Volume 3, No. 7
Coordinator's Corner: A New Year...A New Look
On Jan. 2. 2010, KnowItNow24x7 entered the new year with a new look. As mentioned previously, HomeworkNow and ReadThisNow are now consolidated into one service available at www.knowitnow.org with KnowItNow24x7 as the sole "brand name" for Ohio's statewide virtual reference service.
To alleviate any misunderstandings, feel free to explain to patrons that both HomeworkNow and ReadThisNow have always been a part of KnowItNow24x7, and they will continue to get the same professional assistance that they've always received: finding resources for homework or research on any topic, suggestions for good books to read, or answers to satisfy their general curiosity. This consolidation simply allows for easier access to the statewide service from one web site.
See directly below for information on logos and updated marketing materials
If you have any questions about the consolidation, the new website, logos, or any topic related to KnowItNow24x7, feel free to email support@knowitnow.org.
Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
Consolidation: Logos, Etc.
Libraries should replace existing KnowItNow24x7, HomeworkNow, and ReadThisNow logos with the new single logo. Various sizes of web logos are available at the Marketing Materials page of the KIN24x7 Provider site at provider.knowitnow.org/node/223. There are some with and without taglines, as well as with white backgrounds or transparent. Those libraries taking advantage of the OPLIN Dynamic Website Kits will automatically be updated with the new logo.
The Marketing Materials page also has customizable PowerPoints for local presentations to schools and other groups with the new website features highlighted.
A Sampling of KIN24x7 Patron Survey Comments from December 2009
The following are a sample of constructive criticism and kudos from the Patron Surveys from December. KIN24x7 librarians: Remember that you really are making a difference. People take the time to sincerely thank you for your efforts when they're typing in their comments.
Constructive Criticism
- that you shouldn't just end the conversation because some of us have more questions! and [librarian] did NOT ask me if there was anything else i wanted to know! which made me angry!
- The librarians have to stop leaving in the middle of a conversation!!
- you should ask people if they have another question!!!!!!
- we did not find anything we would not find on google.
- the librarian quit after 3 sites and just signed off after... the sites didnt even help
- umm well i think maybe it would be better if they didnt get all there answers from googleing it... i can do that... and i probably already have thats why im asking
Kudos
- i have a little hair left on my head thanks to you i didnt have to pull out the rest thanks alot
- THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH! :)
- thank you, because of you guys and this site my report is finished and is alsome!
- First time I've used this service and it was very successful. I'm sure I will use it again.
- The libraian i talked to was very helpful and very polite i will definately use the chat again.
- GREAT WONDERFULL HELPFULL LOVE THIS SITE! BECAUSE OF IT I HAVE STRAIT A"S
- this service is the BEST and i already know ill come back!!!!
- I really like this site because you are able to get more information and you can get it faster than say google!!!!!!!!!!!!:x
- SHE WAS GREAT AND I LOVE THE WAY U CAN ADD SMILEY FACES!!!!!!!!!11
- I think this website helps many kids who have problems in finding information on pacific things.
- Such an amazing tool to help college students! Thanks so much! It is a stress releiver when you only have so much time!
- Thanks to everyone who helped me! It really helped me because they gave me great websites!
- i like like like this service because my friend and i had very much trouble trying to get to this imformation we wanted so this helped alot we got a answer very quickly! i will always trry to teach people to use this service! It is very helpful to me!
- Every time I've used the Know it now every person i have talked to is very polite and courtious. Thank You for such the great information and service
- liked how she made sure that was the right website and that i got the right info.
(Remember, if you are a KnowItNow24x7 librarian, you can sign up for an account on the Provider site to access all transcripts and survey comments.)
Statistics: 2009 In Review
Last month's Coordinator's Corner provided a narrative summary of last year's activities. This month's Statistics section will examine some cumulative stats from 2009.
First, Cuyahoga County had the most active patrons in 2009 with 17% of all sessions initiated by patrons from ZIP Codes located there. Rounding out, in order, the Top Ten most active counties for initiated sessions in 2009 were Franklin, Summit, Delaware, Hamilton, Montgomery, Stark, Lorain, Warren, and Shelby. Of those counties, 8 of them also have KIN24x7 Provider libraries: Cuyahoga, Franklin, Summit, Delaware, Hamilton, Montgomery, Stark, and Lorain.
So, who answered sessions on the service in 2009? Throughout the year, KIN24x7 had 49 active answering public libraries (plus 25 OhioLINK libraries and several special libraries). There are 251 main public libraries in Ohio, which means less than 20% of all public libraries contribute staffing to the statewide virtual reference service. With the variety of options available to libraries now (local service, IM, email-answering, statewide monitoring), this is a great time for the other 80% of libraries to take a second look at getting involved with KnowItNow24x7.
