A QR (Quick Response) code is a type of barcode that is used to encode larger amounts of data than a traditional barcode commonly seen on products. Below is an example of a QR code from the Primo record for Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell:
To use QR codes, you need a device that can scan them. The most commonly used devices are mobile phones or mobile devices such as tablets and MP3 players. The current generation of smartphones often either come with suitable scanning software applications pre-installed or have scanning software available to download. Applications are available on devices including Apple, Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows smartphones.
The software that you use will depend on your device. In order to find appropriate software, try searching the web for "qr code <device>", where <device>
is the make and model (or operating system) of your phone or mobile device. Alternatively you can search the software marketplace for your device, if it has one. Examples of free applications available are listed below, but alternatives are available.
Apple: QR Reader (available from Apple App Store)
Android: Google Goggles (available from Android Market)
Blackberry: QR Code Scanner Pro (available from Blackberry App World)
Nokia: Nokia Barcode Reader
Windows Phone: QR Code Reader (available from Windows Phone Marketplace)
Once you have a suitable QR code reader on your device, you can make use of the QR codes generated by Primo. Run the scanning software and point the camera on your device at the QR code on the Primo webpage, moving the device closer to the screen if needed.
Once the software has scanned the QR code, it will retrieve the URL of the Primo record, your QR code scanning software will either direct you to the web page automatically, or it will ask you for confirmation of you next action such as saving the link or opening the link in a web browser.
Primo currently uses QR codes in two different ways:
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As a shortcut to a record in the catalogue. When viewing a record in the catalogue, a QR code is displayed on the right hand side of the page. This QR code represents the URL of the current page, therefore it can be used to either store the URL of an item you are interested in on your device or to take you straight to the same page in the web browser on your device.
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To store details of an item on your device. When viewing a record in the catalogue on your device, the title and where the item is available (including classmark) are displayed at the top of the page. The “Details” tab gives detailed information about the item such as Title, Description, Author, Format and Language. The method of storing these details for future reference will differ on different devices, one method is to add the page as a bookmark in the web browser of your device.
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