Will smart phones and other bring your own devices (BYOD) dominate how academic library services are developed and delivered for the foreseeable future?

Guzman, Laura

Walton, G. (2014). Will smart phones and other bring your own devices (BYOD) dominate how academic library services are developed and delivered for the foreseeable future?. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 20(1), 1-3.

Descriptive Summary:

In Australia and around the world, more students and faculty are using their own devices in the process of teaching and learning.  Should libraries get rid of fixed PCs and head completely in the personal device direction? In this editorial, Walton focuses on the importance of making decisions based on users’ real needs and not just trends. 

Some reports say that the smart phone will not be highly used in a few years, but instead will be replaced by wearable devices.  Technology changes fast and library educational decisions should be structured around real situations and real needs. 

Based on a couple of studies, Walton highlights that at universities in Australia, fixed PCs in the library are still being highly used for academic work, while smart phones have more of a social function.  Students expect complete WIFI and need more group work collaboration spaces.  These small surveys show that some information behaviors remain the same, but others alter fundamentally.    

Evaluation:

At our library, student workers and staff are still not allowed to use their own devices while working.  Maybe we are way behind the times.  But, like the above surveys showed, students still primarily use their smart phones for social purposes, and not for educational ones.  Important decisions, like getting rid of fixed PCs, should be based on real usage and not on trends which soon may pass.