Press Release

Snap & Go! Library develops and launches a mobile patron support system to support QR (Quick Response) codes

June 23, 2010 – Contra Costa County Library continues to expand its services to people on-the-go by providing mobile access to downloadable audio eBooks, podcasts, reading recommendations, library catalog and account information, and more through QR codes and a new mobile website. The website is part of the Snap & Go project which links customers with cell phones to library services and information.

With funding from a $60,000 BALIS Innovation grant, the Contra Costa County Library worked with a third party vendor, Quipu Group, to engineer a mobile patron support system for pushing new and existing library content and services into the hands of the growing number of people who want to access library services on the go. The Contra Costa County Library, an innovator in Library technology services, provides books to commuters and others who are unable to make it into a community library location with its Library-a-Go-Go lending machines.

By snapping a picture of a growing number of QR codes in various locations including on posters and on books, or by pointing their cell phone browsers to https://snapngo.ccclib.org/, Contra Costa County Library users can now easily access library services anywhere, anytime. An "app" for CCC Library Mobile has been made available on the Android Market, and apps for other mobile platforms, including the iPhone, will be available soon.

Coming soon: A new fleet of digital bookmobiles!
A partnership with Tri Delta Transit will soon allow passengers with valid Contra Costa County Library cards to scan QR codes and download MP3 audio eBooks to their phones and immediately listen to books as they continue on their journey. The Library’s mobile site also provides access to hours and locations of community libraries, account and catalog search functions, reading recommendations, and a connection to live help by voice, text (SMS), and chat (IM).

More information about the Contra Costa County Library’s Snap & Go Project and QR codes can be found at http://guides.ccclib.org/qr.

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