Library & Reference
I tried out the Washington County mobile library app. I think that makes sense, since I work there and am thus familiar with what they offer and can judge what kind of access the app gives. And it's likely the only one I'd use, since I rarely use any other system these days.
I like the app. I found it intuitive to navigate and easy to read. The designers did a good job of not cluttering the screen and keeping things easy to read. The groupings are logical, with such headings at Search the Catalog, eBooks, My Account, Ask a Librarian, Locations and Hours. Tapping one heading opens up further options.
I hadn't know the app had a barcode reader (BookLook) that lets you scan a barcode and see if the library owns the book. I tried it out - way cool. It took me a bit to get the little window on the screen focused right on the barcode, but as soon as I did, the phone read the code and told me the library did indeed have it. No need to tell the app "go" - it's just that smart. I could easily have put the book on hold from there, but didn't, as I only wanted to see it work. I searched the catalog as well, again not putting anything on hold. I looked at the ebook function, but didn't go too far with it. Using it requires downloading yet another app, and, since I have no intention of reading an entire book on my phone, I chose to not install it. I find reading long things on my phone irritating, with the constant scrolling, plus keeping the font small enough to fit a reasonable amount on the page makes it too small for me to comfortably read for any length of time. But it did all look easy to do! I did not see any way to access the library's databases. My guess is that this sort of use is too complex to be done easily on something as small as a phone's screen. How would you manage to display of all the search parameters most databases offer? But the app could offer information about them, so users know they exist, what areas they cover and how to access them using another source. I also didn't see links to our reading pages/lists or Zinio. Again, my guess is this was done to keep the interface clean and intuitive, but not making any mention of them may well mean some users have no idea we offer these services. On the other hand, not mentioning something they can't access from a mobile device may keep frustration at a minimum!
Another heading allows you to explore classes, programs and events offered by the system. You can choose from several sorting options, such as age or branch. Since I concentrate on teen programming, I picked that. Again, it was easy to scroll through the offerings. But I didn't see a way to sort by branch and age, or any other combo. That might just make things too complicated on a small screen. To get detailed information about an event, the user simply taps the title. A link from the detail page allows registration in just one more tap.
Signing into my account was, again, simple and intuitive. It's a great way to see where you stand.
Honestly, I don't see myself using this much, although I think it's a great idea, given the predominance of mobile devices right now. I'm in the catalog all the time when I'm at work anyway, and don't see much point in pulling out my phone to put something on hold when I can just use the keyboard in front of my face! I might use the barcode reader if I find a book somewhere and want to get it, but that's probably about it. Maybe check on my account. If I didn't work here, I'm sure I'd use it more, as it's faster than turning on my computer at home and logging in. But, as it is, I see only limited use for me.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
23 Mobile Things: Thing 17
Connecting to Community
Going Out (Star Tribune)
I have to be honest and say I don't see myself using this one a whole lot. For one thing, many of the categories it has (Music & Clubs, Family Entertainment) aren't things that interest me much. We're not into the music/club scene and no longer have young children at home. We could use the segments for Movies and Restaurants & Bars - those are certainly possible. But I remain skeptical. How are items chosen? I can't find anything that says. In the case of Best Bets, clearly Star Tribune columnists are writing those, and that's fine. But what about restaurant listings? Who decides what makes it and what doesn't? More on this later.
The movie listings are certainly convenient if you're on the go, or not on a computer already. You can search by theater location or movie. Once you find what you need, there are links for theater websites and to showtimes, etc. You can reserve tickets right from here - handy. You get a short description of a movie, too, along with some review info (Rotten Tomatoes). Going Out also offers links to nearby resturants, and that's where I start to not like the site. I looked at the theater we go to most often and clicked on the restaurant link. There are at least four restaurants within a few blocks not listed. One of them is an Applebee's, so not exactly a small mom-and-pop operation that might slip under the radar. So does the Star Tribune get paid for who's listed? Is it based on staffer choice? If the latter, then why are many other Applebee's restaurants listed when you search by name, but not this one? And that's another quibble. While a few of them list city names in the title, most don't. How on earth are you supposed to find the one nearest you? Well, you can do some combining of categories. For example, you can choose "south suburbs" and then search for the name of a chain. I'm just not sure where the area I live falls in their categories... And what if you're traveling and don't know the local name describing where you are? It just seems to me you could miss an awful lot of good places that don't manage to make it into this app. The app also doesn't list all entries at once - I think it's 10 at a time. And they're not in alphabetical order - I have no idea what the order is, which, again, makes me wonder about how those decisions are made.
I do like being able to put in the name of a play or movie and find out where it is and all the relevant info, complete with maps and reservation links. It's convenient. But I get the paper every day anyway (that's clearly where most of it comes from - and, yes, I know I'm a dinosaur), so it's not uber useful to me.
Another problem: When searching for something like a play, with multiple dates, Going Out creates a separate item for each date, so a given play might show up a dozen times. And the date isn't visible in the title. Why not create one item for the play itself, with further links to performance dates/times?
Saint Paul Historical
Now this is an app I can see myself using. I'm a history geek, so this is right up my alley. I also live in St. Paul, so it's doubly golden.
