QR codes and libraries:  Implementation and usage 
Branka Dragosavac, bebadrag@gmail.com Milan Vasiljević, milan.vasiljevic.bgb@gmail.com Belgrade City Library 
Abstract 
In this paper we will present a brief history of the QR codes - two-dimensional codes -  from their usage in industry to the increasing popularity in cultural institutions. 
We will  show the best practices of their usage in libraries worldwide and give a brief overview  of their usage in Serbia. 
Readers will get acquainted with process of QR code creation  as well as with best way for assessing their usage. 
What are QR codes? 
The best way to introduce QR  codes, if you've never heard of them  before, is to say that they represent  the fastest connection between physical and virtual world. 
QR stands  for: Quick Response - which means  that their content can be quickly decoded. 
QR codes were developed in  1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave   for tracking production of  car spare parts. 
They are designed  to allow very fast decoding of their  content. 
QR codes represent a type  of two dimensional codes which basically means that they store information both horizontally and vertically (they differ from the bar codes  in which information can be stored  only horizontally - see Figure 1). 
Because of that, QR codes can hold much more  information than standard bar codes. 
Picture 1: Differences in coding between the QR code  and barcode  
Amount of data that can be stored in QR codes  depends of the data type, code size and error correction capability. 
Thus, one code can store: 
-  Up to 7089 numerical characters  
-  Up to 4296 alphanumerical characters 
-  Up to 2953 binary (8 bits) characters 
-  Up to 1817 Kanji or Kana characters 
It is interesting to mention that data from the  code can be restored even if the codes are had  been damaged or dirty. 
That is, up to 30% of  damaged code content can be restored (see Figure 2). 
This is possible because data is stored in  a specific way, error correction capability of the  codes and possibility of 360 degrees high speed  reading. 
There are four error correction levels:  L[ow], M[edium], Q[uality], H[igh]. 
Each of  these labels tells us up to wich level of damage  codewords can be restored: L - 7%, M - 15%, Q  - 25% i H - 30%. 
Thanks to the error correction  level QR codes can be designed in accordance  with the needs of their creators. 
Therefore, many  companies insert in their advertising banners QR  codes that contain i.e. company's logo, which  look much nicer than ordinary QR codes. 
QR codes have one more positive side. 
There's  no need to have a specific device for their decoding, they can easily be scanned with smart phone  cameras. 
Having all of this in mind, it's not surprising that QR codes are moving from the use in  industry to many segments of modern society. 
Figure 2. This code is damaged but its still can be  read: Scan this code if you want to find out what it  contains!  
You can  find many websites which offer  creation of QR codes for free. 
Most of these  sites have predefined templates for QR codes. 
It is easy for user to choose purpose of QR code,  most common templates are: URL, text, vCard or  phone number (which can be easily imported to  the phone contacts). 
Due to increased popularity of QR codes, reading software is available for  all operating systems from leading mobile phone  manufacturers. 
This software is free and pre-installed on most new generation phones. 
We've already mentioned that QR codes represent  the fastest connection between physical and virtual world, but how does it exactly work? 
When user scans the code he/she can, only in a few  seconds, be redirected to the web page of, for  example, local cinema where they can  find information about movie projections; they can fill  out some online forms; get information about  theater or even about history of a building or a  monument on which the code is placed. 
Before  QR codes came into use mobile access to Internet had been pretty much the same as desktop  access; users of the mobile web had to type long  addresses in their web browsers where mistake  in only one character would lead them to a deadend. 
By scanning the QR code, users are saved  from typing the long addresses and the access to  information is much faster. 
Having in mind that the use of QR codes is  totally free it's not surprising that their use is  growing, particularly in cultural institutions, especially in libraries.  
QR codes and libraries 
Despite of the popularity of QR codes in Japan their blooming in the rest of the world is still  expected. 
Number of mobile phone users, on a  world level, is growing every year. 
According to  the statistics  for 2011, 76% of world population uses mobile phones. 
If we look by countries,  on the very top are United Arab Emirates where  197% of residents have mobile phone (almost  two phones per resident). 
In the United States  104% of residents have mobile phone. 
Results  of the survey which was conducted during 2009  in the USA, show that the number of adult users who use mobile phones for access to Internet  (not only for calls and texting) was 40%. 
Also many reports show that more and more teenagers and young adults are using mobile phones for  Internet access. 
This information clearly shows  that access to Internet via mobile phones will  continue to grow and by some predictions it will  overcome number of desktop Internet users by  2014.  
Libraries all over the world are modifying their websites for mobile usage. 
By entering in the world of culture QR codes created the  space for modernization of libraries. 
In the following paragraph we will show some examples  of successful practice and challenges that follow  the implementation of QR codes in libraries all  over the world. 
Library of the Huddersfield University (United Kingdom) was the pioneer of QR codes usage. 
