QR Code on Summer Reading posterThis summer, if you look closely, you'll see what appears to be an abstract black and white graphic symbol on the Summer Reading Program posters. What is this mysterious symbol? It's what's known as a QR code.
QR or "Quick Response" codes are two-dimensional barcodes that carry information both vertically and horizontally, which allows each barcode to contain several hundred times more information than a typical horizontal barcode. Scanning a QR Code with your camera phone allows you to instantly pull information such as images, websites, or text into the device. Originally developed in 1994 to assist with inventory and manufacturing systems, QR codes are now being used to promote products, events, and services to the smartphone crowd. QR codes are extremely popular in Japan (you'll find them on business cards, magazines, posters, stickers, food packaging, billboards, real estate signs, etc.), but have only recently been embraced by marketers in the United States.
Over the next several months, we're going to be experimenting with QR codes in a variety of ways throughout the Library. We hope you'll take a few minutes to scan them with your phone and let us know what you think!
QR code examples on Flickr
QR Code Readers
It only takes a minute to download and install a QR code reader on your smartphone. There are some slight differences between them so it might take a little experimenting to find a reader you like. Here a few well-known ones:
After you've installed the reader on your smartphone, you're ready to go. The next time you see a QR code, pull out your phone, scan it, and see what happens!
QR code generators
Interested in creating your own QR codes? It's easy! There are plenty of free generators available online. Again, you'll probably want to experiment with a few different ones but they all essentially work the same way: enter your data (URL, contact info, etc.) and the generator produces the code, which can be printed or used electronically. Here are a few to get you started:
