Imagine this: you’re meeting with a professor to talk about a research paper, and they mention a book that would be relevant to your topic. You would like to see if the library owns this title, but you aren’t near a computer. What can you do?
Van Wylen Library is currently working on a mobile version of the library’s website that would help you in this situation. By using the browser on your phone, you will be able to bring up a condensed version of the library’s website where you can find information on hours, contacting the library, and links to databases, and catalogs. Some of these databases, such as Wilson, also have mobile versions that are designed your phone.
If you need to search for something in the library’s collection but don’t have access to a computer, your phone will soon be able to solve this problem. The mobile version of the library’s website allows you to search HopeCat, which will eventually have its own mobile site as well. Down the road, you will be able to send yourself a text message through HopeCat that includes the call number and title of a book you’re looking for.
“More and more people are using their phones as their primary communication device,” said Brian Yost, head of Technical Services and Systems at Van Wylen. “We want to make library resources available to our users on whatever devices they are using.”
— Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger