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This study seeks to identify the benefits, challenges and effective methods of implementing and managing a collaborative text reference service.

The study employs the case study approach to examine the practice of the first nation‐wide collaborative text reference service My Info Quest and evaluate the effectiveness of the organization and operation of this collaboration.

Findings of the study indicate that librarians participating in My Info Quest are generally satisfied with the service organization and operation. However, more work is needed in the area of schedule accountability, communication and sustainability.

My Info Quest is the first collaborative text reference service in the nation. Through the detailed depiction and evaluation of My Info Quest's experience, the paper can help interested libraries to gain a better understanding of how to establish a collaborative text reference service and what challenges they will be facing.

The purpose of this paper is to compile and explain the mobile services developed by the Rector Gabriel Ferraté Library (BRGF) of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), in Barcelona, Spain. From a larger amount of technological features that distinguish the BRGF, only those with a main mobile component are grouped here.

A case study perspective is used to give a detailed picture of the mobile services and features offered by the library in both the university and the Spanish technological contexts. The paper aims to show the effectiveness and potential to deliver library services through the preferred tools of a new generation of students.

Offering mobile services has amplified the use of the library in different ways and has improved the image of the library as a technological reference for users and librarians. From a general point of view, being ahead of the game has been revealed to be an appropriate strategy for the library when implementing new technological services.

The paper will be useful for libraries searching new and innovative technological channels to communicate and deliver their services. So far, there have been very few papers about mobile services in European libraries and very few Spanish libraries with a significant number of these services for their users.

Society may be on the verge of a revolutionary phase of mobile device use in higher education generally and in libraries in particular. This paper seeks to address this issue.

Through an examination of trends and technological developments in the area of mobile devices and a review of the potential of mobile devices, the paper analyzes the potential of mobile devices in academic libraries.

Most college students own cell phones and laptops and the capabilities of these and other devices are expanding.

Libraries have the opportunity to extend new types of services to users of mobile devices and to develop, license, or otherwise make available scholarly content that is configured for mobile devices. Ideally, libraries will become part of an institutional planning process for the development of services for mobile devices.

The more pervasive use by students of smartphones, the uptake of e‐book readers, and the increasing use of mobile devices in some areas of the curriculum all have implications for libraries.

Some writers in this area believe that the increased capabilities of mobile devices could lead to new forms of engagement with student learning; this possibility can be embraced by academic libraries that seek to be strong partners in the teaching and learning process of their institution.

The paper synthesizes developments and provides suggestions for the future.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the big picture of where academic libraries fit into the mobile revolution.

Using Jim Hahn's accompanying article, “On the remediation of Wikipedia and the iPod,” the author comments on what remediation means for the academic library culture as a whole. The reflections are based on observations of current trends in technology and the emergence of a mobile culture. A definition of this generation of library users is suggested – the ING (information now generation). Editorial in nature, the paper also discusses some new technologies and how they might be applicable to the technological growth of libraries.

This reflection of current trends encourages librarians to look/listen, explore, apply, prevail when it comes to applying emerging technologies to the library world.

The paper offers insights into how librarians can prepare themselves for the “Remediation Revolution.”

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of selected mobile technology literature and to inform librarians about the following seven mobile initiatives: Library Web sites; SMS Reference; MOPACs (Mobile OPACs) and Integrated Library Systems; Mobile Collections; eBooks and Mobile Reading; Mobile Instruction; Mobile Audio/Video Tours.

A literature review is gathered from periodical articles as well as a number of well‐known blogs discussing mobile initiatives in libraries.

Listed in order of importance to most patrons, the seven initiatives examined were chosen because their widespread discussion in the literature, at presentations, and on blogs suggests that they are moving beyond mere trends and are becoming best practices. The development and implementation of these mobile services can range from work‐intensive and expensive to scalable, inexpensive solutions.

The information may be used by libraries seeking to add mobile technologies in order to enhance their traditional services, making them not only more available, but also more relevant to their users. In addition, the examinations provide, where possible, the author's recommendations for libraries seeking to implement such initiatives and suggest directions for future applications.

This research aims to present evidence that cultural diversity influences students' desire to utilize library resources and reference services on their mobile devices.

A paper survey was administered voluntarily to undergraduate students to analyze how cultural diversity impacts the types of mobile device‐based reference services students desired and how likely they were to access librarians for live research assistance on their mobile devices.

The paper provides evidence that cultural diversity and gender impacts desired mobile device reference services among undergraduate students. White male and African American female students reported a higher likelihood and desire to access librarians for live assistance on their mobile devices. White females indicated, to a large extent, a desire to access e‐books and e‐magazines on their mobile devices more than any other group. Anecdotally, White females also preferred chat‐based reference inside Facebook.

The study was limited to one campus college location of a Doctoral/Research University Extensive during the fall 2009 semester. Incorporating mobile devices in reference services has yet to fully evolve as an emerging field of study in librarianship.

Library and information science professionals will gain valuable insight into how cultural variances impact students' desired engagement with reference librarians, what types of mobile device‐based reference services undergraduate students prefer, and what factors influence their mobile device selection process.

The paper represents the first study that examines cultural diversity as a determinant in desired mobile device‐based reference services among undergraduates. The research also highlights possible directions for future qualitative and quantitative diversity research studies in library and information studies.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of a Skype‐based, study abroad reference service.

The paper discusses the criteria used for technology and situates the project in the literature on study abroad reference services.

Using Skype, a free video‐conferencing software, allows librarians to offer reference services to study abroad students effectively, easily, and without new technologies or significant cost.

The paper offers other librarians strategies for developing and launching similar programs and shares challenges encountered to prepare librarians for success in their own projects.

The purpose of this paper is to review one library's experiences of creating mobile services and illustrate how, by developing expertise in emerging technologies, libraries can foster partnerships with other groups on campus and play a leading role in providing relevant student‐centred services.

The paper begins with a brief summary of mobile services offered by the Ryerson Library prior to the fall of 2008, discusses the results of a mobile device survey conducted that semester, and outlines the resulting mobile services that were developed by the Library which led to a campus‐wide collaboration to develop the framework for a student‐led mobile initiative. The technical framework and project management issues are also discussed.

A survey performed by the Ryerson University Library in the fall of 2008 indicated that smart phones were owned by approximately 20 percent of the student population but that within the next three years this figure could reach as much as 80 percent. To remain relevant, it is important that libraries adapt their services to this new environment.

The paper illustrates how library services can be adapted to the mobile environment and how the library can play a role in broader campus mobile initiatives.

All libraries will be interested in exploring the library services that were developed and adapted for mobile devices and of particular interest to academic libraries will be the building of collaborative relationships with other academic departments to provide services to students.