Revealing Codes: QR Codes in Your Libraries

This session was presented by Krista Godfrey, MUN. QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes which can carry more information than traditional barcodes. The presenter called them “the new hyperlinks” which link the physical world with the virtual, linking to present the user with contact information, websites, audio/visual information, and so on. Users most often read QR codes with smart phones, but other devices such as iPod Touches and tablets with a camera and downloaded QR reader app can be used.

Quick Mark and Bee Tags are just two of the many QR readers available; for smart phone users, the presenter suggested googling “QR reader” and the name of the phone to find the most compatible reader for that device.

There are many possible uses for QR codes in libraries. Some of these include:

·         In bound serials stacks, to link to online holdings

·         On posters promote events and services

·         In stacks, to link to relevant LibGuides

·         To link to audio/video library tours

·         On equipment such as photocopiers or scanners, to link to instructions or video tutorials

·         On business cards, to link to blogs, LibGuides, etc.

·         In individual records in the library catalogue

There are a number of programs to create QR codes, including Kaywa, Delivr, goo.gl and bit.ly. The latter two examples are URL shorteners, which shorten a long URL to produce a more easily readable code. The codes produced by these programs, however, may expire, whereas codes produced by non-shortening programs apparently do not.

Some issues involved with using QR codes involve:

·         Inaccessibility to patrons with visual and/or mobility problems (watch for placement of codes)

·         Digital divide: not everyone has access to a suitable device

·         Connectivity: wifi access, data plans, the need for authentification (to enter a wifi network, to access online journal holdings, etc.)

·         Security: it is possible for people to cover QR codes with other codes on stickers, which may lead to malicious sites

Guiding principles for using QR codes:

·         Put promotional material outside of the library as well as in

·         Add information (links, etc.) for those who don’t have devices

·         If you like to a library site, link to a mobile version

·         Size matters (make sure that codes are not too big or too small to be useful)

·         Test before putting codes out

·         Watch for physical location and ease of scanning

·         Add value to information

·         Make it easy, not more difficult, for patrons

While people are becoming more familiar with QR codes, they do not seem to be using them on a regular basis yet (one study quoted showed that only 2 out of 10 college students successfully scanned a particular code); your take-up rate might not be very high. On the other hand, it does not take much staff time or expense to produce QR codes, so it could be worth experimenting to see if they prove useful to you.

University Commons: a Case Study One Year After Opening

I attended this session, presented by Karen Keiller, UNB-SJ. The presenter talked about her experiences with the university’s new Hans W. Klohn Commons. The building opened in September 2011 after one year of construction and several years of planning, with a cost of $25 million. The Commons includes study space (tables, carrels, and study rooms), a collaborative classroom, writing centre and math/science help centre, technical support, computers, stacks, open stack compact shelving in the basement, a glassed-in reading room and a café. She reported that the space is very open, with lots of windows and glass walls allowing for natural light, and very well-used by students. They recently changed their hours to accommodate the students from the MBA program who never used the old library, but who now frequent the Commons.

The building has more seating than the old library, but fewer stacks; she advised participants thinking about establishing a similar commons to think seriously about the amount of stack space which will be needed. She has found that they could have used less than they planned for; in fact, due to a last minute error with the shelving provided for the reference section, she had to cut the section down by a third. Those materials were left in storage and have not been needed since. She emphasized that the commons is “about bodies, not about books.”

She also spoke about the need for quiet. The building’s open design and the number of students using it lead to occasional problems with noise. There is a glassed-in reading room, but seating is limited. She advised that planners take into account the need for space for quiet work, as well as for group work.

She also spoke about the need to plan ahead for power requirements; changes in building plans led to a lack of plugs, or plugs located too far from desks/carrels. She mentioned, as well, a lack of control regarding construction and infrastructure elements: problems in having furniture moved from the old building to the new, delays in getting equipment into the collaborative classroom, even such mundane tasks as having bulletin boards installed. She also added that, before making a change, planners should get baseline measurements of factors such as noise levels, gate counts, etc., to compare new and old spaces.

She discussed the idea of the differences between the traditional library and the learning commons, and said that, as yet, the change in the building has not had a great effect on the services they provide, aside from doing more retrieval of materials in storage. Writing Centre and Math/Science Centre staff are included in various discussions and meetings. She said that one goal of the learning commons is to transform learning on the campus. As they have not yet been open for a year, and all of the equipment is not yet in place, they have not been able to gauge fully the effects of the Commons on learning, but that the students have responded to the openness and inspiring spaces in the new building.