading. Given the low mobile use of library online resources, UL libraries should develop a plan for the development of attractive mobile services and their effective promotion.     

信息茧房视域下移动知识服务使用影响因素研究

［目的/意义］信息茧房现象的存在,对用户使用移动知识服务具有一定影响,不利于用户对知识的学习与汲取。为探究信息茧房对用户使用移动知识服务的影响,以高校师生为研究对象,研究信息茧房效应下影响移动知识服务的因素,并提出相关建议,旨在为突破信息茧房、完善现有移动知识服务提供参考。［方法/过程］以信息茧房的主要成因为研究变量,构建信息茧房效应下用户使用移动知识服务的影响因素初始模型;利用问卷调查法收集相关数据,对初始模型进行分析检验并建立回归方程。［结果/结论］研究发现,用户特质(如心理动因和个人素养)、服务平台(如算法推荐技术)、信息内容(如内容权威性和有用性)和移动环境这4个方面均对用户使用移动知识服务产生影响。其中,用户特质对移动知识服务使用的影响最大;服务平台对移动知识服务使用也产生较大影响;此外,信息内容与移动环境也对移动知识服务具有一定影响。     

The Promising Syllabus Enacted: One Teacher's Experience

The purpose of this report is to describe a rationale and strategies for use of the Promising Syllabus (in Bain, 2004, What the best college teachers do). This syllabus reflects the learner-centered paradigm where students take charge of their own learning. The syllabus creates a series of promises between teacher and student, focusing on a question—or questions—of significance the course will help the student answer. Allowing students input into the direction and evaluation of their learning challenges current pedagogy. A Promising Syllabus was used in COM 365, Organizational Communication. This report explores the use of the Promising Syllabus and one teacher's attempt to challenge students to take ownership of their learning experience.     

Becoming Mobile: Reference in the Ubiquitous Library

ABSTRACT

Library patrons are adopting mobile devices for personal and other uses. The ubiquity of mobile devices will lead to changes in how and where learning and education happens. Libraries have wanted to become ubiquitous by making resources and services available anywhere, anytime. Reference librarians can use mobile devices and applications to include services in mobile learning environments. Challenges to libraries include uncertainty about which technologies to adopt in a rapidly changing technology landscape, the cost of technology adoption, staffing for 24–7, diversity of needs and preferences among library patrons, and the need to offer stable, consistent services. The combination of mobile librarians, mobile patrons, and mobile content provides an opportunity to move closer to the ideal of the ubiquitous library.

This article originally published in Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 51, Issue 3, pages 279–290, 2011. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2011.556942.     

Library Space Redesign and Student Computing

Academic libraries are spending considerable time and study on redesigning spaces. The use of technology is often an important part of these redesigned spaces. The space redesign goals at F.D. Bluford Library focus on creating open, activity-promoting, colorful spaces that are designed to be attractive to students. The goals also focus on implementing hybrid spaces that allow students to work alone or in groups, with support for mobile technologies like laptops or tablets. The space redesign goals focus on upgrading the quality of desktops available but reducing the number of desktops. This study examines the question “Does our library renovation significantly change computer use in the redesigned area?” Key findings include that, in defiance of expectations, there is no significant decrease in desktop usage despite the decreased number of computers. However, findings show there is a significant difference in tablet use, despite tablet-friendly spaces and charging options. Surprisingly, our students use fewer tablets. Laptop usage shows no significant difference. In summary, our research shows desktop computing—especially high-quality desktop computing—appears to still have a role in academic libraries even in the mobile technology age.     

One tool to rule? – A field experimental longitudinal study on the costs and benefits of mobile device usage in public agencies

With the rising number of mobile technologies used in work- and private-life domains, opportunities, and challenges of mobile device usage in daily lives arise. Against this background, we strive to investigate how corporately provided mobile devices, i.e., tablets, affect work-life conflict and innovation behavior of public sector employees over time. We analyze employees in German public agencies due to their high intrinsic motivation goals alongside strict working schedules, regulations, and payments in contrast to the employees of the private sector. Our research pursues a sequential explorative multi-method approach of conducting a field experiment with qualitative and quantitative data. Twenty employees were divided into two equal groups: 1.) employees with tablets, 2.) employees without tablets. After analyzing the interviews and survey data using methods from grounded theory, we found that a) digital competences can create a bottleneck for employees' innovation behavior, b) corporately provided mobile devices (COPE) decrease employees work-life conflict despite increasing their workload, and c) COPE-IT can support innovation behavior of employees in public agencies, assisting them in keeping up their efficient work when work demands are high. All these effects can be mediated by the development of employee's ownership towards their COPE-IT.     

Hands-On Learning in Special Collections: A Pilot Assessment Project

This study examined how hands-on work with original primary materials affects students' information literacy and critical thinking skills. The project team developed rubrics to evaluate document analyses from before and after student time in special collections. Most scores did not vary significantly between the pre- and posttests, although students' ability to analyze the materiality of documents did improve. They also examined papers from classes that had and had not used special collections against the Association of American Colleges and Universities' information literacy rubric and found no significant differences. The authors hope this project will serve as a pilot for future assessment of student learning in special collections.     

