An Introduction to QR Codes: Linking Libraries and Mobile Patrons

Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 30(3):295–300, 2011 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0276-3869 print=1540-9597 online DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2011.590423 NAVIGATE THE NET Donna Berryman and Matthew B. Hoy, Column Editors An Introduction to QR Codes: Linking Libraries and Mobile Patrons MATTHEW B. HOY Luther Midelfort-Mayo Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA QR codes, or ‘‘Quick Response’’ codes, are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned by mobile smartphone cameras. These codes can be used to provide fast access to URLs, telephone numbers, and short passages of text. With the rapid adoption of smartphones, librarians are able to use QR codes to promote services and help library users find materials quickly and independently. This article will explain what QR codes are, discuss how they can be used in the library, and describe issues surrounding their use. A list of resources for generating and scanning QR codes is also provided. KEYWORDS Barcodes, Internet, mobile web, QR codes, smartphones WHAT ARE QR CODES? QR (for ‘‘quick response’’) codes are a type of two-dimensional barcode or data matrix. Modern smartphone and tablet users can interact with these barcodes by scanning them with their device’s camera. QR codes can be used to store URLs, text, or numbers. They allow ‘‘tagging’’ of items in the physical world with additional data or links to online material; a QR code ‘‘links the Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Column Editors: Donna Berryman ([email protected]) and Matthew B. Hoy ([email protected]). Address correspondence to Matthew B. Hoy, MLIS, Supervisor of Library and AV Services, Luther Midelfort-Mayo Health System, 1221 Whipple Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701. E-mail: [email protected] 295 296 Navigate the Net physical world (e.g., poster, printout, room, physical object) to the electronic (web resource) and facilitates communication (SMS message, phone call), adding significant value by improving accessibility to information.’’1 For instance, a QR code printed on a poster advertising an upcoming event would allow users to scan the code and save the data about the event to their phone. A museum display tagged with a QR code could link users to an online audio file describing the exhibit in detail. A QR code mounted near a print copy of a journal could be used to link users to the online version of the journal. QR codes can also be used to quickly exchange contact information such as e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. Figure 1 shows an example of a QR code that contains the author’s e-mail address. QR codes were originally developed by the Japanese corporation Denso Wave in 1994. They were designed for use in inventory management, where speed and error correction are major concerns. Denso Wave freely shared the idea for the codes with others, and over the next decade several standards organizations developed their own guidelines for implementing QR codes. The current ISO standard for QR codes, finalized in 2004, can be found in ISO=IEC18004.2 QR codes have several distinct advantages over traditional barcodes: They can store far more information, they can be scanned at high speeds in any direction and orientation, and they have built-in error correction features that allow them to be read even when partially obscured. Traditional barcodes can store up to 20 digits, but QR codes can store up to 7089 digits or 4296 alphanumeric characters. They can also be used to automate small tasks such as dialing a phone number or sending a text message; scanning the QR code with the number and type of message embedded in it prompts the user’s device to start a call or text to that number. While they are currently very popular in Japan, QR codes are just beginning to gain traction in the United States.3 Major retailers such as Target, Macy’s, and Best Buy have recently begun including QR codes in their print advertising and on in-store signage.4 Users can scan the codes to get additional information about the product or special offers. FIGURE 1 The author’s e-mail address in QR code format. Navigate the Net 297 LIBRARY APPLICATIONS FOR QR CODES Although QR codes are a relatively new technology, many libraries are already using them for promotion and instruction. The Library Success wiki has a page listing QR code projects implemented by public and academic libraries around the country.5 Examples include: . Placing QR codes on shelving end-caps that link to subject guides. . Linking online study room reservation calendars to the physical room by placing a QR code on the door. Patrons can reserve the room or view the schedule to see when the room will become available by scanning the code. . Placing QR codes on posters and other promotional materials that link to online video tours and training videos. . Displaying QR codes that link the user to the ‘‘text a librarian’’ service. Scanning the code automatically begins a text message to the correct number. . Embedding QR codes in the online catalog that provide key information about an item. Users can scan this code to save the item to their phone and use that information to find the item in the stacks. . Mounting QR codes on shelving, linking to the online versions of print materials. . Attaching QR codes to CD=DVD cases that link to online trailers or reviews. . Mounting QR codes on equipment like debit card stations and fiche readers that link to video tutorials explaining how to use the equipment. Other uses for QR codes include automating the connection process for Wi-Fi networks. Libraries with Wi-Fi can post a code containing the details of their network for users to scan. This simplifies the connection process and doesn’t require the user to input lengthy network names and passwords. It also ensures that any electronic resources based on IP authentication would recognize the user as coming from the library’s network and not their own data network. In addition to using QR codes for promotion and instruction, libraries are beginning to see QR codes appear in their materials. The journal Neurosurgery recently featured a large QR code on the cover and announced that the publication would begin using QR codes to ‘‘connect the reader via Smartphone to related videos, figures or tables that would have previously required a desktop or laptop computer.’’6 Other authors and publishers are