Designing Library Services for the PDA

Abstract

Handheld electronic devices are becoming popular and are playing an increasingly important role in the distributed learning environment. Enabling library users to maximize their access to library resources though these devices involves challenges that include determining the level of interest among users, identifying relevant resources, and establishing technical and compatibility standards. Affordability of devices for consumers, and availability of resources and support for handheld computing initiatives within libraries must also be considered. This study examines issues and challenges surrounding the design and delivery of library services and resources for personal digital assistants (PDAs) at Royal Roads University Library, finding that there are beneficial research applications for handheld devices that can be implemented even while related technologies continue to evolve.Personal digital assistants (PDAs) of various sorts are increasingly owned by members of the Royal Roads University community, with 33% of participants in a learner survey reporting ownership in 2004. Access to information resources such as eBooks, news, and journal articles figured prominently among the services most desired by survey respondents (Hawksworth, 2005). Further, a pilot project in 2005 in the use of Blackberry devices by university staff and faculty indicated that a more fully featured PDA, such as PocketPC or Palm, would better satisfy some requirements, such as browsing the Internet and reading eBooks (Grundy, 2005). In light of the findings of these two earlier studies, the Royal Roads University Library decided to identify faculty and staff who use PDAs, other than Blackberries, and to assess their level of interest in PDAfriendly services to complement existing desktop-based access to online library resources. A secondary objective was to explore which PDA applications our clients perceive to be of most use.To date, programs at Royal Roads University have been delivered primarily online to distance learners across Canada and beyond. To support the University's commitment to e-learning and its interest in mobile learning (m-learning) environments, the library focuses on providing resources in electronic formats over print. This mandate to provide access to resources in electronic format wherever possible and practical makes it appealing to explore PDAs as another mode of access for online resources. With the growing popular adoption and increasing evolution of smaller devices, it seems natural to anticipate a demand for PDA-accessible library services. As Michael Seadle notes in his introductory article to the PDA issue of Library Hi Tech, we need to " [consider] how our patrons will use PDAs, just as in the past we had to plan for their use of computers, laptops, and Internet access" (Seadle, 2003). *This is an electronic version of an article published as:

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“…In the clinic environment, electronic patient records accessed by PDA provide direct information resource integration to practitioners (Shipman, 2004). Although the PDA is currently one of the least expensive and the most portable devices for access to electronic resources, it is best employed as a supplementary tool (McFarland and Mussell, 2006). Kindle and iPad can strengthen the functions that a normal information device has.…”

Digital nature and digital nurture: libraries, learning and the digital native

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