So to coincide with the launch of the Atlas of New Librarianship next week at the ACRL conference, I will be releasing a companion iPad app (and website too). The purpose of this app is two-fold: to give you something of use in engaging with the Atlas of New Librarianship, and to show you what one person can do with $400 worth of software and no ability to program in C.
I do all of this to show that you can too. Librarians don’t have to become computer scientists to take advantage of the new mobile tools. To be sure, talented and dedicated programmers can make better apps – and to be equally sure there are librarians out there that already are. You need to be there too: able to rapidly prototype, specify and meet short-term needs online.
Libraries are places of conversation and learning. They are places to create knowledge, and increasingly that means building software and apps. Whereas 100 years ago we helped scholars write books, today we can help scholars, housewives, small businesses, and students create apps.
This is my app. It is not perfect. It is not the future of ebooks I have talked about in the past. It is instead an example. Join me in making it better.
While the app won’t be available until next week, I am posting a walkthrough of it here.
Dave this looks amazing. Can’t wait to check out the book and you make a pretty compelling argument to get an iPad!
What was the software you used to create this app?
It’s called LiveCode by RunRev. Actually a descendant of HyperCard. maybe we should do a session at iSchool on how it works. We could rope Jeff Rubin’s group into showing how hardcore development is done and on Android.
Dave this app makes me think of your comment in 511 about you wished that eBooks would be more interactive. Is there a plan to include this sort of interactivity into an eBook version if possible? I like the nonlinearness of this.
We talked about the possibility of creating an eBook version of the Atlas, but at the time it was about Kindle versions. The Atlas is very much designed as a print product (10×10 format, color, poster) and we didn’t think it would work well in the existing ebook formats. That’s why the web and iPad app are very much companion pieces.
That said, creating an App version would be very interesting.
Can we do a session at iLEAD U on the app program?
🙂
Great idea. If not in the sessions another hotel session.
I’d love to see a session on LiveCode and how hardcore development is done. Apps are as ubiquitous as websites and are working towards replacing many print resources. Learning the development software is probably as important, if not more, than learning print software.