« Just an Idea - Blog Tools for Lexis & Westlaw? | Main | The Search for a Google-Like, Enterprise Search Engine »
February 10, 2004
Searching Library Catalogs via Cell Phones
I've never had the urge to browse the web on my cell phone. Call me old-fashioned, but the idea of viewing web pages on a 1" square screen just doesn't strike me as a satisfying experience.
I readily admit not everyone is like me. Case in point, Irene McDermott, librarian at the San Marino Public Library recently wrote an article called "Cell Phone Reference" for Searcher Magazine (Oct. 2003 - yes, that's a few months back, but what can I say, I'm at the bottom of the routing list).
Irene, in her attempt to be constantly wired, subscribed to web access via her cell phone. She tries Wireless Google, patiently pushing the button "7" four times just to type the "S" in "San Marino" and the Opera browser for the small screen, which strips the graphic elements out of a web page, then displays it as a single column of text.
Of course, cell phone browsing works best with text based information in small chunks, and that pretty much describes the library catalog. While Irene is unable to search the San Marino library catalog, the various projects involved with converting MARC records into XML may very well make searching library catalogs on small screens do-able in the future.
That's something to look for in your next library system, XML and the ability to search it on a cell phone. Wireless may not be my thing, but the demand for such service may become significant as more people try browsing the web on their cell phone/organizer/camera!
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
