Volume 3, No. 12
Coordinator's Corner: The Year that Was and The Year Ahead
June is the final month in KnowItNow24x7's fiscal term, and next month is New Year's for us. At this time, it's customary to take a quick look back at the year that was. 2009-2010 has been an eventful year for Ohio's statewide virtual reference service:
- implementation of the local queues and instant messaging
- consolidation of the three web portals (with the accompanying new logo from Kristin Klatka)
- consolidation of the subject queues this month
- inauguration of the KIN24x7 Pathfinder Project ...and more
We've welcomed new libraries into the network including Canal Fulton Public Library, Chancellor University, Martins Ferry Public Library, Medina County District Library, Owens Community College, Rio Grande Community College, Urbana University, and Ursuline College. We also formed the Quality Assurance Community for KIN24x7 (QuACK) whose work is very much appreciated and highlighted in the Quality Reference Transactions booklet.
2010-2011 promises to be eventful as well with on-going collaboration with the OLBPD, exploring the addition of text messaging to the service, partnering with Kent State University, and other initiatives.
The contributions of all the staff at KIN24x7-participating libraries and the AfterDark librarians is very much appreciated. Without your efforts, there would be no statewide virtual reference service. Keep up the great job. I'm looking forward to working with all of you (and getting some more libraries to join us) in the coming year!
Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
A Sampling of KIN24x7 Patron Survey Comments from May 2010
The following are samples of constructive criticism and kudos from the Patron Surveys from May. KIN24x7 librarians: Remember that you really do make a difference. Keep up the great work! People take the time to sincerely thank you for your efforts, but they are also frank about their experiences. Comments are posted below exactly as they were entered by the patrons:
Constructive Criticism (with editorial comments)
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this was horrible. im very dissapointed. [and] im still mad. you arent helping either.
- Commentary: This patron had two sessions, back-to-back (hence the two separate comments). Their question in both was "i need an online book for mexico, it needs to cover the geography, government, people/cultural, and economic facts, all can be basic though, please and thank you!" The librarian responded with "we can send out websites not books do you want one". The patron even offered "and i think there are sites that have online books, those would work to". In spite of this, the librarian only shared pages from geographia.com and infoplease.com. When the patron explicitly stated they could use an online book, this should have been enough for the librarian to offer this. Excellent country overviews are available both at the Library of Congress's Country Studies (lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mxtoc.html) (a little dated, but historically authoritative) and the CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html) ("The online Factbook is updated bi-weekly."). Even a search of Google Books (books.google.com) provides a number of full-text and limited view titles. The librarian could have been much more thorough and more accomodating to the information needs of the patron.
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I did not like this librarian at all. No personal interest. Not a good link. They didn't even stick around long enough to ask me if I could use this link they gave me!!! I have already looked at this page prior to coming here and it didn't work for me then, and not now either!
- Commentary: The patron's question was "What is daily life for those in Venezuela like?". The librarian provided only one link: www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Venezuela.html, which is the first link that comes up when one does a Google search for daily life venezuela. This is most likely why the patron had "already looked at this page prior to coming here". KIN24x7 librarians should do better: country studies (see above), Venezuelan newspapers online with a suggestion to use Google Translate if the patron can't read Spanish, or at least the World Book Online article available through the Ohio Web Library could all have helped.
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THat librarian [number] should be more helpful and ask if i had anymore questians. But instead they just left. I was not good service.
- Commentary: The patron's question was "I would like to know what is 2+2". The librarian simply replied "4", then "Thanks for using our service. Bye", and logged off. A better approach may have been to answer "4" but to follow-up with "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Some patrons may be trying out the service with a simple question before they ask something more in-depth.
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As a service provider you are not supposed to enter your own opinion. I wanted to know about ebooks on pharmacology, pharmacy and, pharmaceutical science, and wanted reputable publishers. To suggest that to start with a publisher as "weird" was incredibly rude and I don't know if I want to use this service again.
- Commentary: The librarian's exact quote was "it's sort of a weird way to go about it.....to start with a publisher". The reputation of a publisher (or various publishers) is one way to ascertain the authority of a particular text or set of texts. Additionally, if that's what the patron wants, KIN24x7 librarians should not belittle their request.
