Welcome to TechTips. The goal of this site is to inform and educate the students, staff, and faculty of The Ohio State University Libraries System about various emerging technologies that may impact the services that the Libraries provide.
Posts filed under 'Mobile'
In the movie The Terminator, the viewer is taken frequently to the Terminator’s point-of view.
We know this is Terminator’s POV because there is image digitization and the people he is chasing are more luminous than objects in the foreground and background, which suggests infra-red. In the margins of the view we see columns of characters, including numbers and acronyms. The data changes so rapidly that it leaves no doubt that we are seeing the world as the Terminator sees it.
Science fiction? Well, parts of the Terminator’s POV are no longer scifi.
Augmented reality (AR) is the application of computer-generated imagery embedded into live-video streams as a way to expand information as it relates to the real-world. Through the use of AR technology, information about a user’s surrounding environment, and the objects within it, are stored and then retrieved as an information layer on top of a live real world view.
Since one really need to see it in action to understand it:
As far as using AR technology in libraries, Ken Fujiuchi proposes possible uses:
“When someone finds a book in the library catalog, they can have the option to snap a QR code or unique image of the book, which will first store the information about the book. Then the user can first be directed to a specific section of the library, and once they are in the right section they can use a mobile device to scan the book spines to start being guided towards the book they are looking for.”
Helene Blowers paints this scenario:
“When I shift my thinking about AR apps to the physical library space I see our whole collection opening up before our eyeballs. Imagine the ability to walk down an aisle and see the reviews and popularity of an entire shelf titles just by pointing the camera lens on your phone at the spines (or outfacing covers).”
Here are some other possible uses for AR, with the assumption every information source and service is networked:
- Scan a building to find out if study rooms are available
- Scan a building to identify hours of service, or which librarians are on duty. Touch screen to contact (text, IM, etc.)
- Scan a bank of public terminals to identify which ones are open
- 3-D images of special collection artifacts are viewable from a QR code or bib record.
- Physical exhibits can provide 3-D images of supplemental materials
Do you have any ideas?
Resources:
Educause: 7 things you should know about Augmented Reality
How Stuff Works: Augmented Reality
-Eric Schnell
September 21st, 2009
Most readers should have at least heard of Twitter by now. Twitter is one of many social networking micro-blogging tools which are available. Simply defined, micro-blogging is a form of blogging that allows individuals to publish brief text or multimedia updates.
If you are a Facebook user, you become a micro-blogger every time you update your status, comment on someone elses status, or add stuff to a wall.
Micro-blogging messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, email, digital audio or via the Web. The content of a micro-blog is different from a traditional blog in that it is typically more topical and shorter in length and size. With Twitter, it’s all the news that’s fit to print - in 140 characters or less. The micro-blog is the same as the traditional blog in that it can be utilize it for both individual or work-related activities.
Some people are quick to write-off micro-blogging (e.g. Twittering) as simply a time drain. They argue they don’t care that people are eating their corn flakes or they are taking their pet to the vet. If one is only getting such updates they are simply either following the wrong people or not taking full advantage of the tool.
For example, the other week a service called CoverItLive allowed me to tap into a conference Twitter feed so that I could keep up with the happenings at Computers in Libraries. A professor in media studies used Twitter to replace at least three classroom technologies. Many libraries, including the Library of Congress, are now using Twitter to communicate with their users. Joe Murphy did a nice presentation about how to use Twitter in libraries at the 2009 ACRL Conference
The problem right now is that the micro-blogging landscape is very similar to that which existed of the early days of email. Back then, proprietary dial-up entities like Prodigy and CompuServe were competitive and they didn’t do a good job connecting to one another. It was more likely than not that one could send only send messages to people inside the same service. Similarly, getting a micro-blog message published across multiple services is a challenge, although services like ping.fm help to syndicate messages across social networking sites.
There are too simply too many micro-blogging services than could possibly be listed in this post. Yammer is touted as an enterprise version of Twitter. Plurk integrates video and picture sharing. Pownce integrates file sharing and event invitations.
-Eric Schnell
April 6th, 2009
An academic librarian hands out a one page summary sheet at a library orientation program. Glancing down, an attendee notices a weird looking bar code placed at the bottom of the page. Taking out their mobile device, the attendee photographs the bar code and software converts the image into an Internet accessible address. The device suggests that the attendee go to the address in the device’s web browser. After agreeing, the browser is launched and the attendee is taken to the linked content. The bar code enabled the mobile device to connect the attendee from printed to online content.
Perhaps the most significant technology impacting the delivery of library services is the mobile Internet. There is a growing role for libraries to offer tools and that take advantage of mobile technologies to help users discover and connect to licensed content, library services and resources. One of the tools emerging that can help to connect users to the library using the mobile Internet is the high capacity bar code (HCB).
The typical bar code consists of varying width black vertical bars and white spaces, with different combination of the bars and spaces representing different characters. A scanner’s photocell detector converts the bars (absorbed light) into a high electrical signal and the spaces (reflected light) into low electrical signal. This completed signal is decoded into the characters that the bar code represents and passes them to the computer in a traditional data format.
Libraries use a variety of bar codes formats with each being capable of storing approximately 20 digits. These bar codes simply act as a reference number which a computer uses to look up an associated record. A bar code on a library book contains only an item number. When read by a scanner at checkout, the ILS finds the item record associated with the item number. The item record - not the bar code - contains the item’s descriptive information. The ILS associates the item record with the customer record, which is also accessed by scanning a bar code on an ID.
