If you aren’t already jealous of smart-phone owners, you might be envious of students who are using their cell phones to find a book at the library. This semester the Old Westbury Library Catalog became available for mobile devices.
Library Director Stephen Kirkpatrick wrote in an email to ANGEL stating that this version of the library’s catalog has worked quite well for him on his Samsung Android. He says that the site with the library catalog formatted for smart-phones is easy to navigate. It has a single search bar and gives you ten results per page.
In an interview with the Catalyst, Kirkpatrick disagreed with the myth that people are reading less because of technology. He said, “I’m actually reading more because of this.” He says that he has been reading in the Laundromat and in the subway.
There is also an app available to Old Westbury students through EBSCO, called EbscoHost Mobile. The app allows students to scroll through and read articles in the library’s database right on their mobile device. Kirkpatrick said that SUNY is working on creating an app for all of the SUNY libraries.
The EBSCO app is just one of many apps that students can take advantage of. Educational apps allow students to do a vast number of things, such as using their cell phones to type notes, do homework on ANGEL, read the New York Times, record their professors, use a dictionary and thesaurus, and keep track of their assignments. To promote the iPhone apps designed for students, Apple says on its website, “Whether you want to define a word, learn the name of a bone, practice your French, or prep for the SAT, iPhone has the smartest apps around.” It doesn’t mention thousands of other educational apps, which can be found in the iTunes App Store.
Clearly, smart-phones give students access to many resources. Students may not be texting in class but instead, finding a book in the library that their professor or classmates mentioned.
Link for Library Catalog Mobile Site:
http://old.sunyconnect.suny.edu:4450/F/?func=find-b-0&local_base=OLD01_MOBILE