Library Mobile Websites

All libraries should have a mobile website - I won't point out who doesn't but for those who do there are a number of critical design points. The University of Florida's Health Science Center Libraries and the University of Ottawa's hit the mark on what matters most to academic library users.

The University of Florida (UF) has a great little slide show promoting services such as 3D printing and media production suites for loan, as well as news including the relocation of their hardcopy journals and the National Library Exhibit currently at UF titled "Lit of Prescription". The slide show is easy and natural to navigate with one con that it doesn't loop. Following the slide show they provide a section called "Quick Links". Presumably these links would be high traffic links that users primarily navigate to on the desktop version of the website. Next they have a health news section, calendar of exhibits and events, a donation promotion section and the university footer. One thing that is missing is an option to view the website in "desktop view". This is really a must for users who prefer the regular website.

In the case of the University of Ottawa's mobile library website they organize and emphasize information in a different manner. While I really like how they have emphasized some things I think they would benefit from a reorg similar to the UF mobile website. I would move the grey set of links that are at the top of the page down or into a corner menu such as with UF's site to give quicker access to the material below which has been developed to be quick and easy to access. The set of grey links are the horizontal navigation bar of drop down options from the desktop site and seem excessive for the main page of a library mobile website. In defense the library may be restricted by their mobile website software and the library system is quite large and has a lot of information to share as it services all University of Ottawa libraries.

Otherwise I think Ottawa's mobile website is great. I like how they present students with the ability to quickly search for course reserves and access research options, services and hours. They too are missing a desktop view options though - perhaps I am just too picky?