For this Thing, I have all three portions to cover.
1. ELM Mobile
It has been years since I checked out ELM, and I was very impressed with the mobile site. It is much cleaner in appearance than I remember. I think I'm going to do some further investigation into the site and probably link it from my media center website. After having completed the first year of our research curriculum in grades 4 and 5, I know quite a few students who may find the research calculator of value and would give me another "voice saying" that these steps need to be completed in this order and prioritized in such a way to make the due date.
2. Library apps
I live in Anoka County, and very close to the Ramsey County system, but am very biased as a former employee of Hennepin County Libraries. That being said, I have chosen not to use their apps, but to always navigate the websites. The apps feel clunkier to use. Maybe it's because I used the websites for so many years before the mobile apps were developed. I also don't care for how certain information is displayed, like My Account. For example, the list of my requests isn't as visually informative and in the past I've accidentally deleted requests and had to get back on the list.
3. Vendor apps
I have ebooks in my collection both on FollettShelf and in MackinVIA. It is a developing collection of ebooks and interesting how even in the same platform, the individual titles will act differently in their readers. I was very excited when I initially heard that the Follett Destiny app could be used for "remote/mobile" circulation, but when using it on an iPad, a 3rd generation is the minimum requirement for the camera to be able to scan barcodes...and there is a significant lag time which did not make circulation on the iPad an efficient option. Our district will be upgrading versions of Destiny this summer, so we'll see what's available in the fall.
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