The 2009 Horizon Report lists “Geo-Everything” among recent trends in the category “Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years.”
In a recent brainstorming session based on some of the Horizons technology trends, the Digital Services Team considered how the libraries might provide geolocation services using mashups, web pages, or software, for instance GPS directions/location or stacks map for mobiles. These ideas did not rise to the level of highest priority for DST this year, and they would require some investigation. Known possibilities include a “here’s where I am” message to friends, a tool for locating the libraries and special collections, or finding call numbers and directions for those with location-aware devices such as the iPhone.
These snippets give some details on Geo-Everything as it relates to higher education, from the Horizon report’s website http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/chapters/geo-everything/:
…..Google Maps (http://maps.google.com), for example, offers a one-button way to overlay public, geotagged media onto the relevant section of a map as you view it; photos or videos tagged with the location in question simply fall into place on the map.
….Mobile learners can receive context-aware information about nearby resources, points of interest, historical sites, and peers seamlessly, connecting all this with online information for just-in-time learning. Social networking tools for handheld and mobile devices or laptop computers can already suggest people or places that are nearby, or show media related to one’s location. Virtual geocaching — the practice of placing media (images, video, audio, text, or any kind of digital files) in an online “drop box” and tagging it with a specific geographic location — is emerging as a way to “annotate” real-world places for travelers.
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Imagine connections between campus events and our digital collections, maps from our FYI entries for exhibitions, poetry readings and conferences, or the ability to take a picture of a movie poster and connect with online resources for reviews. These applications may require more time and expertise than our current resources would allow, but there are simple applications in use at some libraries to supplement written directions:
Here’s a map of library locations from Georgia Tech: http://maps.google.com/
Perhaps the Five Colleges could use an interactive map with images of libraries and other locations, plus links to directions and library web pages, like this one from the Free Library of Philadelphia: http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branchmap.cfm
Here are two examples of dynamic directions to find items listed in the Wichita State University Libraries catalog: http://libcat.wichita.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=878401
— look for Map Direction:Find Where It Is and Text It:to your phone options at the bottom of the record display. Location of a branch library: http://libcat.wichita.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1064995
Sika