新媒体环境下移动学习用户信息共享行为研究

[目的/意义]针对新媒体环境下移动学习的特点,研究移动学习用户信息共享行为的现状,引导移动客户端更好地构建以用户为中心的信息共享交流平台。[方法/过程]采用问卷调查和实证研究相结合的方法,应用Amos21.0从个体移动学习态度、个体移动学习的主观规范和移动学习过程感知信息可控性3者和谐发展的角度,对提出的影响因子、移动学习信息共享意图和移动学习信息共享行为之间的假设进行检验。[结果/结论]数据研究结果显示新媒体环境下个体移动学习态度、主观规范、移动学习过程感知信息可控性对移动学习信息共享意图产生正向影响,其中移动学习过程感知信息可控性对移动学习信息共享意图的影响最大;移动学习信息共享意图对信息共享行为有正向影响。     

Competition and coexistence of sports media: the case of watching the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games*

This study was performed in the context of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games to examine the patterns of competition among television sets, personal computers, and mobile devices in gratifying audiences of one of the world's greatest sporting event. In light of the theory of niche, three measures of niche – niche breadth, niche overlap, and competitive superiority – were examined. Of the major findings, personal computers appeared to overlap the most with, and were superior to mobile devices in fulfilling socialization and diversion gratifications. These findings indicate personal computers are, at least partially, replacing mobile devices with respect to socialization and diversion gratifications. In comparison, the television set appeared to overlap the most with, and was superior to the personal computer in fulfilling the eustress, aesthetic, learning, and self-esteem gratifications. These findings indicate that television sets remain the dominant medium for fulfilling these four gratification dimensions.     

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education and in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Literature

Conducting effective assessment toward evaluating student learning outcomes (SLO) is a difficult and complex process for all higher education professionals. University-level conversations are increasingly centered on student learning outcomes as they pertain to issues such as students' skills competence, continuous improvement, retention, etc. In response to the increasing demand for units on campus (including academic libraries) to contribute to these conversations, an understanding of how to assess student learning outcomes becomes essential. This paper reviews recent academic literature pertaining to assessing student learning outcomes in higher education and academic libraries. The objective is to use both to create a starting point for academic librarians looking to embark on a SLO-based program of assessment at their academic libraries.     

Student Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Digital Textbooks

The purpose of this article is to add to the collective body of knowledge on student behavior and attitudes relative to the adoption of digital textbooks. The article summarizes an ongoing research project that examines past, current and evolving behavior in the classroom related to digital textbooks and school. It includes students, faculty and administrative attitudes behaviors and perceptions. This research was undertaken at the Sawyer Business School of Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. Student attitudes and behavior toward their use of digital textbooks (eTextbooks) in higher education was examined in an ongoing longitudinal study over two years at Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University. Students in the class were divided into six teams. Five of the teams were assigned an eTextbook device and the sixth team was given a paper textbook for use through the semester. The digital technologies examined were: Amazon Kindle, Sony eReader Touch, Apple iPad, enTourage eDGe, and CourseSmart. Student attitudes and behaviors were examined pre and post class by survey each semester, and during the semesters through quizzes, journals and classroom discussion. Differential learning was measured between the six teams. Student attitudes and behaviors are becoming more receptive to and accepting of using digital textbooks each year. There was no significant difference in learning between the eTextbook devices teams or between them and the paper textbook team.     

Academic library spaces and student activities during the COVID-19 pandemic

A library in higher education plays a primary role in students' learning on campus. In addition to individually-focused studying, students come to a library for various purposes, such as group learning, collaborating, and socializing. To support students' different types of learning, appropriate physical and functional environments of the spaces must be provided. However, the environmental effects of learning spaces have not been explored extensively. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced students to remain and study at home for extended periods, and it is expected that the pandemic experience has affected students' space use patterns. This study aims to examine the effect of the pandemic on students' library usage and to investigate the necessary environments to effectively support students' learning activities. Data was collected via interviews with 12 students. One of the main findings is that, even though students used the library less during the pandemic, they expected to use it as much as pre-pandemic or even more after the pandemic. Furthermore, both physical and functional environments were associated with the study performance and wellbeing of the students. Therefore, understanding students' learning activities and preferred environments in a library is critical to providing appropriate spaces supporting students' learning performance and wellbeing.     

The second digital transition: to the mobile space — an analysis of Europeana

According to industry estimates the mobile device (smartphone and tablet) will soon be the main platform for searching the Web and yet our knowledge of how mobile consumers use information – especially scholarly information, and how that differs from desktop or ‘tethered’ users – is imperfect to say the very least. This article aims to correct this through an analysis of the usage logs of a major cultural, multimedia website, Europeana.eu, which started tackling the mobile challenge in 2011. The challenges of identifying mobile use – no easy matter – are described. The information behaviour of 150,000 mobile users is examined and compared with that for desktop users. The main findings are that mobile users are the fastest‐growing user community and that their visits are very different in the aggregate from those arising from desktops. Mobile visits are information ‘lite‘: typically shorter, less interactive, and with less content viewed per visit. Use takes on a social rather than office rhythm, with use peaking at nights and weekends.