It is projected that by 2015 approximately 80% of the U.S. population will own a smartphone (Goldman, 2010). Accompanying that growth is the tech-savvy patron’s increased expectation that information be delivered instantaneously. To meet this increasing demand for quickness and mobility, libraries must continue to seek ways to connect mobile users to information in a rapid, efficient, and effective manner. One way to do that is through the use of QR codes. Given the recent adoption by many in the business world, Ashford (2010) stated that “academic libraries are poised to benefit from the momentum created by the uptake of QR codes in the corporate world and popular culture” (p. 530). To take advantage of this freely available technology, libraries need to ensure that the implementation of QR codes is done in a manner that simplifies access for users.
Although it is unclear what the future of QR codes holds, we do know that right now, QR codes are being used in increasingly larger numbers across the United States. They have appeared in magazines, newspapers, billboards, and retail stores; even library vendors are beginning to use QR codes to connect users to their resources. One example is the Alexander Street Press (2010), which is using QR codes in its Music Online database that, once scanned, will allow users to stream music from that database. As mobile use continues to increase, there will be an increasing demand by users to connect to mobile-ready resources and services. Although QR codes will not likely answer that call alone, they do provide a valuable weapon in any well-stocked library’s arsenal of communication tools (TolliverNigro, 2010). Libraries would do well to increase connectivity between users and library resources and services through the use of QR codes, a freely available technology that offers a wide range of applications for libraries.