ANZ 23 Mobile Things - Thing 3 - Email

I'm a bit behind getting this blog post written due to various reasons, too busy, not in the right frame of mind, dealing with East Coast Lows etc etc.  But I must slap my wrists because if I can't manage to post a weekly post, then how am I going to deal with #blogJune where I have to post everyday in June?!?  So I will try a bit harder.

I have had this blog post written in my head for a while but now when I go to put it into words it seems to escape me - I'm sure others have the same problem.

Thing 3 is Email.  On my work supplied tablet, I have both my personal and work email set up using the tablets default email program.  I honestly didn't know you that there was email apps out there - now I do but I won't be changing because I really can't play with what the work IT guys have set up.

However, I have no problems using the tablet default email.  It serves it's purpose.  I can access work and personal emails.  I can send emails.  It alerts me when there is a new email.

But what it doesn't do is:

• provide me access to my address book or the work address book - this makes sending email a bit tricky unless I have used my tablet to send an email to that person before (then it remembers the email address);
• sync correctly, if I have sent an email using the desktop email (not sure on the correct wording to use here) program and not the tablet, it won't be in my tablet's "sent" folder.  This makes it a bit tricky to check if I have sent an email when using my tablet, or forwarding an email that I sent using the desktop program;
• allow me to format the email, e.g. change fonts etc;
• delete emails from the desktop email.  When I delete emails on my tablet they do not delete from the desktop email so it means when I get back to my desk, I am often reading emails that I have already read.

The ANZ 23 Mobile Things blog post asks the following questions:

• If relevant, find out your workplaces policy for loading work email onto personal devices.  Consider the pros and cons of always being “available” via email.  If you do want to access work email on your device how will you keep it secure? Well as it is a work provided tablet, they insisted on providing email access via the device and had no issue allowing me to access my personal email too.  The being "available" part was the whole point of having the tablet, as I do travel around the branches I manage and attend meetings/conferences off site, so being available is good.  However, I do access my tablet while on leave and it does become an issue at times when I see an email that starts to stress me out while I'm on leave.  Or I action because I can even though I'm not at work.  As for the security, IT set it up so I have no idea what they have done.
• Do you use email to alert staff to roster changes and library activities? Yes I do.  But the majority of the time this is done using desktop mail not tablet mail.  Unless I am off site and an emergency comes up.
• How might your clients accesses your services via email on mobile devices? My library service offers SMS and email reservation and overdue notices and a lot of our clients access these via their smart phones.  We are also looking at having a library catalogue app in the near future.  Our LMS (library management system) allows for clients to set up alerts, so I can only assume that some of our clients utilise this feature and receive alerts via their phones.  As for using their mobile device to receive email citations and catalogue records - I work in a public library so am unsure how many clients would use this.  I would think it would be more likely in an academic/special library setting - but I could be wrong.  I also think that public libraries have to work harder to promote these services so that clients are aware of just what they can do with our online resources.  But that's a whole other blog post.

On a side note, this week was Library and Information Week.  To start the week, I attended the annual Library and Information Week breakfast held at Coffs Harbour Surf Club at Park Beach.  While brief, it was great to catch up with some other local library professionals, and thanks very much to Judy Atkinson who organises this each year.  We even got some goody bags with pens, notebooks, mouse pads, sticky notes etc from library suppliers.

I ran some demonstrations of my library's online resources for the public, we had National Simultaneous Storytime at each branch, and I had to close one branch of our libraries early on Friday afternoon due to an East Coast Low dumping lots and lots of rain and flooding the roads.  So it was an eventful week!!

Revisiting Online Newspapers

Back in June I wrote a blog post about my reluctance to move to digital or eNewspapers.

Well, I will now update you with my progress.  I'm no longer against eNewspapers and for the last 3 weeks I have stopped purchasing the print edition of the Sunday Telegraph and instead have been using my tablet, my State Library of NSW readers card and accessing it via LibraryPress Display.

There is no embargo on The Sunday Telegraph so I can access it instantly.  The pages are displayed as they are in the print format except that you can either zoom in to read an article or click on the text version of the article that is listed below the image.

The only problem I have with this is that you have to exit out of The Sunday Telegraph and go back to the menu to locate the Sunday Magazine, Body and Soul and the TV Guide.  Other than that, I have no issue.  Of course, I can't really take my tablet down to the beach or read it in the sun due to the reflection on the screen.

Also, in the last week our local free newspaper the Bellingen Courier Sun, is also available electronically.

I haven't read it on my tablet but I have registered to get an email alert sent to me as soon as the electronic copy is available.  Again, it is presented as the print paper and you flick through the pages using your mouse.  And you zoom in to read the relevant articles.

To add to this discussion I should say that in the last week I have purchased (yes purchased) 6 books via Amazon to be read via my Kindle app on my tablet.  So I am also making the transition to reading ebooks. 

While it is working well on the tablet.  I would like to invest in an ebook reader due to the issue of screen reflection and battery life - so recommendations would be appreciated.

My issue is that I like purchasing from Amazon so I need an ereader that will read both Kindle and epub - does this exist??