I don't see any need to reinvent the wheel, so here, from their website (http://saintpaulhistorical.com/about), is what they're about:
Brought to you by Historic Saint Paul, Saint Paul Historical is a free mobile app that puts Saint Paul's history at your fingertips. Explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city's history. Click on any point on the interactive map to read historical narratives and to view images. Take curated historical tours of Saint Paul and share our stories and your experience using social media. Follow the project on Twitter @STPhistorical. ***ABOUT HISTORIC SAINT PAUL Historic Saint Paul was founded in 1998 by a group of committed citizens, with assistance from the City of Saint Paul. Our mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the historic character of Saint Paul neighborhoods. Historic Saint Paul works in partnership with private owners, community organizations, and public agencies to leverage Saint Paul’s cultural and historic resources as assets in economic development and community building initiatives. Historic Saint Paul envisions that our preservation work will result in an increased cultural, economic, and social value for the city. ***This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.***
When you open the app, a map of the Twin Cities comes up, with a plethora of red pins all over St. Paul. Enlarge the map as needed until you can pick out individual pins. Click on the pin, and go to information about the particular building or area, along with pictures, some historic and some modern. The site also has guided tours. Pull up the menu (however that's done on your device) and choose Go To Tours. Pick a tour and there you go. It walks you through an area of the city, with different chapters for different segments of the tour. I imagine that's to make it easier to find the specific area you're looking for, instead of having to scan a really long document on what's likely a small screen.
Minneapolis has something similar at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/hpc/landmarks/WCMS1P-080694, but, as far as I can tell, they don't have a mobile app.
Going Out (Star Tribune)
I have to be honest and say I don't see myself using this one a whole lot. For one thing, many of the categories it has (Music & Clubs, Family Entertainment) aren't things that interest me much. We're not into the music/club scene and no longer have young children at home. We could use the segments for Movies and Restaurants & Bars - those are certainly possible. But I remain skeptical. How are items chosen? I can't find anything that says. In the case of Best Bets, clearly Star Tribune columnists are writing those, and that's fine. But what about restaurant listings? Who decides what makes it and what doesn't? More on this later.
The movie listings are certainly convenient if you're on the go, or not on a computer already. You can search by theater location or movie. Once you find what you need, there are links for theater websites and to showtimes, etc. You can reserve tickets right from here - handy. You get a short description of a movie, too, along with some review info (Rotten Tomatoes). Going Out also offers links to nearby resturants, and that's where I start to not like the site. I looked at the theater we go to most often and clicked on the restaurant link. There are at least four restaurants within a few blocks not listed. One of them is an Applebee's, so not exactly a small mom-and-pop operation that might slip under the radar. So does the Star Tribune get paid for who's listed? Is it based on staffer choice? If the latter, then why are many other Applebee's restaurants listed when you search by name, but not this one? And that's another quibble. While a few of them list city names in the title, most don't. How on earth are you supposed to find the one nearest you? Well, you can do some combining of categories. For example, you can choose "south suburbs" and then search for the name of a chain. I'm just not sure where the area I live falls in their categories... And what if you're traveling and don't know the local name describing where you are? It just seems to me you could miss an awful lot of good places that don't manage to make it into this app. The app also doesn't list all entries at once - I think it's 10 at a time. And they're not in alphabetical order - I have no idea what the order is, which, again, makes me wonder about how those decisions are made.
I do like being able to put in the name of a play or movie and find out where it is and all the relevant info, complete with maps and reservation links. It's convenient. But I get the paper every day anyway (that's clearly where most of it comes from - and, yes, I know I'm a dinosaur), so it's not uber useful to me.
Another problem: When searching for something like a play, with multiple dates, Going Out creates a separate item for each date, so a given play might show up a dozen times. And the date isn't visible in the title. Why not create one item for the play itself, with further links to performance dates/times?
Saint Paul Historical
Now this is an app I can see myself using. I'm a history geek, so this is right up my alley. I also live in St. Paul, so it's doubly golden.
I don't see any need to reinvent the wheel, so here, from their website (http://saintpaulhistorical.com/about), is what they're about:
Brought to you by Historic Saint Paul, Saint Paul Historical is a free mobile app that puts Saint Paul's history at your fingertips. Explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city's history. Click on any point on the interactive map to read historical narratives and to view images. Take curated historical tours of Saint Paul and share our stories and your experience using social media. Follow the project on Twitter @STPhistorical. ***ABOUT HISTORIC SAINT PAUL Historic Saint Paul was founded in 1998 by a group of committed citizens, with assistance from the City of Saint Paul. Our mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the historic character of Saint Paul neighborhoods. Historic Saint Paul works in partnership with private owners, community organizations, and public agencies to leverage Saint Paul’s cultural and historic resources as assets in economic development and community building initiatives. Historic Saint Paul envisions that our preservation work will result in an increased cultural, economic, and social value for the city. ***This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.***
When you open the app, a map of the Twin Cities comes up, with a plethora of red pins all over St. Paul. Enlarge the map as needed until you can pick out individual pins. Click on the pin, and go to information about the particular building or area, along with pictures, some historic and some modern. The site also has guided tours. Pull up the menu (however that's done on your device) and choose Go To Tours. Pick a tour and there you go. It walks you through an area of the city, with different chapters for different segments of the tour. I imagine that's to make it easier to find the specific area you're looking for, instead of having to scan a really long document on what's likely a small screen.
Minneapolis has something similar at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/hpc/landmarks/WCMS1P-080694, but, as far as I can tell, they don't have a mobile app.
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