Grand Canyon and Mobile Apps: A Case of Special Collections

Many visitors come to the Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) seeking satisfaction in their experience with GCNP’s geography. A large majority of these guests are unable to experience many of the treasures that Grand Canyon has to offer, especially below the rim. In addition the National Park Service has only so many resources at their disposal for providing experience interpretation and information. GCNP’s customers have modern technology in their hands and pockets giving them access to mountains of information, yet how can this help them to find greater satisfaction in their experience at GCNP? Research has shown when a service provider, such as the National Park Service, sets the experience stage those receiving the services find greater satisfaction. Through the use of several historical Grand Canyon collections from Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library’s Special Collections department, supplemented with historic collections from the NPS and contemporary data, a mobile app has been developed and set a service stage to provide guests of GCNP with virtual below the rim experiences. This project found that the developed app can provide enhancement to Grand Canyon customers’ satisfaction with their experience.;“Although [the Grand Canyon] was first seen by white men eighty years before the pilgrims landed from the Mayflower, and although prospectors swarmed it for over 20 years before 1900, for all practical purposes, it is still unknown territory” ∼ Harvey Butchart.;Keywords: Grand Canyon, National Park Service, Special Collections, customer service, customer satisfaction, service experience, mobile apps, mobile technology.