Kudos (Agent who helped the patron is in italics)
- GREAT ADVICE! I think I'll do great on my homework! Thank you! (Librarian80, Cleveland Public Library, Literature)
- I believe that "chuck" should be librarian of the year. He was such a great help to me. (ad.chuck, AfterDark)
- She found my information quickly and efficiently. (ad.gayle, AfterDark)
- Yes, i got a lot of help through this software. I intend to use it again. (Librarian12, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library)
- this website was a life saver it helped me with a school project (ad.holly, AfterDark)
- i love love know it now lol (Librarian51, Ashtabula County District Library)
- "This is the best online source I have ever used! The librarains are AMAZING at finding info. I have used this service over 100 times." -[Guest] (frequent user) you may want to quote this and use it on your site ;-) (Librarian04, Cleveland Public Library, Social Sciences)
- Libraian 13 is AMAZING!! From Elria... THANK YOU!!!! 4 ur service. (Librrian13, Elyria Public Library System)
- She was that person was giving me more information she can help me out and that was very nice of that person so i would most likely want to come here for information. (ad.verity, AfterDark)
- This is a great service! Please keep it free! The librarians are so helpful and nice! (ad.jeanne, AfterDark)
- I absolutely LOVE this service!! I got the answers I needed at 3a.m.--amazing! For a night person, this service is fabulous. The website looks good and is easy to use (a good thing for us "old" folks). Thanks! (ad.oliveo, AfterDark)
- Service was great and the librarian answered my question and was fast! Thanks! (Librarian101, Akron-Summit County Public Library)
- This helped me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much THANK YOU!!!!! (Librarian116, Geauga County Public Library)
- librarian97 was very good at giving me updates and i apprate that very much (pardon my spelling (Librarian97, Upper Arlington Public Library)
- Katy was very helpful to me, I thought I had reached a dead end and she found the book I had been searching for. (Katy, Shawnee State University)
- I love this service. It's very helpful and I'm sure it's helped people all across the state! Keep up the good work! All the librarians are wonderful, especially Librarian80, Librarian101, and Librarian129! Again, keep up the good work! (librarian129, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Independence)
- Know it now is wonderful!!!! i would come again! :) (Librarian26, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Beachwood)
- This is a wonderful service that helps a bunch! Keep it up! (gcpl2, Greene County Public Library)
- I love this site. I will tell everyone i know in ohio about it. The service is fast and excellent!!!!! (Librarian330, Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County)
- He gave me the indformation that i need and im glad to use this severice. And when i have more questions i will come back to this service. (ad.connor, AfterDark)
- sonya from sinclair is fanstatic (Sonya, Sinclair Community College)
(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.)
Reminder: PECK Still Accepting Members
The Pathfinder Editorial Committee for KnowItNow24x7, aka PECK, held their first meeting on May 18. Those taking part in the meeting were:
- Andrea Adkins, Washington County Public Library
- Robin Pandya, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield Branch
- Amanda Williams, Chancellor University
- Don Boozer, KIN24x7 Statewide Coordinator (ex officio)
All three PECK members were enthusiastic and came to the meeting with great ideas. The goal of the PECK is to have six members on the committee. The three current members decided to defer any major decisions (office holders, scheduling/delegating duties, specific topics, etc.) until a full committee is convened. During June, the Coordinator and members will be looking for any interested librarians to join the group. PECK members will be primarily charged with:
- Moderating new KIN24x7 Pathfinder content (both new subject pages as well as revisions to existing pages) to maintain style, format, and quality. A basic understanding of HTML tags is preferable but is not required.
- Encouraging KIN24x7 librarians, either individually or collectively, to contribute content to the pathfinders.
- Creating content in their own chosen areas of expertise.
If you are interested in being a volunteer member of PECK, send an email (including subject areas in which you have some knowledge or experience) to support@knowitnow.org. This invitation is open to anyone who currently serves patrons on KIN24x7 as a public, academic, special, or AfterDark librarian. The goal is to have a cross-section of providers represented on PECK (both in type of library serving in and subject expertise), and PECK membership will be limited to six librarians. This number has worked well for KIN24x7's existing committee, QuACK, and also allows for flexibility in delegating duties. Membership in PECK will be for two years (with Chairperson terms being three years), similar to both QuACK as well as OLC committees. PECK volunteers will not only be trained in the workflow of creating and approving content but will also have a strong voice in shaping the KIN24x7 Pathfinder Project itself. A special edition of the Pathfinder manual with additional content will be distributed to PECK members. These volunteers will also serve as local trainers and contacts for those librarians wanting to contribute content to the Pathfinder Project.
In the meantime, the Pathfinders are still open for librarians to add to or create. The Pathfinders are located at provider.knowitnow.org/content/knowitnow24x7-pathfinders (requires logging in to the Provider site), and the Pathfinder manual is available at provider.knowitnow.org/KINdocs/Pathfinder_Manual_042010.pdf.
Interns: Farewell and Thanks
This past month saw the completion of the terms of the first three KnowItNow24x7 interns from Kent State University's School of Library and Information Science: Kris Steel, Amy Kleman, and Layla Arnold. All three did exceptional work during their internship and received kudos from patrons whom they served. They have set the bar high for interns and practicum students that come after them.
Amy summed up her experience in the following way: “My internship at KnowItNow24x7 has been incredibly rewarding and productive! My past library experience has been providing reference help in person or by phone and I’ve enjoyed communicating in new ways. I believe chatting is incredibly useful for both patrons and librarians alike. Patrons can be anonymous when asking questions and librarians have the ability to consult other experts online before responding to the patron if needed, all in a very relaxing atmosphere. It is a win-win reference situation! My experience answering questions on the service has also led me to broaden my range of expertise and find new and reliable resources, especially since you can get very different types of questions chatting online than you get in person. For example, I never would have imagined I would spend so much time looking up cheat codes to video games! It’s always good to get questions out of the ordinary that might throw you off guard and force you to adapt and learn as a librarian. I believe this experience is one every library student should have and I certainly feel more prepared for whatever library jobs I have in the future.”
