Mobile Devices and the delivery of information: An Update   

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Hub Cira Centre
2929 Arch Street
Suite 200
Philadelphia, PA 19104

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Mobile Devices and the Delivery of Information: An Update

Preliminary Agenda
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The use of wireless mobile devices for communication and accessing information is now the norm. Cell phones, smart phones, netbooks and e-book readers have become essential conduits to information that content providers and librarians must offer through those channels.

This meeting will provide an overview of the current acceptance of mobile devices as an Internet access tool, including the most recent survey results obtain by the Pew Internet Live Project. It will look at the challenges that must be met in content preparation and adapting to diverse technology infrastructures, along with case studies from librarians and information providers who are currently offering mobile-ready content.

8:30am - 9:00am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00am - 9:15am: Welcome
Bonnie Lawlor, NFAIS Executive Director
Maureen C. Kelly, Information Consultant, Moderator

9:15am - 10:00am: An Overview of the Current Landscape

This session will provide an overview of the current landscape for the delivery of content to mobile devices. You will learn more about what type of content is being delivered via this channel, what devices are the most popular, and current user demand.

Brian O'Leary, Founder and Principal, Magellan Media [ Slides ]

10:00a - 10:45am: Acceptance of Mobile Devices

This session will provide a look at some of the most recent survey results obtained by the Pew Internet Live Project on mobile computing and the use of handheld devices.

Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet Life Project  [ Slides ]

10:45am - 11:00am: Break and Networking Opportunity

11:00am - 11:30pm: Maximizing the Usage and Value of Content Delivered to Mobile Devices

In this presentation, Stein will talk about the ways in which content may be rethought in order to enhance its value to the user. What technologies might be leveraged? What standards are necessary to ensure the best experience between hardware and software? How does the act of reading change in the digital environment and how can that shift in reading drive new forms of interaction around content?

Bob Stein, Founder and Co-Director, the Future of the Book

11:30am - 12:00pm: A New Approach to Information Discovery in Books

This presentation will highlight a new approach towards discovery of book content. Small Demons, a recent launch, collects and indexes thousands of references to movies, music, people and objects that appear within texts. Its algorithms then surface those allusions in response to search queries. A reference to Groucho Marx brings up titles by authors as diverse as Nick Hornby, Alan Furst and Haruki Murakami. The same system can bring up references to groups, organizations or corporations. Even searches as vague as characters named Henry can elicit results and stimulate further exploration. The site encourages users (librarians, authors, readers) to further amplify the information as well, adding in the nuances that computers simply cannot yet provide.

Richard Nash, Vice President, Content and Community, Small Demons  [ Slides ]

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch (will be provided)

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Mobile Delivery of Content: The Librarian's Perspective

This session will look at how libraries and academic institutions are adapting to user needs and expectations with regard to having content accessed by and delivered to handheld devices.

Scott R. Anderson, Associate Professor and Information Systems Librarian, Millersville University [ Slides ]; Emily Rimland, Information Literacy Librarian, Pennsylvania State University [ Slides ]

2:00am - 2:15pm: Break and Networking Opportunity

2:15pm - 4:00pm: Mobile Delivery of Content: The Perspective of Content Providers

This session will provide actual case studies on the delivery of content to mobile devices from three different publishing publishers. Each will discuss why they are delivering to mobile devices, the challenges and opportunities afforded by this unique delivery channel, user acceptance, and their plans for the future.

Nicki Augustyn, Managing Editor, CHEST [ Slides ]; Terry Ahmed, Head, Reference and Web Services, National Library of Medicine [ Slides ]

4:00pm: Adjourn

National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS™). For more information, contact: Jill O'Neill, NFAIS Director, Communication and Planning, 215-893-1561 (phone); 215-893-1564 (fax) or email jilloneill (at) nfais (dot) org.

NFAIS: Serving the Global Information Community