Many different kinds of researches, teaching and learning activities are taking place in The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Traditional classroom-based teaching cannot fully cope with the rapid increasing number of staff and students not to mention their expectations. On the other hand, learning activities via WebCT and Moodle, emails, online forums and other means of Internet applications are widely adopted medium over the years but now, with the mobile technology is becoming more popular, it is expected that more and more teaching and learning activities will be shifted to mobile learning (m-learning) to solve these problems.
This paper will report the findings from a mobile library service survey jointly conducted by 4 academic libraries in Hong Kong and Singapore held in October 2011. The objective of this survey is to find out the potential and practical use of mobile library services among our new generation users. Three key issues will be discussed in this paper: the possession rate of mobile devices; the adoption of library services they are using or will use on their mobile devices; and the potential areas for the Library to fill in the gap between their expectations and the services provided. A word of advice will be noted for further development of mobile services by a library.
Kevin Leung is an Assistant Librarian with the Chinese University of Hong Kong from where he graduated. He has an M.L.I.S from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and an M.Sc. from The University of Hong Kong.
Kevin’s areas of specialization at the Chinese University Library includes development of digital library and greatly involved in various IT planning for the 21st Century library. He is now working on how to enhance users experience in information literacy through e-learning.
Ivan Chan is a Systems Librarian (Information Technology and Planning) of the University Library System of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is mainly responsible for the planning of digital initiative and the integrated library system administration.
#m232 #IATUL2012 Survey demonstrates that we are still finding it hard to get the librarian into the online environment. Work to be done.
— Peter Green (@lgreenpd) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 the CUHK survey confirms my library’s experience: mostusers mainly want to check own account & chk catalogue
— Ivan Chew (@ramblinglib) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 a mobile library website was developed. Complex info and functions were excluded from mobile interface
— IATUL 2012 (@iatul2012) June 5, 2012
#iatul2012 #M232 leave complicated functions on desktop, access reader info and notifications via phone
— Tina Hohmann (@guacamole37) June 5, 2012
correction: #m232 #iatul2012 slide showing % of respondents who have *smartphones* (67%) twitter.com/ramblinglib/st…
— Ivan Chew (@ramblinglib) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 least wanted services: audio tour, ask a librarian online
— IATUL 2012 (@iatul2012) June 5, 2012
#m232#iatul2012 most respondents wanted services through SMS
— IATUL 2012 (@iatul2012) June 5, 2012
#m232#iatul2012 the most popular mobile services are (see pic) twitter.com/Yboon1/status/…
— Yboon (@Yboon1) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 most likely services: renew books, search library catalogue, view borrower details
— IATUL 2012 (@iatul2012) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 Singapore has more than 1 university!
— Patrick Pu (@puPatrick) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 a slide on the respondents awareness of types of lib svc & facilities (least known = requesting help) twitter.com/ramblinglib/st…
— Ivan Chew (@ramblinglib) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 total 505 responses mainly from HK; 58% visit campus lib at least “a few times a week”
— Ivan Chew (@ramblinglib) June 5, 2012
#m232 #iatul2012 Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) conducted a joint survey on potential & practical use of mobile lib svc
— Ivan Chew (@ramblinglib) June 5, 2012