Lori Bell Fall 2011 LIS 601 Introduction to Reference and Information Services LIS Program University of Hawaii

1. Txt 4 answers!
Collaborative Text Messaging Reference Service
Going Where the People Are Since 2009!
Lori Bell
School of Library and Information Science
San Jose State University

2. Trends in Mobile Devices & Texting:
 82% of U.S. adults and 75% of U.S. teens own a cell phone or
mobile device (Blackberry, iPhone, etc.).*
 72% of adult cell phone users send and receive text
messages, up from 65% in Sept. 2009. 87% of teens with cell
phones/mobile devices text. *
 Teens text 50 messages a day on average; adults, 10.*
 More text messages are sent than voice—even for
adults having cell phones/mobile devices.*
 Is mobile technology the service platform of the 21st century?
 Should libraries be reachable via texting? We think so!
*Source: Lenhart, Amanda. Cell Phones and American Adults (Pew Internet & American
Life, 9/2/10) http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Cell-Phones-and-American-Adults.aspx.
My Info Quest

3. Libraries & Texting:
 Increasingly libraries are offering text
messaging services
(AIM, Meebo, Plugoo, Skype, Altarama, Tex
t a Librarian).
 Often services are opened limited hours.
 With limited budgets & staff, libraries need
a lower risk/lower cost way to accept
questions via text messaging.
My Info Quest

4. My Info Quest:
 A collaborative text messaging reference service enabling
 people to ask questions via a cell phone/mobile device.
 Librarians answer from a computer—not from a cell phone.
 Pilot Project Software: Altarama; PeopleWhere—with many thanks
 to the vendors! Software as of 1/1/11: Text a Librarian.
 Questions are limited to 160 characters; answers to 320 characters.
 Over 60 U.S. libraries participate in the pilot.
 Volume: July 2009-June 2010- 8,274.
 Open 80 hours per week—hours depend on no. of libraries.
My Info Quest

5. Why Collaborate?
• Share desk shifts among many libraries.
• Offer the service to your users more hours.
• Uniform guidelines/quality assurance.
• Collective bargaining power—deeper discounts.
• Share marketing materials & PR strategies.
• Share a website/web design.
• Meet users at their point of need.
My Info Quest

6. Participating Library Responsibilities:
 Cover the desk minimally 2 hrs. per week.
 Attend user/advisory online meetings & training
sessions.
 Participate in a working group if you can: Policies &
Procedures, Training, PR/Marketing, Scheduling, Su
stainability.
 Mobile device/cell phone is not needed to
participate!
 Cost after January 2011 per year: $399.00/library
or library system (buys 1 keyword & 3 passwords)
My Info Quest

7. Questions:
 MIQ answers a wide range of questions, usually ―ready
reference.‖
◦ How many countries are there?
◦ What is the address of the XX Restaurant?
◦ When is high tide at Manhattan Beach?
◦ How old do you have to be to work at XX?
◦ How do I renew a book? I lost my password.
◦ Does the XX Library have Peter Pan on audiocassette?
◦ How do I make a mold for a skateboard truck?
◦ When is the next story hour at the xxx branch?
◦ Where is the closest DMV office to zip code XXXXX?
 Types of information requests not designed for MIQ: Responses
needing longer than 320 characters, in-depth research, medical &
health advice, or tax advice.
 MIQ answers most questions and has a disclaimer about not providing
medical, tax, or legal advice.
 Goal – a response time of less than 10 minutes.
My Info Quest

9. What is Second Life?
 A 3-D online, virtual, digital world
imagined, created, and owned by
its residents.
 Linden Lab provides the platform.
 SL is populated by 20+ million
residents.
 SL is a complete world with
communities, churches, cultures, pr
ograms, businesses, recreation, buil
dings, and services.
 SL is used increasingly by
organizations.

10. Marketing 2 Audiences:
Librarians Library Users
 My InfoQuest  Bookmarks
Business Card  Marketing Ideas
 Talking Points for  Posters
Librarians  Academic Checklist
 FAQs  Talking Points
 Press Release  Press Release
 Social Networks  Social Networks
My Info Quest

12. Social Network Presences:
My Info Quest

15. Program Evaluation:
 In process of obtaining perspectives from:
Users, Librarians & Administration.
 Measurements for evaluation:
statistics, transcripts, user surveys, interviews
& focus groups.
 A few points:
◦ Many users come back.
◦ We can provide helpful responses in under360
characters (Text a Librarian indicates questions
average 50 characters; responses 100).
◦ MIQ has been a segue into other library services.
◦ Volume is increasing.
◦ MIQ helps to maintain relevance to our communities.
My Info Quest

16. Join Us!
 Project evaluator: Dr. Lili Luo, St. Jose State U.
(lililuo@slis.sjsu.edu)
 Project coordinator: Lori Bell (lbell927@gmail.com)
 Project administration: Mary-Carol
Lindbloom, SCRLC (mclindbloom@scrlc.org)
 Visit us @ www.myinfoquest.info
 Join our googlegroup @
http://groups.google.com/group/InfoQuest
My Info Quest