Using wireless devices to enhance reference and information services.

Using wireless devices to enhance reference and information services. A growing number of libraries have installed wireless dataconnections as a way of providing access to the Internet for members ofthe public. Some libraries have used their wireless networks to enablestaff to use wireless devices to increase their mobility, effectivenessand responsiveness to client need particularly in providing referenceand information services See Information Systems. . This paper will look at some of theseinnovative applications of wireless data technology in libraries. AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PUBLIC AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES HAVEINSTALLED WIRELESS connections as a way of providing access to theInternet (including access to library catalogues and subscriptiondatabases) for members of the public or for university students. Thelibraries provide the Internet connection and the library patronsprovide their own hardware to access these resources. This is happeningin Australia as well as in other countries. Very little is being written about the additional uses to whichthis wireless technology can be put. Most of the information for thispaper has come from listservs (electronic mails lists) and by e-mailingindividual libraries, because not much is being published in the area ofvalue adding to wireless services. Nor are there many examples to lookat in this area of service delivery. A small number of libraries in theUS and Canada are leading the way, some because they have a history ofbeing early adopters of technological innovations, and others becausethe library staff have had to work out how to continue to provide aquality reference service with significant reductions in staff numbers.There are a limited number of small scale trials for additional uses forwireless technology. Medical libraries were early adopters of wireless technology. Onereason for this is that hospitals in developed countries are alreadyhigh-tech environments. This has led to PDAs (personal digitalassistants) being used extensively in medical libraries. (Solomons,2004) This paper specifically looks at how wireless technology canenhance the delivery of reference and information services. It aims tolook at public library developments with a number of references touniversity libraries, which are using a very specific aspect of wirelesstechnology because they have large area wireless networks. Roving laptops The simplest way of using wireless to enhance reference andinformation services is to take a laptop out of the library, or to adifferent part of the library, to provide a reference service. Acampus-wide wireless network at a university is an ideal way of beingable to do this, and was the starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting pointterminus a quocommencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the for thinking aboutadditional creative and effective uses for this technology by librarystaff from a customer service perspective Taking laptops out and about is particularly suited to universitylibraries. Campus-wide wireless networks have been installed so thatstudents (and staff) can access crucial course-related data regardlessof their physical location on the campus. They can work collaborativelyregardless of location and library resources can be accessed over a muchlarger area. Staff are able to take wireless-enabled laptops to cafes orto particular faculties when there is a campus-wide wireless network.This approach has been taken at some Canadian universities: at SimonFraser University Simon Fraser University,main campus at Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada; provincially supported; coeducational; chartered 1963, opened 1965. The Harbour Centre campus in downtown Vancouver opened in 1989. in British Columbia British Columbia,province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada.Geography laptops provide a referenceservice outside the library; at the Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth, may refer to: Living peopleElizabeth II, Queen regnant of the Commonwealth Realms Deceased peopleBohemia II Library at theMemorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland,at St. John's, N.L., Canada; provincially supported; coeducational; founded 1925 as Memorial Univ. College. It achieved university status in 1949. library staff also use the rovingwireless service to provide reference services, and to promote otherservices which are available from the library. The Simon Fraser University service has been described as follows: A team of six librarians staff the service with very minimal equipment. Currently we're using a mobile AV cart, a laptop with wireless access, two chairs and three signs. Given the number of electronic resources available to us, we are able to provide virtually (!) the same level of reference service that is given at our regular reference desk. If something comes along outside of our subject expertise that we can't answer, we refer to the librarian for that subject area ... students seem to enjoy the more collegial atmosphere provided by being able to sit down beside us. Our reference desk doesn't have that feature. (Graebner 2005) This use of wireless networks has the lowest start-up cost as theremay already be a laptop within the library which can be used for thispurpose. Smith and Pietraszewski (2004) have written about a short trialof this methodology conducted at West Campus Library, Texas A&MUniversity, College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in Central Texas. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near to three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San . Roving PDAs (and other hand-held devices) The next variation of this method of providing reference andinformation services is to use hand-held wireless devices which aresmaller than laptops. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are smallhand-held devices, often no larger than an average adult hand. They canbe used to search the internet, library catalogues and other databases,as well as functioning as mobile telephones. They use battery power andcan be operated with a stylus stylus:see pen. (1) A pen-shaped instrument that is used to "draw" images or select from menus. Styli (the plural of stylus, pronounced "sty-lye") come with handheld devices that have touch screens, such as PDAs and video games. or a keyboard. This approach is morelikely to require the purchase of hardware as appropriate hand-helddevices are not likely to be in a library unless there is a specificneed for them. Roving PDAs have been used by public libraries. An enhanced reference service can be as simple as the purchase ofone PDA. For example the Friends group of the Lawrence HeadquartersBranch of the Mercer County Mercer County is the name of several counties in the United States: Mercer County, Illinois Mercer County, Kentucky Mercer County, Missouri Mercer County, New Jersey Mercer County, North Dakota Mercer County, Ohio Mercer County, Pennsylvania Library in New Jersey purchased a PDA forthe library. It is being used to test a roving reference service at themain library, as a Systems Administrator reports: I think the biggest drawback is trying to get the staff to remember to use it ... So far we have used the PDA as an aid when we take a patron from the reference desk to the stacks--we connect to the catalog over our wi-fi network to check an item's status or look up additional information. It is also helpful on those busy weekends when a librarian wanders off into the stacks with one patron, then gets bombarded with other questions, the PDA is such a help as it eliminates the trip back and forth to the desk or an iPAC station [web-based OPAC]. In addition to helping patrons, we have had librarians use the PDA to help when weeding books (so they can look up copy information on a particular title) and to take out to the magazine stacks when they update the Excel spreadsheet we use as a union list of serials. (Nawrocik 2005) The PDA can be used when the main internet connection is down asthe wireless network is separate from the main network. This rovingreference model (also discussed in a paper by Terence K Huwe 2003)allows the enquiry to be handled anywhere in the library rather thanbeing tied to a fixed point. The King County Library System The King County Library System (KCLS) is a library system serving the residents of King County, Washington.The King County Library System is one of the largest circulating libraries in the United States with 43 libraries, a Traveling Library Center, a mobile TechLab, , Washington State has beenexperimenting with the use of different kinds of PDAs and tablets forstaff use so that a roving reference service can be provided and thecatalogue checked when staff are away from a fixed service point.Tablets are A5 sized (or larger) touch-sensitive screens, which displaymuch the same information as computer monitors: they can be docked andused with keyboards, or use handwriting recognition Handwriting recognition is the ability of a computer to receive intelligible handwritten input. The image of the written text may be sensed "off line" from a piece of paper by optical scanning (optical character recognition). . They have featuredon the tele ("long distance") Operations performed remotely or by telephone. The "tele" prefix is used to designate many technologies such as telecommunications and teleconferencing. vision series 24. All 43 King County Libraries have wireless technology for internetaccess See how to access the Internet. for the public. Barbara Pitney, Reference Services Co-ordinatorwrote: We tried using a number of different devices (tablets, PDAs etc.) with the hope that such devices would help roving staff access our OPAC. We found that our tablets were too heavy, awkward, cumbersome to carry and the batteries needed constant recharging. When we mounted them on columns, they were stolen. Staff also feel that screens/keyboards on PDA devices are too small when working with patrons in a roving environment. Staff are also concerned about having to carry (and possibly lose) something in their hand when scheduled to rove since not everyone wears clothing with pockets. Consequently, only a few staff members are continuing to use PDAs while roving. In those cases, they are using the PDA to simply look up a call number in OPAC rather than try to work/show the patron how to use OPAC. (Pitney 2005) Other library services such as Westerville Library in Ohio use acombination of PDAs, tablets as well as wireless telephones which aredescribed later in the paper. Westerville used their wireless connectionto replace a large reference desk with a much smaller one. One staffmember stays near the desk and the other roves around looking for peoplewho need assistance. Our patrons really like it. They do not feel like they have to navigate the stacks alone and appreciate us coming to them. Also, those who would come in and not find what they want do not just leave ... we usually get to them before that happens. Finally, they also do not feel shuffled from department to department when we take them and take care of what they need. (Mabelitini 2006) Wireless technology is not just for university libraries and largerpublic library systems. It works well for small libraries, including theStowe Free Library in Vermont and the Hopkins County Hopkins County is the name of two counties in the United States: Hopkins County, Kentucky Hopkins County, Texas Madisonville PublicLibrary in Kentucky which have a wireless-enabled laptop or a PDA sothat staff can move through the library and help the public withouthaving to go back to a fixed service point. Roving with wireless telephones Another way of using the wireless network involves wirelesstelephones for staff. Wireless telephones are headsets which fit overthe head, or sit on one ear and have an attached microphone. Similardevices are often seen with Bluetooth-enabled mobile telephones. While some of this technology may be new to libraries it is not newto businesses. Office Max, a US-wide network of shops like Officeworks,provides staff in some locations with wireless-enabled headsets and hasdone so for several years. These allow staff to communicate with oneanother to improve customer service. For example, a person may walk intoa shop and ask for assistance. They will be referred to a specific aisleand by the time they reach it there should be another staff memberwaiting who has already been briefed on the client's needs, savingthe client from repeating him/herself several times before actuallyreceiving help. Some US and Canadian public libraries are also embracing thistechnology. Several years ago the Phoenix Public Library in Arizonatested wireless devices for staff. The trial was not successful as thedevices were not very user-friendly. Although the telephone headsetsused wireless technology they had an ear-piece connected by a wire to adevice which was attached to a belt. The connecting wire caught onthings as librarians were walking around, causing discomfort as theearpieces were wrenched off their ears. (Phoenix Public Library 2006) The technology has improved dramatically since then. In the lastfew years the Richmond Public Library in British Columbia has providedreference desk staff with wireless headsets. The aim of these is not formobility of staff away from the desk, but to provide a hands-free typingenvironment when people are dealing with telephone reference enquiries.This is a basic use of the technology which offers some improvement tooccupational health and safety of the staff; it may not make asignificant difference to customer service experience for the public. The King County Library System has also been using wirelessheadsets for staff on service points since September 2004. These haveproved popular as it is possible for a telephone to be answered anywherein the library by a person equipped with the headset Headphones combined with a microphone. Used in call centers and by people in telephone-intensive jobs, headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Many people use headsets at the computer so they can converse and type comfortably. . Staff can help aclient and answer a call without having to return to the service point. Roving with other wireless devices A few public libraries are using wireless communication as a way ofkeeping staff in touch with each other over a very large floor area. Itallows a staff member to provide reference assistance even if they arenot standing in front of the customer who is being helped. They can berecalled to the service point when required, or can asked for theirinput at a distance. It makes it much easier to provide a rovingreference service, and ensures that people who are waiting at a fixedservice point are also helped. The enhanced communication assists staffto provide an effective reference service to their community withouthaving to stay at the service point. Seattle Public Library's shape (it has a central book spiral)and size (at about 33 720 [m.sup.2] it is about the size of twoMelbourne Cricket Grounds) posed challenges to service delivery. Librarystaff had to rethink re��think?tr. & intr.v. re��thought , re��think��ing, re��thinksTo reconsider (something) or to involve oneself in reconsideration.re how reference and information services were goingto be provided to library patrons. Seattle opted for a system developedand marketed by Vocera for communication between staff on servicepoints. This wireless device, about the size of a name badge, is wornaround the neck, like an identity tag. The device works with plain language commands. It has an addressbook of all the people on the same network which can be accessed bytalking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to"lecture, speechrebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to the device. You can log in and log out using plain languagecommands. To make a call you just have to clearly say the name of theperson you are trying to ring, the device will confirm the name and thenmake the call. It takes much less time to make a call than it takes todescribe how to do it. The device can be used to talk with people without having to usefixed-location devices. The units allow staff on service points tocommunicate with each other, with their supervisors and with staff whoare not at service points. This means that you can access the expertiseof staff wherever they are. It is simpler than a telephone call to afixed point as you are sure to reach the person you are after and eveneasier to use than a mobile telephone. As it is worn it can't beput down and forgotten. Marilyn Sheck of Seattle Public Library The Seattle Public Library is the public library system serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It was officially established by the city in 1890, though there had been a library association active in Seattle since 1868. describes how the Voceradevices facilitate an effective reference service: Our