Making Beautiful Music: The State of the Art in Mobile Technology and How We Can Make the Most of it in Libraries

The 21st-Century School Library

“…As libraries continued to be places where people located and accessed information, serving a larger number of people meant having to organize their space and means of distributing resources and figuring out how to do this both effectively and professionally (Cook & Hurst, 2013;Dahlkild, 2011). When servicing a large population, libraries had to efficiently standardize classification and arrangement, label books, provide routines for library procedures (borrowing and returning), and organize an integrated library system that allowed these procedures to be transferable between various libraries.…”

“…This does not mean that this is an easy process; rather it is important to recognize the financial and architectural challenges associated with modernizing library spaces to meet the needs of the 21st-century learner. According to Cook and Hurst (2013), the impact of changing information technology on library services and space needs requires defining what the new perceptions are regarding what the library should be and the effect of new learning and research patterns on libraries, especially within education.…”

“…According to Neilson (2013), technology has transformed the way libraries operate on a daily basis and impacted how librarians interact with their consumers. With technology's exceptional rates of growth and acceptance, this will bring both opportunities and challenges for libraries (Cook & Hurst, 2013).…”

“…This implies that there multiple ways in which libraries can and should adapt and evolve in order to meet the needs of the 21st century. This collaboration also suggests that in order to keep libraries relevant, they need to continue to progress as multiuse public spaces that allow for collections of information to be connected to educational, cultural, and social activities (Cook & Hurst, 2013). Duderstadt (2009) reported how technology can present surprising opportunities, as well as challenges, and it is specifically transforming the role of research libraries in higher education.…”

“…Today most people rely heavily on their mobile devices; therefore, it makes sense for libraries to incorporate ways to find a place in this market. Although research has been conducted on how libraries are adopting mobile devices in order to make their resources and services available anywhere, anytime (Barnhart & Pierce, 2012;Cook & Hurst, 2013), further areas of research include the challenge associated with the cost of this technology adoption, the role of a mobile librarian and/or technology support, user preference, and how to further create the idea of a universal library system without the limitations of physical space.…”