Notice that funny little icon at the bottom of this newspaper?  That’s a QR code, and it’s enabling readers of The Highlander to have easy access to timely and up-to-date news and information.

QR, which stands for “Quick Response,” is a bar code that readers can scan with their phones. This bar code is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item directly attached to that unique code.

It can be scanned by any imaging device, but it’s commonly used with a smart phone.

“Picking up a copy of the paper and scanning through all of its contents can be time consuming. If you are on the go, and happen to see The Highlander around, pick it up, scan the bar code and you have the Misericordia world at your fingertips,” said Print Editor-in-Chief and senior medical imaging major Donya Forst.

The Highlander’s QR code is a great tool for connecting print readers with mobile content. It will be available at the bottom of every printed paper.

“The Highlander has a QR code because we are trying to be as user-friendly as possible,” Forst said. “We want to have multiple ways for students to access our page, that way no matter where students are on campus, they can have the news within seconds.”

Most students on campus said they are just getting used to the idea of accessing their campus news and information with their mobile devices.

“I always thought that the easiest way for me to access the information that The Highlander offered was from going onto their website. I never knew that they had a QR code that was available for me to scan,” said Sarah Jennings, speech pathology first year graduate student.

Forst explained that once a reader scans the code, they access a mobile version of the newspaper’s website, thehighlandernews.org.

“This is an incredibly simple way to see breaking news updates, view photos, catch up on scores from last night’s game, or read your favorite column,” said Forst.

“All you have to do is find a copy of the paper, which are scattered pretty much everywhere around campus, and then scan the code,” said Forst.

Forst said she hopes the newspaper’s new delivery option will help it grow readership.

Jennings is already sold.

“Now that I know about this QR code, I’m now going to download the app to scan the code so that I can have all content that The Highlander has to offer right in my hands, instead of me picking up a physical paper or going directly onto the website,” said Jennings.

[email protected]