reference model first directs patrons to a general reference desk, where the majority of questions are answered on the spot. However, when the question requires more in-depth resources than those available in that reference area, staff need to either forward the question on to colleagues in other parts of the building or request that materials be sent to their area. We also want our staff to be mobile and not tied to a reference desk. We'd like them to be more pro-active and not just sit waiting for a question to come their way. The traditional desk-bound telephone won't work well for us in this building because of the size of the floor plates and the fact that our non-fiction collection is shelved on floors that are a square spiral (think parking garage ramps) so the two sides of each level are split off from one another. We looked at cell phones but they don't work well in a large concrete and steel building and there are considerable ongoing charges; we looked at walkie-talkies but they don't have much functionality other than set-to-set communication; we looked at wired phones with portable handsets but they don't have enough range and also have ongoing charges. Vocera was the tool that seemed to meet our needs. (Sheck 2006) The wireless communication devices allow staff to provide a moreeffective and responsive reference service. They facilitate a rovingreference model of service delivery by allowing staff to requestassistance quickly and easily. The new central library in Minneapolis also uses Vocera technology.During the last four years, because of funding cuts, the library haslost approximately one-third of its staff (across all library servicepoints). When the new library opened 20 May 2006 they had to be ready toprovide innovative and effective reference services with a smaller staffand a bigger floor area. The new central library is about 32 500[m.sup.2]. All the public service staff in the central library have their ownVocera devices which they wear at all times. They log in to the Vocerasystem when they arrive each day, log out when they leave and devicesare placed in a recharging unit so that they will be ready for the nextday. It is possible to 'mute' the unit when you are in ameeting, and anyone trying to contact you can leave a message. It caneven interface with the telephone system. Each floor of the MinneapolisPublic Library The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center (MPL) is a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the Minneapolis Athen?um in 1860. is over 5 100 [m.sup.2] and the Vocera devices allow thetwo to three staff on each floor to manage the provision of services thepublic effectively (Bush and Reed 2006). One staff member described themas a 'life saver'. This method of communication is used in the main library of theOrange County Library System (OCLS) in Florida. It has also beenextensively used in hospitals in the USA as it allows staff treatingpatients to communicate with others and to be communicated with as well.Blacktown Hospital Blacktown Hospital is an acute care hospital in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. Together with Mount Druitt Hospital and associated community health centres, it forms Blacktown-Mt Druitt Health, which is a unit within the Sydney West Area Health Service. in New South Wales New South Wales,state (1991 pop. 5,164,549), 309,443 sq mi (801,457 sq km), SE Australia. It is bounded on the E by the Pacific Ocean. Sydney is the capital. The other principal urban centers are Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Wollongong, and Broken Hill. is the only location in Australiacurrently using Vocera devices, following a trial period. Thecompany's press release quotes the Emergency Department Director DrMichael Hession as saying Vocera is a significant part of our armament ... It addresses communication within the emergency department and gives another level of sophistication to communication with departments outside emergency. It is an efficiency gain for us, and it is an efficiency gain for patients. (Vocera Communications 2006) The Vocera devices have worked so well here that they are likely tobe implemented in other area health services health servicesManaged care The benefits covered under a health contract . Costs Each of the uses of a wireless network has some start-up costs. Thelargest cost is often going to be the implementation of the wirelessnetwork. The roving laptop model used by some universities potentiallyhas the lowest additional start-up cost as the only hardware required isa laptop, which may already be owned by the library. The next modelinvolves the use of various hand-held computer devices, whether PDAs ortablets. These start at about $400 each. Depending on the device chosen,this could permit a relatively low-cost trial of a wireless rovingreference model provided the wireless network is already implemented.The costs for wireless telephony telephony without wires, usually employing electric waves of high frequency emitted from an oscillator or generator, as in wireless telegraphy. A telephone transmitter causes fluctuations in these waves, it being the fluctuations only which affect the receiver.See also: Wireless vary. One would need to decide betweena wireless telephone system, or a voice-activated system like Vocera andprice these options. For example Vocera, devices cost about US$400 each,and there is an annual network fee to pay as well. Benefits The use of wireless devices, whether taking laptops to a particularfaculty or using a PDA to be able to search for titles while away from afixed service point, can really enhance the provision of referenceservices. The addition of devices like those