Resource Review 2: A Review of the Ebling Library for the Health Sciences Mobile Site

This past summer I completed my 120 hour practicum at Ebling Library for the Health Sciences in the UW Madison medical complex on the west end of campus. A requirement for the practicum was to attend a staff meeting, and the meeting I attended was run by the Information Architecture staff. The purpose of the meeting was to unveil the newly finished mobile web site for the library. Since the meeting, I have become very interested in mobile devices and libraries, hence why I chose it as my topic for LIS 644.

Ebling Library is not a complete part of the General Library System (they do have some cataloging done at Memorial), so they are able to employ their own Information Architecture staff. If you have ever visited the Ebling website, you may have noticed that it looks entirely different from the standard library website for many of the other libraries on campus. The IA staff devotes all of their attention to the Ebling website, and it is constantly updated and maintained.

During the summer, the IA staff finished building the mobile site for Ebling. The library staff was very excited about this, because it is just one more way that patrons can stay connected and informed. The medical field in particular is very saturated with mobile devices due to the demanding nature of the profession, so as far as I know the site has gone over well.

The site itself is completely homegrown (even the graphics were designed by a graphic designer employed at Ebling). The purpose of the site is to make available the newest information. Many doctors, residents, nurses, and medical students follow journals very closely, and it is imperative that they are in the loop as soon as new research or a new article has been published. The mobile site only makes that information available that much quicker and that much more accessible. The site is easily laid out so minimal clicks are needed. PubMed is arguably the most used database in the health science profession, so it is listed first. Links are available to other databases and journals as well as to general information about the library. Requests for articles via Library Express can also be placed from the mobile device. This website can lead other libraries in their creation of mobile sites.