sure to follow suit, so librarians should be prepared to field questions from patrons about what QR codes are and how to use them. 298 Navigate the Net ISSUES WITH QR CODES Although QR codes are a ‘‘low-threshold technology . . . low-cost, easy to implement, and easy to use,’’ there are still many issues that may prevent the technology from being widely adopted.7 One hurdle is the relatively low number of people who own smartphones. As of December 2010, only about 31% of mobile phone users had a phone capable of running QR code software.8 Of that 31%, it is unclear how many understand what QR codes are and how to go about using them. Currently, most smartphones do not come with code-scanning software preinstalled, so users must download and install an application and learn to use it before they can begin scanning QR codes. The materials or service being provided by the QR code must be compelling enough to make the user want to take those extra steps. As smartphones become more popular, QR codes will be more widely recognized and used. Reports indicate this is happening already, as ‘‘QR code scanning increased by 1,200% from July to December 2010.’’4 However, there is no guarantee that QR codes are here to stay; they may be supplanted entirely by another technology. Google has already removed support for QR codes from their ‘‘Places’’ application and replaced it with something called ‘‘Near Field Communication,’’ which is similar to RFID.9 Another issue to be overcome is the current state of support for mobile devices on most web pages. Viewing standard websites on a smartphone screen is tedious and difficult; these devices ‘‘have limitations such as small screen size, limited screen resolution, and awkward input mechanisms.’’10 Linking mobile users to a site designed for access on a desktop is sure to end in frustration. Many major websites such as PubMed, YouTube, and Google provide alternate mobile-friendly versions of their sites with larger text and simpler interfaces for ease of navigation. However, even mobile-specific sites are not guaranteed to solve usability issues; recent tests found that users were only able to complete tasks on a mobile-specific version of a website 64% of the time as opposed to a 53% success rate using a nonoptimized version of the site on a phone. Success rates for desktop tests are much higher, around 80%.11 These rates are likely to improve with time and additional user experience, just as scores improved over time for desktop usability tests. One other problem users may encounter with QR codes is connectivity to online resources. Not all smartphone users purchase a data plan from their provider, and not all smartphones can connect to WiFi networks. If patrons cannot connect to the library WiFi network and they do not have a data plan, QR codes that link to online resources are useless to them. Text-based QR codes and automated calling and texting codes will still work for these users, but anything requiring access to the Internet will not work. Users who do have a data plan may be reluctant to scan Navigate the Net 299 multimedia QR codes due to the relatively limited amount of bandwidth available with most current phone plans. These problems should disappear as phones with WiFi become common and data plans grow to meet users’ demands for more bandwidth. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES . QR Code Generator from the ZXing (Zebra Crossing) Project, an open source barcode processing library <http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/> . ZXing Project reader for a variety of platforms including Android and iOS <http://code.google.com/p/zxing/wiki/GetTheReader> . Scanning software and QR code generator from Nokia <http://mobilecodes. nokia.com/> . BeeTag, a multi-code reader that supports QR Codes, Datamatrix, and the proprietary BeeTag format <http://www.beetagg.com/> . NeoReader, a multi-platform multi-format reader software. Website also generates custom QR codes. <http://neoreader.com/> CONCLUSION QR codes are a quick and easy way to link library patrons to information and services on their mobile phones. These codes are simple and inexpensive to create and can be used to provide fast access to online materials, multimedia, and short blocks of text. They can also be used to automate tasks like making a call, sending a text message, or connecting to a WiFi network. Although QR codes are relatively new technology and their future is uncertain, readers should become familiar with what they are and the variety of ways they can be used to provide mobile services to patrons. REFERENCES 1. Robinson, K. ‘‘QR Codes and Their Applications for Libraries—a Case Study from the University of Bath Library.’’ In M-libraries 2: A Virtual Library in Everyone’s Pocket, edited by M. Ally and G. Needham, 81–83. London: Facet Publishing, 2010. 2. QRcode.com. Available: <http://www.denso-wave.com/qrcode/index-e.html>. Accessed: March 1, 2011. 3. Walsh, A. ‘‘QR Codes and Libraries.’’ Library Hi Tech News 26, no. 5=6 (2009): 7–9. 4. Taylor, J. ‘‘How Companies Can Use QR Codes to Enhance the Customer Experience.’’ 2011. Available: <http://www.businessinsider.com/qr-codes-connectingthe-consumer-with-your-mobile-brand-2011-3>. Accessed: March 31, 2011. 5. QR Codes – Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Available: <http:// libsuccess.org/index.php?title=QR_Codes>. Accessed: March 31, 2011. 300 Navigate the Net 6. MacRae, D.A. ‘‘Introducing QR Codes: Linking Print and Digital Content Via Smartphone.’’ Neurosurgery 68 no. 4 (2011): 854–855. 7. Ashford, R. ‘‘QR Codes and Academic Libraries.’’ College & Research Libraries News 71, no. 10 (2010): 526–350. 8. Kellog, D. ‘‘Among Mobile Phone Users, Hispanics, Asians are Most Likely Smartphone Owners in the U.S. | Nielsen Wire.’’ 2011. Available: <http://blog. nielsen.com/nielsenwire/?p=25901>. Accessed: March 31, 2011. 9. Gohring, N. ‘‘Google Ends QR Code Initiative – PCWorld.’’ 2011. Available: <http://www.pcworld.com/article/223903/google_ends_qr_code_initiative.html>. Accessed: April 4, 2011. 10. Griggs, K.; Bridges, L.; and Gascho Rempel, H. ‘‘Library=mobile: Tips on Designing and Developing Mobile Web Sites.’’ codef4glib Journal 8(November 23, 2009). Available: <http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2055>. Accessed: April 3, 2011. 11. Nielsen, J. ‘‘Mobile Usability (Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox).’’ 2009. Available: <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-usability.html>. Accessed: April 3, 2011.