Abstract
Objective: To examine how Canadian academic medical libraries are supporting mobile apps, what apps are currently being provided by these libraries, and what types of promotion are being used. Methods: A survey of the library websites for the 17 medical schools in Canada was completed. For each library website surveyed, the medical apps listed on the website, any services mentioned through this medium, and any type of app promotion events were noted. When Facebook and Twitter accounts were evident, the tweets were searched and the past two years of Facebook posts scanned for mention of medical apps or mobile services/events. Results: All seventeen academic medical libraries had lists of mobile medical apps with a large range in the number of medical relevant apps (average=31, median= 23). A total of 275 different apps were noted and the apps covered a wide range of subjects. Five of the 14 Facebook accounts scanned had posts about medical apps in the past two years while 11 of the 15 Twitter accounts had tweets about medical apps. Social media was only one of the many promotional methods noted. Outside of the app lists and mobile resources guides, Canadian academic medical libraries are providing workshops, presentations, and drop-in sessions for mobile medical apps. Conclusion: While librarians cannot simply compare mobile services and resources between academic medical libraries without factoring in a number of other circumstances, librarians can learn from mobile resources strategies employed at other libraries, such as using research guides to increase medical app literacy.
Highlights
The world is becoming increasingly mobile, with 68% of Canadians and Americans reportedly owning smart phones in 2015 [1, 2]
All 17 academic medical libraries had mobile medical app information on their websites, and librarians from 15 out of 17 libraries responded to the email or follow-up phone call and corrected or verified the information found
All 17 libraries had a list of mobile medical apps that generally took the form of a research guide (Supplementary Appendix B)
Summary
The world is becoming increasingly mobile, with 68% of Canadians and Americans reportedly owning smart phones in 2015 [1, 2]. This mobile-rich environment has provided grounds for many innovations within the field of medicine including telemedicine, medical software for smartphones and other mobile devices, and remote patient monitoring capabilities [3]. Academic medical libraries have been quick to respond to this trend from the inception of personal digital assistants (PDAs) by providing services and access to mobile resources [4]. Many respondents have been unaware of library-provided mobile resources. Only 43% of medical students and faculty surveyed by Boruff and Storie [6] in 2012 were aware of library mobile resources, and of those only 67.5% of those students reported using them
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