QR codes in use: the experience at the UPV Library

Abstract

We would like to start with a quote from the Taiga Forum 1 , although we all know that their statements are intended to be provocative and exaggerated:"E-books and e-book readers will be ubiquitous. Standards will have magically made this possible. Hand helds will be ubiquitous and library resources will need to be accessible to these devices to meet user needs."Technological advances bring new challenges for libraries. However, we should not consider this situation a threat nor see it as a new workload, but should view it as an opportunity to adapt the library to the new demands of our users. The 'quick response' (QR) codes are one of the tools that could help us to improve the relationship between the library and its users. It is important to understand what they can do and when they can help our users. Serials -24(3) supplement, November 2011 David Pons et al QR codes in use at the UPV Library S47QR codes in use: the experience at the UPV Library QR codes are beginning to be introduced in our libraries and are an easy way to give additional information to mobile web users in a given time and place.In this paper, we share the experience and give some examples of the introduction and use of QR codes at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) Libraries in Spain. We describe how we use QR codes to give access to our mobile website, to download documents and to promote our literature blog. We also describe how we promote our QR codes to both users and librarians, including some best practices. Finally, we discuss our future projects, such as the use of QR codes for information literacy. DAVID PONS, Technical Specialist in Archives and S48 Advantages of QR codesNormal barcodes hold information in only one dimension (horizontally) and are seriously limited in the amount of data they can contain. However, QR codes can hold much more information than a regular barcode. Denso Wave developed QR codes as a way of holding information in two dimensions (they go horizontally and vertically) and, strictly speaking, they should be described as matrix codes rather than barcodes. Walsh 2 defines a QR code as being like a type of two-dimensional barcode that is readable by QR barcode readers and mobile phone cameras.The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background and it was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. It is really easy to generate and use them, and there are many free QR code generators and QR code readers available on the internet. Spread of QR codesQR codes are really common in Japan, but their popularity is rapidly increasing in other regions such as Europe. Although initially they were used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes are now used in a much broader context. They can be used to link to a website, to download documents, to encode text or contact details, to show a location, to send SMS or to make a phone call. There are a lot of applications available which you can take advantage of in your library.The use of smartphones and ...

Survey as a source of low quality research data

“…Immediate verification of the respondent's declarations was possible thanks to the QR code technology (Quick Response). QR code works similar to the bar code, which is the basis for automatic identification [26]. The graphic form of the code stores data that can be read by optical input devices, such as a digital camera.…”

Qr Codes in Education and Communication

“…They are designed to decode the data quickly. It is quite easy to create and use these codes (Pons, 2011 In an experimental study conducted on the use of QR codes in education (Rikala & Kankaanranta, 2012), the views of 76 learners and of their teachers from four different-level schools were determined. The results of the study revealed that the learners were eager and motivated to use the QR codes.…”

Information skills training through mobile devices

“…This could be useful in a library to reinforce or complement the training programs that it offers to its users. Although there are no extensive references in literature on the use of QR codes in these institutions, some studies including Ashford (2010), Burns (2011), Hampton et al (2011), Hoy (2011, León and Caldera (2013), Pons et al (2011), Walsh (2009, and Whitchurch (2011) realized the potential of this type of tool, and show theoretical considerations and applications developed by using them. Walsh, (2009Walsh, ( , 2010 described in a general way the use of QR codes in libraries to deliver information just when the user has the need for training, including practical applications of these codes and how the method can be promoted among users.…”

“…In the steps Burns took to prepare and implement this innovative training session, he concluded with a description of the benefits experienced in their use, while providing the user community with standards that support these results. Pons et al (2011) provided an overview of the use of QR codes in the library of the Technical University of Valencia, as a way to improve the user experience with the use of services, describing each of the initiatives and the procedures followed for each of these. The authors provide several recommendations for generating QR codes, including highlighting that the information needed in brief and preferably using a URL instead of text for ease of use and to avoid some issues with symbols or accents.…”