The Library Mobile Experience: Practices and User Expectations

How are libraries meeting the evolving needs of mobile users? According to comScore, the smartphone is in the “late majority stage of technology adoption curve.” And people don’t turn to their devices only for quick facts when on the 93 percent of mobile users access the Internet from home on their devices; what’s more, Pew reports that 63 percent of Americans age 16 and over would use app-based access to library materials and programs if they were available. In this issue of Library Technology Reports, Kim shows how leading libraries are meeting these evolving needs. Topics steps to improving your mobile website-Analysis of the advantages and challenges of the responsive Web-Comparison of user perceptions of web apps and native apps-Visual review of the changes in the libraries mobile web implementation since 2010-Results of MIT surveys of more than 15,000 patrons in 2008 and 2011-Tips for simplifying mobile’s complexity