produced by Vocera orwireless telephony allow the services to be taken to where they areneeded. The wireless devices complement the trend to smaller fixed servicedesks as they allow staff to communicate effectively with each otherwithout face-to-face contact. In a really busy library it can allow theshift supervisor to reallocate Verb 1. reallocate - allocate, distribute, or apportion anew; "Congressional seats are reapportioned on the basis of census data"reapportionallocate, apportion - distribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose; "I am allocating a loaf of staff as required. It will be interestingto see how these innovations will be adopted in public libraries acrossAustralia. There may already be trials of wireless roving referenceservices occurring in Australia, but if so they are not being widelyreported. As the number of wireless networks in public librariesincreases this will open the possibilities of using the technology toenhance reference and information services. It will allow intelligentvalue-adding to take place. This has the potential to make moreeffective use of existing resources and to improve customer serviceswithout requiring additional staff. References Bush, Virginia (Ginger) and Renee Reed 2006, personalcommunication, 13 June. (Bush is Division Director Patron Services andReed is Area Manager Patron Services, Minneapolis Public Library. Graebner, Carla 2005, personal communication, 6 July. (Graebner isLiaison Librarian: Archaeology archaeology(ärkēŏl`əjē)[Gr.,=study of beginnings], a branch of anthropology that seeks to document and explain continuity and change and similarities and differences among human cultures. , Economics, and Government Information,WAC WAC(Women's Army Corps), U.S. army organization created (1942) during World War II to enlist women as auxiliaries for noncombatant duty in the U.S. army. Before 1943 it was known as the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). Its first director was Oveta Culp Hobby. Bennett Library, Simon Fraser University.) Huwe, Terence K 2003, 'Casting a wider net with rovingreference', Computers in Libraries, 23(3):34 ff. Mabelitini, Marcus 2006, personal communication, 6 June.(Mabelitini is based at the Westerville Public Library The Westerville Public Library serves the community of Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Westerville is part of both Franklin County and Delaware County.In late 2004, the Westerville Public Library (WPL) started a renovation that was completed in May 2006. , Ohio.) Nawrocik, Laura 2005, personal communication, 26 June. (Nawrocik isAssistant Systems Administrator, Lawrence Headquarters Branch of theMercer County Library, New Jersey.) Phoenix Public Library 2006, 'Contact Us' Team, personalcommunication, 3 February. Pitney, Barbara 2005, personal communication 18 June. (Pitney isReference Services Co-ordinator, King County Library System, WashingtonState.) Sheck, Marilyn 2006, personal communication 18 May. (Sheck is basedat the Seattle Public Library, Washington State.) Smith, Michael M and Barbara A Pietraszewski 2004, 'Enablingthe roving reference librarian: wireless access with tablet PCs',Reference Services Review, 32(3):249. Solomons, Terena 2004, 'Beam me up! Supporting PDAs (PersonalDigital Assistants) in medical libraries--new technology or just anotherformat?', paper presented at the conference 'VALA Breakingboundaries: integration & interoperability', 3-5 February 2004,http://www.vala.org.au/vala2004/2004pdfs/57Solom.PDE PDE Pennsylvania Department of EducationPDE Plug-In Development EnvironmentPDE Partial Differential EquationPDE PhosphodiesterasesPDE Personal Digital EntertainmentPDE Pulse Detonation EnginePDE Product Data ExchangePDE Present-Day English accessed 5 December2006. Vocera 2006 'US Company, Vocera Communications, formsAustralian subsidiary to deliver innovative voice-controlledcommunications solution',http://www.vocera.com/news/vocera_press042506.aspx, accessed 18 May2006. Ellen Forsyth is Consultant, Public Library Services, State Libraryof New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Macquarie Street, Sydney near Shakespeare Place.The public library started as the 'Australian Subscription Library' in 1826. , where she provides advice and assistance to publiclibraries. She also facilitates a state-wide group on reference,information and readers' advisory services advisory servicesadvisory services provided to the public, in their capacity as owners and managers of animals, are an important part of veterinary science. They may be provided by government bureaux, by commercial companies who deal in pharmaceuticals or animals or animal , and is interested inhow technology can enhance these services. Earlier in her career sheworked in public libraries, managing reference and information services,and was involved in staff training, co-operative web work, technicalservices and collection management. She has an interest in libraryservices in developing countries and participated in a library projectin Maliana, East Timor East Timor(tē`môr)or Timor-Leste(–lĕsht), Tetum Timor Lorosae, republic, officially Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (2002 est. pop. . She may be contacted at the State Library of NewSouth Wales, Macquarie Street, Sydney Macquarie Street is the easternmost street of Sydney's central business district. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House at its north. , NSW NSWNew South WalesNoun 1. NSW - the agency that provides units to conduct unconventional and counter-guerilla warfareNaval Special Warfare 2000, Australia, phone (02)9273 1525, fax (02) 9273 1244, email eforsyth@sl.nsw.gov.au. Manuscript received July 2006