Before looking at specific libraries, kudos have to be given to the AfterDark crew who handled a total of 34,592 sessions last year. They were the second most active answering group by totals (after Cleveland Public Library). Noah Himes and the AfterDark librarians do a great job, and they also began staffing during some morning and early evening hours in 2009 to assist in sharing the workload with daytime librarians.
Cumulative statistics will be presented in two ways for the Top 20. First Total Sessions Handled is important due to the sheer numbers involved. Larger libraries typically handle a larger number of total sessions due to their size, hours of coverage, and the number of librarians and accounts they staff for KIN24x7. They are absolutely vital to the service. Per Capita Total is an attempt to "even the playing field" for smaller libraries who may only have one or two staff persons sharing an account. The total sessions handled is divided by the number of accounts assigned to that institution to come up with per capita rankings. This allows some smaller libraries to shine. First, here is a table ordered by Total Sessions Handled:
| Rank | Institution | Total Sessions Handled |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total for Cleveland Public Library | 37,091 |
| 2 | Total for Cuyahoga County Public Library | 5,084 |
| 3 | Total for Akron-Summit County Public Library | 2,356 |
| 4 | Total for Columbus Metropolitan Library | 2,203 |
| 5 | Total for Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County | 1,108 |
| 6 | Total for Logan County District Library | 1,091 |
| 7 | Total for Toledo-Lucas County Public Library | 1,038 |
| 8 | Total for Lorain Public Library System | 948 |
| 9 | Total for Dayton Metro Library | 877 |
| 10 | Total for Worthington Libraries | 660 |
| 11 | Total for Ashtabula County District Library | 615 |
| 12 | Total for Orrville Public Library | 609 |
| 13 | Total for Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County | 606 |
| 14 | Total for Avon Lake Public Library | 587 |
| 15 | Total for Mansfield/Richland County Public Library | 580 |
| 16 | Total for Birchard Public Library | 524 |
| 17 | Total for Elyria Public Library | 500 |
| 18 | Total for Lima Public Library | 491 |
| 19 | Total for Euclid Public Library | 486 |
| 20 | Total for Twinsburg Public Library | 391 |
Now, here is a table ordered by Per Capita Total. The number in parentheses is that institution's ranking in the table above:
| Rank | Institution | Per Capita Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total for Cleveland Public Library (1) | 1,483.6 |
| 2 | Total for Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (7) | 1,038 |
| 3 | Total for Worthington Libraries (10) | 660 |
| 4 | Total for Ashtabula County District Library (11) | 615 |
| 5 | Total for Orrville Public Library (12) | 609 |
| 6 | Total for Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (15) | 580 |
| 7 | Total for Columbus Metropolitan Library (4) | 551.5 |
| 8 | Total for Logan County District Library (6) | 545.5 |
| 9 | Total for Birchard Public Library (16) | 524 |
| 10 | Total for Elyria Public Library (17) | 500 |
| 11 | Total for Lima Public Library (18) | 491 |
| 12 | Total for Euclid Public Library (19) | 486 |
| 13 | Total for Lorain Public Library System (8) | 474 |
| 14 | Total for Akron-Summit County Public Library (3) | 471.2 |
| 15 | Total for Twinsburg Public Library (20) | 391 |
| 16 | Total for Geauga County Public Library | 352 |
| 17 | Total for Kirtland Public Library | 270 |
| 18 | Total for State Library of Ohio | 269 |
| 19 | Total for Upper Arlington Public Library | 258 |
| 20 | Total for Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library | 245 |
More numbers are available at the Statistics page of the KIN24x7 Provider site, including an Excel spreadsheet of cumulative data for public libraries for 2009.
As always, EVERYONE'S contribution to KIN24x7 is greatly appreciated and crucial to the service. Thank you!
ONLINE RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: Future Trends
The new year is always a time for looking forward, anticipating the promise of the future. In that spirit, this month's online resources look at trends that may shape the new year...and beyond. Whether you agree or not, they make for entertaining reading (and in looking at once January 2011 rolls around):
- What's Next: Top Trends - This blog posting from a noted futurist lays out trends and technology advances from now until 2050 in an interesting "subway map" format. (A PDF of the full "map" is available here.)
- Crystal Ball for 2010 Sees Changes in Work, Home - Various "predictions" for 2010 from work, home, entertainment, and others.
- Digital Trends for 2010 - This one has direct relevance for libraries.
- Ten Technologies That Will Rock 2010 - From TechCrunch.
Enjoy!
If you have any online resources you'd like to share with other KIN24x7 librarians, feel free to send them to support@knowitnow.org or post it on the Provider site.
KnowItNow24x7 Staff
Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark Coordinator
Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison and Reference Librarian, Oberlin College
...and KnowItNow24x7 agents across Ohio!
The KnowItNow24x7 Newsletter highlights news, resources, and statistics for providers and fans of Ohio's 24x7 virtual reference service. Email your comments, questions, advice, helpful resources, and other contributions to support@knowitnow.org.