Take the survey of library use of QR Codes and Receive a Free Copy of the Report

[Cabus, Michael]

Hi
  I want to emphasize that I do think QR codes could be relevant, but you have to be thoughtful regarding their use...which in most cases I've seen, companies are not thoughtful.

It seems to me that QR codes work best when there is some kind of reward or coupon being offered...it is incentive to use them.  Users might be disappointed if the QR code takes them to your mobile web site...and the frequency with which this happens is part of the reason people are not excited about QR codes...they are not sure the effort will be worth it.  Now, if I am told, scan this QR code to get a list of our newest ebooks with direct access, yeah, I might be tempted..but I am quite capable of doing a Google search for your library name and getting to the web site on my own, if I need to.

This is because QR codes take extra effort for users of iPhones at least...you have to download a QR code reader app.

Many think things like augmented reality are the "future"..but, in general, QR codes remind me of a couple of years ago (maybe still), where companies were convinced they need an app.  I know someone who is a designer that works with a lot of pharmaceutical companies, and he told me they all thought they needed an app for every drug they produced...in some cases (like diabetes medications), it made sense (reminders about dosages, when to take the medication, etc)...but allergy medicine, it didn't...people simply do not need or want to download an app that tells them about side-effects...they want to hear this information once and to go on taking their medication.

And I think that is relevant to QR codes...sometimes people just want to know something once, sometimes it is just easy for them to look it up themselves when they need to know it.

I am not being negative about QR codes, just our tendency to implement technologies without an overall strategic plan.

Michael Cabus

Systems Librarian, Paul J. Gutman Library
Philadelphia University
Phone. 215.951.5365



From: Web technologies in libraries [mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Cary Gordon
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 11:36 AM
To: WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [WEB4LIB] Take the survey of library use of QR Codes and Receive a Free Copy of the Report

If your URL is 300 characters long, or, like me, easily mixed up, you might consider using a URL shortener, be it a service (bit.ly<http://bit.ly>, etc.) or something in-house. This is aside from the QR code question.

Cary

On Feb 4, 2014, at 2:26 PM, Thomas Dowling <dowlintp at WFU.EDU<mailto:dowlintp at WFU.EDU>> wrote:


"Can we just stop pretending that QR codes matter?"

What if your URL is 300 characters long or easily mixed up?  What if your data isn't a URL, but a calendar event, a map location, or credentials for your library's wifi network?  How many users have to find it useful before it matters?

On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 4:30 PM, Wilhelmina Randtke <randtke at gmail.com<mailto:randtke at gmail.com>> wrote:
Can we just stop pretending that QR codes matter?  If you need to give someone a URL, type out the URL.  If you need to give someone on-the-spot instructions, make a poster, or put a note on a book blank.  It's so much more likely that people will read a sign.

-Wilhelmina Randtke

On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 1:11 PM, James Moses <primarydat at aol.com<mailto:primarydat at aol.com>> wrote:
Primary Research Group Inc., (www.PrimaryResearch.com<http://www.primaryresearch.com/>) publisher of research reports and surveys about libraries, is surveying library use of QR codes.  The international study is open to public, academic and special libraries of all nations. The study is only open to libraries that have already used QR codes, even if in a very minimal way. Survey participants receive a free copy of the final report generated from the survey data.  The institutional name of participants is listed but responses are aggregated or not attributed to particular respondents.  To take the survey follow the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LibraryUseofQR-Codes

James Moses, Research Director
Primary Research Group Inc.
2753 Broadway #156
NY  NY   10025
primarydat at gmail.com<mailto:primarydat at gmail.com>

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--
Thomas Dowling
Director of Technologies, Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Wake Forest University
dowlintp at wfu.edu<mailto:dowlintp at wfu.edu> / 336-758-5797
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