Statistics: May 2010 Top 25
Below are the Top 25 KIN24x7 "Answering" institutions or organizations for May 2010 (i.e., those who handled patrons' sessions on the service):
| Institution/Organization | Total Sessions Handled |
|---|---|
| NEO-RLS (AfterDark) | 3957 |
| Cleveland Public Library | 2404 |
| Cuyahoga County Public Library | 688 |
| Akron-Summit County Public Library | 250 |
| Columbus Metropolitan Library | 202 |
| Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County | 91 |
| Worthington Libraries | 60 |
| Lane Public Library | 47 |
| Greene County Public Library | 42 |
| Logan County District Library | 42 |
| Lorain Public Library System | 40 |
| Mansfield/Richland County Public Library | 40 |
| Columbus State Community College | 39 |
| Medina County District Library | 39 |
| Ashtabula County District Library | 38 |
| Bowling Green State University | 38 |
| Westerville Public Library | 37 |
| KnowItNow24x7 volunteeers | 35 |
| Washington County Public Library | 35 |
| Wright Memorial Public Library | 35 |
| State Library of Ohio | 33 |
| Orrville Public Library | 32 |
| Twinsburg Public Library | 32 |
| University of Cincinnati | 31 |
| Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library | 30 |
As always, the contribution of every librarian providing service through KnowItNow24x7 is greatly appreciated. You are what makes Ohio's statewide virtual reference service possible. Thank you!
For comparison, here are the top 25 ZIP Codes from which Ohioans initiated sessions on KnowItNow24x7 in May. Some of these locations are represented in the KnowItNow24x7 network by the library system of which they are a part (e.g., Macedonia and Akron-Summit County PL, Dublin and Columbus Metro Library, etc.). Other ZIP Codes are served by libraries not represented within the KnowItNow24x7-answering network (e.g., Hudson, Sidney, Cuyahoga Falls, etc.).
| ZIP Code | Location | Total Sessions Initiated |
|---|---|---|
| 43065 | Powell | 575 |
| 44236 | Hudson | 500 |
| 43035 | Lewis Center | 411 |
| 45365 | Sidney | 246 |
| 45144 | Manchester/Adams County | 191 |
| 44122 | Beachwood | 158 |
| 43017 | Dublin | 154 |
| 44067 | Macedonia | 154 |
| 44138 | Olmsted Falls | 136 |
| 45371 | Tipp City | 134 |
| 44221 | Cuyahoga Falls | 125 |
| 45760 | Middleport | 125 |
| 45750 | Marietta | 118 |
| 43311 | Bellefontaine | 115 |
| 44054 | Sheffield Lake | 110 |
| 43055 | Newark | 108 |
| 43004 | Blacklick | 97 |
| 44830 | Fostoria | 93 |
| 44056 | Macedonia | 88 |
| 45860 | Maria Stein | 85 |
| 43230 | Columbus | 73 |
| 43016 | Dublin | 67 |
| 43040 | Marysville | 67 |
| 44124 | Cleveland | 67 |
| 45769 | Pomeroy | 67 |
For those libraries not currently serving patrons on KIN24x7, there are a number of options now for participating in Ohio's statewide virtual reference service that bring benefits for librarians and patrons. For more information, feel free to email the KIN24x7 Coordinator at support@knowitnow.org.
ONLINE RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: Vexillology
We could have gone with more birthdays this month since Father's Day falls in June; however, we'll take a look at a new topic. In honor of the celebration of Flag Day, this month's online resources provide information both on the U.S. Flag and flags in general:
- Library of Congress - American Memory: Flag Day - A concise introduction to the history of the flag of the United States. Lots of links to other resources as well.
- The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions (PDF)- A report from the Congressional Research Service to the US Senate
- History of the Flag of the United States of America - This work by George Henry Preble published in 1880 looks at both the US Flag as well as the history of flags. Available full-text at Google Books.
- Flags of the World - A great database for information on all kinds of flags, both historical and contemporary including a nice section on "Old Glory"
- Flag Identifier - An interesting online tool for identifying an unknown flag by using various parameters. Who knew there were fourteen flags with orange and green?
(If you are a KIN24x7 librarian, feel free to post suggested online resources here.)
KIN24x7 Merchandise at Cafe Press
Shirts, hats, and other items with the KnowItNow24x7 logo is available at our Cafe Press site. The KnowItNow24x7 logo was redesigned in December 2009 by Kristin Klatka, a graphic designer at Euclid (Ohio) Public Library. So, celebrate your participation in or support for Ohio's statewide reference service and wear your KnowItNow24x7 merchandise proudly! (Note: All merchandise is sold at cost. Due to a number of reasons, KIN24x7 does not receive proceeds from Cafe Press sales.)
KnowItNow24x7 Staff
Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Statewide Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark Coordinator
Morgan Paul, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark AfterDark Specialist
Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison and Reference Librarian, Oberlin College
...and supervisors and agents across Ohio at KnowItNow24x7-participating libraries like Jodie Lyons at Kirtland Public Library!
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.