While conventional bar codes can store about 20 digits of information, a single HCB is capable of handling nearly 8,000. Characters can include numeric and alphabetic characters, symbols, and binary data. They can contain descriptive information, images, or URLs which can connect to different web sites based on time, day of week, or customer preferences. They are also scalable so they can be read them in various levels of magnification – only limited by the resolution of the available printing and imaging techniques. HCBs are quite durable since the can still be readable with up to 30% of the code to be obscured or removed by dirt, marks or damage.
One type of HCB is the QR code (quick response), an established ISO (ISO/IEC18004) standard.
A few possible uses for HCBs in libraries quickly come to mind - codes on books, journals, and even journal articles could link customers directly to bibliographic information, reviews, or additional networked support materials. Codes on devices could lead customers to help and tip sheets. Codes on promotional and marketing materials could lead customers to the library web site. Codes on handouts could direct customers directly to databases, a journal article or a current bibliography.
While HCBs are widely used in Asia, the U.S. has been slow in adopting the technology primarily due to the availability for code readers fopr camara phones on the market here. But this is already changing. There are sites are available to identify a readers, like i-nigma or zxing.
Resources:
Educause. The 7 Things You Should Know About QR Codes
How Stuff Works. How UPC Bar Codes Work
-Eric Schnell
March 23rd, 2009
This TechTip comes from the mail bag. The reader’s question: What is a 3G phone?
3G refers to third generation mobile phones, and associated networks, which incorporate high-speed Internet access and multimedia. This particular phone/network architecture enables mobile service providers to offer a wide range of more advanced services through greater network throughput and capacity.
The first generation of cell phones were known as AMPS (Analog Mobile Phone Service). Analog networks were a proven technology for decades, but went dark in 2008 as a result of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling. The second generation mobile technology is digital cellular. Digital transmissions allow for more phone conversations in the same amount of radio spectrum.
Third generation mobile phones are what we see on the market today. 3G ’smartphones’ ( e.g. iPhone and the Google G1) and associated networks provide Internet access, text messaging, photo sharing, video, voice and data services. 3G networks have potential transfer speeds of up to 3 megabits per second (~ 15 secs to download a 3-min MP3) while the fastest 2G networks achieve transfer speeds up to 144 kilobits per second (~ 8 mins to download a 3-min MP3).
(Warning: tech talk acronyms ahead) The major 3G technologies are EV-DO for CDMA networks, such as used by Verizon and Sprint, and HSDPA for GSM networks for carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile.
Library users are increasingly using their 3G phones to access library content and services. This is an opportunity for libraries since they can begin extend multimedia content and interactive services to our mobile users including tutorials, virtual tours, and instructional materials. The technology will also allow users to create new content, such as students studying abroad to capture examples of language, images of archeological sites or movies of cultural events.
What’s that? Yes, you guessed it. 4G mobile networks are already in the pipeline and will have even faster speeds than 3G networks; up to 1 gigabit per second. Mobile WiMAX will be a type of 4G network. Large scale deployment of 4G is about two years away.
Additional Resources:
How Stuff Works
-Eric Schnell
March 5th, 2009
Chances are if you are into texting on your mobile phone you have sent a message to a five or six digit ‘phone’ number (such as to 32665 to update your Facebook status).
Long popular outside of the US, short codes are being used for a variety of value-added services such as television voting, ordering ring tones, charity donations and mobile device-centric services.
My first experience using a short code was during the Blue Man Group’s first ‘How to be a Megastar’ tour over three years ago. BMG used texting /short code technology to allow audience interaction with the story line / show. More recently, President Obama alerted over 1 million people about his VP selection to those that sent the text ‘VP” to 62262.
I did a little research to get a better understanding how short codes work.
Legacy phone numbers make use of prefix codes since conventional landline technology has no way of indicating the end of the phone number. On mobile phones, however, all the numbers are sent at once. Since the mobile network knows the end of the dialed number, short codes can be used without conflicting with a longer prefixed number. For instance, a landline could not use the short code 12345, since then one could then not dial the phone number 1 234 5XX XXXX, or any other number that shared the 12345 prefix for that matter. There is no such ambiguity with mobile phones.
Short codes can be associated with a specific carrier or they can be registered as a common short code (CSC) that is available on most carriers. A short code directory is available.
Many libraries are using texting services, such as the Carmel Clay (IN) Public Library, Yale, and the Carroll County Public Library, to name a few that came up first on my Google search. There are also other creative ways in which texting could be used to not only provide services, but market the library. All the library texting services I uncovered use ’shared code service’ such as those available from a large number of services which include Kwiry, Tagga, Mozes and Textmarks.
Registering and leasing a specific CSC for a library (non-shared) is costly. Registering the vanity number (e.g. 77467 for the PRIOR library) would costs $1,000 per month; $500 for a random short code number. Paying $12,000 a year for a texting service would seem out of reach for many libraries. The library would then need to negotiate activation and sign an agreement with each wireless carriers before the library can connect to their network and begin sending message traffic. Working with connectivity aggregators that have existing contracts with the wireless service providers may facilitate this process. In the end, it appears using a shared service makes the most economic sense.
-Eric Schnell
January 16th, 2009
