The library on the phone assessing the impact of m phone access at UNISA library

The library on the phone: assessing the impact of m-phone access at UNISA library Buhle Mbambo-Thata, DPHIL Executive Director UNISA Library Services Pretoria... – What was the impact o

The library on the phone:

assessing the impact of

m-phone access at UNISA library

Buhle Mbambo-Thata, DPHIL

Executive Director

UNISA Library Services

Pretoria

Student profile

• Age Data 2008

– < 25 Headcounts 79 429 - 30.24% – 25-30 Headcounts 67 10   - 25.74%

– > 30 Headcounts 115 641  - 44.02%

– Total Headcounts 262 680

Implementation process: Project

leader

Implementation process(continued)

• Marketing

– Marketing plan

• Page markers

• posters – College presentations

• Launch

• Future marketing……

Implementation Process…

Marketing

Implementation process:

Marketing

• What did we want to find out?

– What was the impact of implementation on services?

– Was m-services having an impact on our service structures and formats? – Should we be changing any thing yet- resource allocation, operational models, etc?

– Was it improving our efficiency?

•

• How did we want to find out?

– Conducted web-based survey limited to staff – Analysis focused on qualitative open ended responses as numbers were not critical to the outcome

• Why did we want to find out?

– Remain relevant to mandate

– Management information for planning

– Contribute to knowledge on m-learning devices

as an emerging area of scholarship

Findings

Did AirPAC have an impact on

your services?

• have had to develop training materials (A video will also

be made available to all students to promote AirPAC)

• have had to provide intensive marketing to inform students about product

• although origin of request was not indicated, the number of requests increased significantly since training was

provided to researchers

• now able to send notifications like, recall a book etc

• delighted to know that we are “accessible to 24/7”……

What do you anticipate will be the

impact of AirPAC on your services?

• clients to use AirPAC as an alternative to post and

• currently most requests are posted/faxed by clients which is not only time consuming for the client

• Clients to request or renew books and to view

Anticipated impact on service….

(continued)

• clients will become self sufficient thus

freeing time for librarians to

investigate/explore other emerging

• Clients will download journal articles(, books etc on their mobile phones

e-(resource allocation)

Anticipated impact on service…

(continued)

• have to offer training in the use of AirPAC and be able to answer questions regarding

• help reduce simple queries from clients

once used (efficiency)

AirPAC as a tool for information access in all ODL environment

• access made easy-

• reducing transactional distance between

learner and UNISA

• usability –tool can perform many functions

• affordability- can all students afford tools that are internet enabled or is it excluding others?

Emerging issues

• ease of access to the library catalogue and databases

• need for more marketing and training

• develop other services for m-devices

• develop tools for assessing impact

• critical base line data

• need for service monitoring to respond to

service redesign and resources allocation as it becomes necessary

• monitor trends to see if initial service impact and anticipated services converge

• remains another tool for reaching mobile

students.

• Thank you for your attention!

• Questions welcome

• Contact: Buhle Mbambo-Thata