Librarians have noticed that students, when  browsing through an electronic catalog, write  down notes about book location, availability etc.  on a piece of paper, and afterwards look at that  paper while browsing the book shelves in search  for a specific title. 
Lately students started to take  pictures of electronic records with their mobile  phones and then browse the shelves for the desired title. 
Having this in mind, librarians decided  to put QR codes with a link to the mobile version  of the same record at the bottom of the electronic record. 
Codes were also placed in printed  books which have electronic equivalent so users  can choose between two forms. 
They have also  placed codes on the shelves with periodicals to  link current periodicals with electronic version. 
Creation of QR codes is easy task for the librarians; 
harder part is to inform the users about their  usefulness. 
Library of the Huddersfield University promotes their codes on the library blog and  by printing the posters which explain their use. 
The most advanced use of QR codes can be  seen in the public library of Contra Costa County, CA. 
They have perceived a great potential for  use of QR codes on physical locations outside  the library. 
Library management created partnership with local public bus transportation and  QR codes with links to library audio books were  placed on the public bus transportation. 
Ideal  way to shorten the bus ride! 
Libraries use QR codes in various interesting  ways. 
Some decided to promote authors of exhibitions by putting the codes next to the exhibited object which will direct you to the author's  website or to detailed description of the exhibited item. 
Thus users can be informed about the  author, creation of the object, or price if the object is for sale. 
Larger libraries use QR codes to  enable users the reservation of the study rooms.  
They simply stick the code containing the link to  the reservation form, on the door of study room  enabling fast reservation for users. 
QR codes  with links to audio/video library tour can be often seen in the libraries. 
Many libraries use QR  codes to promote their electronic collections.  
QR codes are stuck on cardboard book imitation  and placed on the shelves where printed books  should be placed.  
Promoting of QR codes differs from library  to library. 
Librarians are trying to promote QR  codes on both physical and virtual users meeting places. 
Bookmarks with a small QR code and  instruction about its usage are printed 
and at the  same time libraries offer on their websites downloadable software for QR code reading. 
By increased usage of smart phones number of mobile  application users is also growing. 
Beside the promotion of QR codes librarians  are trying to track their usage. 
There are numerous web applications for URL shortening. 
Shortened URL is very useful for QR codes because  regular URL can often be too long. 
Shortened  URL can offer numerous statistic data about its  access. 
Websites which have applications for URL shortening do not always provide desired statistic so  libraries are forced to combine data from several  websites. 
The most popular free websites for  URL shortening are: http://goo.gl/; https://bitly. com/; http://delivr.com/. 
There are also commercial websites, and a really good one is: http:// www1.qr-reactor.com/.  
QR codes in Serbian Libraries 
Research conducted by the National Institute  for Statistics in 2010 tells us that the number of  households with some kind of Internet access was  39% and 22% of them access Internet through  mobile phones (83% of Serbian residents have a  mobile phone). 
With this data, it is not surprising that QR codes are becoming more popular  in Serbia. 
Nowadays you can notice them on  advertising posters for movies, banks, websites,  etc. 
They are located on various places, from the  huge billboards to the advertising posters in city  buses. 
Authors of these papers are not fully familiar with their usage in cultural institutions, but it is  useful to mention that National Library of Serbia  has presented the link to the mobile version of KoBSON web page with the QR code on the occasion  of 10th Anniversary of KoBSON project. 
In 2010, the Belgrade City Library had started  the pilot project for promotion of the codes. 
Numerous codes (mostly with quotes from famous  literary works) were placed on the bookshelves  and other transparent places in the library (reading room entrance, gallery, near the registration  desk, etc.). 
The aim of this project was to familiarize users with QR codes and their usage. 
At that time Belgrade City Library was lacking the  Wi-Fi Internet access so we decided not to put  links in the codes because we would put users  in an unfavorable situation to pay to access to  the code content. 
We are planning to implement  codes which will lead users to the website of most  popular book titles, authors of exhibitions from  our gallery, etc. 
We are also planning to use QR  codes for promotion of our digital collection. 
In the  Belgrade City Library, QR codes were promoted  through library blog and social networks. 
For the  next phase we are planning to print posters with  funny explanation about QR code usage. 
Conclusion 
Libraries are changing in accordance with users'  needs. 
Libraries, traditionally very passive institutions, cannot always keep up the pace with changes. 
Unlike other innovations, QR codes have been  amazingly well accepted in the library world. 
Being  aware of their potential, librarians discuss more and  more about their usage. 
Many technological innovations which first found their use in the industrial  sector moved slowly towards the libraries and other  cultural institutions. 
It is interesting to say that QR  codes are perhaps the first innovation to which advantages the librarians were hooked on before the  library users. 
Librarians are now faced with the  situation where they have to show all the benefits  of QR codes to the library users. 
It might sound like  a paradox but it is a fact that we, librarians, have to  follow the technological progress of the society if  we want to stay relevant sources of information for  future generations of users. 
Figure 3: QR codes in the Belgrade City Library 
