By now you might have seen a few of these funny looking things around Gleeson Library or the Lone Mountain Reading Room. They are called Quick Response (QR) codes. When scanned by a smart phone you can download all sorts of information. For example, if you scan the code to the right with your smart phone, you’ll get the hours for Gleeson Library. Most of the applications that scan QR codes allow you to save the information you download to your smart phone.
The QR code below will take you to an information page for the group study rooms at Gleeson. Once you’ve scanned the QR code, you can save all you need to know about our group study rooms and you can take that info with you wherever you take your smart phone.
Gleeson has created a few of these codes and placed them in various locations in the library and the Lone Mountain Reading Room. Look for more as we continue developing our QR program.
A few of the QR code reader apps you can download to your smart phone include:
iPhone
Android
Palm OS
Blackberry
Nokia
Some of these apps will also allow you to create your own QR codes from URL’s, phone numbers, email addresses etc. or you can use a web-based tool to create QR codes.
I have only used iPhone apps, so I can’t vouch for the others. There are many different apps, some are free and others might include advertisements or cost a few dollars. Please post any additional info about QR apps, corrections on app availability or other things you find out about them in the comments.
Give QR codes a try and let us know what you think!
The QR Code is a great concept. I believe it would be useful to create QR codes for book & media availability in the future. Possibly syncing QR Codes with usfconnect would allow for easy access to USFfiles and allow students to easily select files to print.
I love that idea! Thanks Jonathan.
I reccomend using this site for your QR Generating needs:
http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/
It has so many options such as WiFi info, calendar Appointments, etc. My colleagues think I am so clever when I print the QR code on an agenda for them to save the date in their calendars. It is also a fun tool to make a high tech scavenger hunt 🙂
100% Agree @brian. I came across this one today — http://blog.seattlepi.com/videoblogging/archives/216462.asp — using QR codes to link to videos/youtube.
idk if this is a QR code, but it sure made me think of ’em
http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/2923-bernhard-hopfengrtner-hello-world-a-visual-code-for-google-earth?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+itsnicethat%2FSlXC+%28It%27s+Nice+That%29&utm_content=LiveJournal
@kelci I dont know if that’s a QR code. I could not read it with my app and the website is not clear about the project.
Found 2 examples of QR cods on the same day, both in San Francisco. Perhaps they are becoming more main stream. One of them is from a billboard on Hayes Street, just around the corner from USF and the other is from an in-store display at a Verizon store.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawncalhoun/sets/72157624726107128/
http://gleesongleanings.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/usf-book-club-the-lacuna-by-barbara-kingsolver/
I put a QR code on the book club flyer!
Saw your poster over in K-hall!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawncalhoun/4939676671/
A great write-up by @haikugirloz about QR codes http://haikugirloz.com/qr-codes-libraries-and-craft
Someone knitted a QR code. Wow! (via @haikugirloz)
http://fromthedeskofthemayor.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-first-hand-knit-qr-code.html
Great post over at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library about using QR codes for a scavenger hunt.
http://www.tscpl.org/bigread/comments/big_read_scavenger_hunt_with_qr_codes/
An awesome list of 30+ QR code uses:
http://www.qre8.com/blog/marketing/list-massive-brands-using-qr-codes
My fav – the D.C. bus shelter adverts.
NY Times Article on QR codes http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/business/media/27bluefly.html?_r=1
One of @davidsilver’s #dmp10 students used a library QR code in a Flickr assignment!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53516453@N05/5061085271/in/set-72157624993575339/