iPad Innovations in Public Services: A Survey of the Use of Mobile Devices in ASERL Reference Departments

The availability of iPads and other mobile devices has provided new opportunities for communication, creativity, gaming, shopping, customer service, and more. With mobile devices surging in popularity among patrons, library innovators have started experimenting with these technologies in their services. Given the recent debut of these devices, the professional literature offers only a few studies about academic libraries that have harnessed mobile devices for reference, instruction, and outreach. In helping to expand this research, this paper presents the results of a survey of Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) reference departments about their use of mobile devices