December 14, 2009 – Contra Costa County, CA – Contra Costa County
Library has been awarded a $60,000 Bay Area Library and Information Systems
(BALIS) Innovation grant to create a mobile platform that will push new and
existing library content and services -- literally -- into the hands of
cell phone users. The “Snap & Go” project will allow Contra Costa
County residents with mobile phones and a library card to access library
materials, enhanced content, and manage their accounts without having to
visit a library building or gain access to a computer.
The Contra Costa County Library is recognized nationally as a leader in
utilizing technology to improve service and reduce costs. This is the
second BALIS Innovation Grant received by the library. The previous BALIS
grant provided partial funding for the book dispensers the library has
installed at the Pittsburg/San Pablo and El Cerrito BART stations as well
as the Sandy Cove Shopping Center in Byron/Discovery Bay.

The project will utilize QR (Quick Response) codes, a two-dimensional
barcode technology popular in Japan and with point-of-sale companies in the
United States, and increasingly found on product labels, billboards, and
posters, to encode information and automatically launch web-accessible
functions.
The library will develop a Mobile Patron Support System that will link
customers with cell phones to library services and information through QR
codes attached to library materials including books, DVDs, flyers, posters,
library cards, and the catalog. By taking a picture of the barcode, the
phone will launch the library’s mobile website and provide access to
three functional areas: detailed, dynamically generated information on
titles scanned including reviews, first chapters, and read-alike
information; links to library mobile web pages including hours and location
information; and links to patron account functions.
“We are thrilled that BALIS has recognized the potential of our “Snap
& Go” project to expand library service to mobile customers,” said
County Librarian Anne Cain. “This development will allow our library to
serve as a model for others, to bridge the physical, digital, and mobile
worlds and provide service beyond library walls and personal computers.”

Contra Costa County is above the national average for owning wireless
devices, cellular phones and smart cellular phones according to the 2008
SRDS Lifestyle Market Analyst. Contra Costa County Library serves residents
countywide with 25 locations, 3 Library-a-Go-Go book dispensers, and online
library services available 24/7 at ccclib.org. Last year almost 4 million
people visited the Contra Costa County community libraries and checked out
over 6 million items.
The BALIS Innovation program provides funding toward the implementation of
ideas or programs that offer a new service model or bring a fresh
interpretation to existing library service models.