Smart Phones: Portal to the Library

Last week, an instructor came to our library to be oriented. She wanted to know what was available online and pulled out her iPhone. She wanted me to show her the applications she needed not only to access clinical and drug information, but also to access our other library resources, including online journals and information databases. It was clear she had no plans to come to the library ever again nor to sit at her computer in her office looking for information. This jolted me once more into recognition of how our librarianship field is changing. This instrucor is not alone. More than 70% of education professionals are now using smart phones, and the number is increasing. We can expect many, if not most, will want to use their smart phones as their standard portal to the library.