The Wireless Librarian: Using Tablet PCs for Ultimate Reference and Customer Service: A Case Study
| Date | 01 June 2005 |
| Pages | 19-22 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510613819 |
| Published date | 01 June 2005 |
| Author | Holly Hibner |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
The Wireless Librarian: Using Tablet PCs for
Ultimate Reference and Customer Service:
A Case Study
Holly Hibner
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 5 2005, pp. 19-22, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510613819 19
The reference interview
Tablet PCs have revolutionized
reference service at the Salem-South
Lyon District Library. This
groundbreaking technology allows
librarians to have all of their electronic
reference tools right there with them, no
matter where they are throughout the
library's wireless network. Reference
transactions have never been so fast and
easy!
In a traditional reference interview, a
patron may approach a public library
reference desk and ask for information
on a specific topic. The librarian may
look up the subject in the library's
online catalog, and then walk with the
patron into the stacks to help him locate
the area where the materials on the
subject are kept. Perhaps some of the
materials are checked out, and the
librarian offers to place a hold on them.
The librarian goes back to the reference
desk to place the hold. An especially
helpful librarian may then offer to do an
article search in the library's online
databases for the patron. The librarian
finds the patron in the stacks where he
is browsing, tells him about the
databases, and then goes back to the
reference desk to complete the research.
Now pictures this: the same patron
approaches the same reference desk,
requesting the same information. The
librarian picks up a Tablet PC and
walks with the patron into the stacks,
performing the online catalog search on
the Tablet along the way. Once there,
the helpful librarian places any holds
the patron may need, and also offers to
look up some articles in the online
databases. A few taps on the screen of
the Tablet PC, and the librarian asks if
the patron would also like to know
about some good web sites on the topic.
The patron is very impressed, and the
librarian asks him to stop by the
reference desk to pick up some print-
outs at his convenience. By the time the
librarian walks back to the reference
desk, the articles and internet
information are waiting in the printer.
Tablet PCs
Tablet PCs are notebook computers
just smaller than a legal pad ± about 9in
8in 1in thick, weighing between
1.5 and 3lbs (depending on the model).
The screen swivels and lays back down
on itself so that the user can actually
write on the screen with a special stylus.
There is no special graffiti like PDAs
require, so users write in their own
natural handwriting. Tablet PCs have
handwriting recognition software that
translates the user's handwriting into
text. They also function as a full
notebook computer, with a keyboard
and touchpad mouse, just by swiveling
the screen the other direction (Figures 1
and 2).
Tablet PCs have wireless networking
capabilities built in. Once a wireless
network is established, there is no extra
hardware required to connect a Tablet
PC to it. They can be carried around
anywhere in the range of the wireless
environment and remain connected to
the internet and any networked printers.
They operate on a Tablet PC version of
Windows XP, so they can run any
application that any other Windows XP
laptop or desktop computer would run.
The major differences between Tablet
PCs and other laptop computers are the
size and the handwriting recognition
feature. Otherwise, they operate
essentially the same. Accessories and
attachments like speakers, scanners,
CD-ROM drives, phone lines, jump
drives, etc. can be attached to a Tablet
PC in the same way they would a
regular laptop.
Benefits
In the introductory example, it is
obvious how much more information
the patron was offered by the librarian
using a Tablet PC than in the traditional
reference transaction. Since online
reference tools are available to the
librarian right then and there, they can
quickly access more resources. They do
not have to go from place to place
around the library; they just use the
Tablet PC to bring up any online
reference tool they want to use.
Since the librarian and the patron can
stay in one place, a lot of time is saved
for both parties. Reference transactions
happen very seamlessly. The librarian
can do an online catalog search, an
internet search, and find articles in the
electronic databases in a matter of
minutes. Where a traditional transaction
might take five minutes, running back
and forth from the patron, the stacks,
and the reference desk, the same
reference transaction using a Tablet PC
might take only a minute or two.
The portability of Tablet PCs allows
librarians to anticipate their patrons'
needs. Consider a patron with crutches,
a walker, or a cane, who has trouble
getting around the library. A librarian
with a Tablet PC can approach those
patrons wherever they happen to be.
The librarians at Salem-South Lyon like
to do ``roaming reference'' where they
walk around the library with a Tablet in
hand and approach people who may
need help finding information. Patrons
appreciate not having to find a librarian.
Being able to go anywhere in the
building is a key feature of Tablet PCs
in reference service. Salem-South Lyon
librarians often approach parents who
are in the children's section of the
library, asking if they need anything for
themselves. They can do the reference
interview from the children's section
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