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Volume 4, No. 5

Coordinator's Corner: Two Ears, One Mouth

“Dia touto,” eipe, “duo ōta echomen, stoma de hen, hina pleiona men akouōmen, hēttona de legōmen.”
The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.
~ Diogenes Laertius (quoting Zeno), Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 7, Chapter 1 (Section 23) (R.D. Hicks, Ed.)

As the above quotation points out, even the ancient Greeks understood the basics of good customer service. We can't assist patrons/customers/users until we know what they actually want. Actively listening without preconceived notions is difficult but vitally important if we are to provide helpful resources.

In virtual reference, "speaking" and "listening" take on slightly different aspects but remain just as essential. If one "listens" for too long in a chat session, the silence can be interpreted by the person on the other end as if he or she is being ignored. Conversely, if one "talks" too much, the other person can't get their thoughts entered fast enough to intervene in the conversation. I even find myself sometimes typing things like "Here's a good resource..." then "Oh, here's another one.." then "One more on this..." and so on. It's the online equivalent of the stereotypical librarian chasing patrons out the door with an armload of books shouting "I have more resources for you!" A listening-talking balancing act can be tricky but, in the end, works for the benefit of both librarian and patron. The librarian gets the information necessary to perform an effective search; the patron gets answers and resources that actually address his or her information needs.

In keeping with this, this month's Tips & Tactics below encourages librarians to take the time to be patrons — to talk and listen from the other side. This can be in-person at your local library or, more importantly for our purposes here, on KnowItNow24x7. Walking in someone else's shoes, as the proverb goes, can provide an entirely new valuable perspective.

Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator

Text Messaging Coming Soon

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, KIN24x7 has been negotiating with Mosio to bring text messaging to Ohio's virtual reference service and Ohio's libraries. To get an idea of the potential of offering text messaging, The 2010 Statistical Abstract states that 110.4 billion (that's 110,400,000,000 two years ago!) text messages were sent in a sample month in 2008. The Pew Internet & American Life Project has had a number of reports (such as Cell phones and American adults and Mobile Access 2010) looking at the prevalence of text messaging in the U.S. The Ohio House felt that texting was widespread enough to recently pass House Bill 415 which bans texting while driving.

As part of the Mosio-KIN24x7 plan, in addition to the ability to offer patrons statewide the ability to text KIN24x7, libraries participating in Ohio's statewide virtual reference service can, for a greatly reduced price, get their own local text messaging service for their patrons to contact their own library directly. Here are some more details (more will be forthcoming as the contract goes through the final states of approval):

  • KIN24x7 will have an annual contract with Mosio for a keyword and a short code for statewide texting to the service. The keyword and short code would be something like "Text kin24x7" to a five-digit short code.
  • Mosio has worked with KnowItNow24x7 to provide actively-participating KIN24x7 libraries the opportunity, for a very low subscription cost, to have one keyword for patrons to directly text that library with questions. That subscription will include:
    • Secure access to the Text-A-Librarian (TAL) platform
    • 1 keyword
    • 1 administration login to the TAL software
  • Those libraries not currently KIN24x7-participating libraries can take advantage of this program by contributing at least 3 hours/week to monitoring the statewide live coverage.
  • KIN24x7 and all libraries participating in the program will have a pool of 10,000 out-going texts/month from which to draw as part of the package.
  • For billing, etc., libraries will deal directly with Mosio when purchasing their subscriptions and keyword.

Caleb Tucker-Raymond has implemented a very similar texting service in Oregon for those interested in seeing how this will work for Ohio. He has posted some videos of how the system acts at the L-net website. KIN24x7 is planning to have everything in place by the end of 2010 or very early 2011. Training materials will be available on the Provider site, and librarians are encouraged to ask questions and view all the materials that will be made available. In the meantime, Caleb has provided a very good introduction, both on his blog and through the videos mentioned above.

For more details, libraries are encouraged to contact support@knowitnow.org for more details.

Provider Site Updates

In response to librarians who would like more user-friendly KIN24x7 manuals, the two primary KIN24x7 documents (Handbook and Software & Training) are being edited and re-formatted and will be offered in e-book format in early November in addition to the PDF format available now. These will be able to be downloaded to several types of e-book readers (including iBooks and Sony) which will allow bookmarking, highlighting, and notes just like any other e-book. Stay tuned to the Documentation page of the Provider site.

As some may have noticed, the QuACK Blog now has its own link on the Navigation Menu. There have also been two "Second Look" postings this month:

The QuACK continues to post helpful content to their blog. Please take the time to check out the tips there as well as the exemplary work of your colleagues. Since these are open for public viewing, you can also share the links with non-KIN24x7 librarians you might know.

Also posted this month were the summaries from two SparkRef Forums:

All KIN24x7 librarians are invited to attend the SparkRef Forums. To refresh your memory on how to participate, the screencast is posted here. The schedule of meetings is posted to the Calendar at the Provider site.

There is a new legal-size poster now available for download as a PDF.

Librarian130 posted a blog entry concerning MS Office Online being available now with no download.

Tips & Tactics: Be a Patron

This month's tip provides a way for librarians to learn what it feels like to be a patron of KnowItNow24x7. In short: Simply ask a question! Librarians who staff the service are highly encouraged to log on as patrons from time to time. Don't be a "secret shopper" but don't necessarily begin your question with "I'm a librarian and...". If you have a question you're wondering about, log onto KnowItNow24x7 and ask. The service is available to every Ohioan, so that includes you, too.

When asking a question as a patron, pay close attention to:

  • How does it feel to wait to be "picked up"? Keep track of the actual time it took and how long you perceived it took.
  • Does the librarian greet you with a "Hello" or a canned message? How do each of these make you feel?
  • Does the librarian ask you any clarifying questions?
  • Did the librarian interact with you in a courteous, professional manner? Consider the same dialogue taking place over a desk and how it might be the same or different.
  • Does it seem like you're talking to a computer or with a human being?
  • When waiting for a reply from the librarian, how long do you wait? Take note of how long you think it took then look at the time-stamps to see how long it actually took.
  • Do the web sites and articles shared with you answer your question? Are they authoritative? Could you have found exactly the same resources with just a quick, basic Google search?
  • Does the librarian follow-up to ask if the resources sent were helpful?
  • Does the librarian give you the chance to ask follow-up questions?
  • Does the librarian say good-bye or simply log-off?

It can be an eye-opening experience when looking at the service from the "other side." Having a first-person awareness of KnowItNow24x7 as a patron will provide you with a better understanding and sympathy for the patron's perspective when you get back on the "librarian's side", both online and in your in-person reference work.

Additionally, since the "Blog entry" has been implemented for everyone's KIN24x7 Provider site account under "Create content", feel free to post a blog entry on your experience as a patron on the service. Let's all learn from each other's experiences as well as provide kudos where kudos is due.

A Sampling of KIN24x7 Patron Survey Comments from October 2010

In honor of Thanksgiving this month, only kudos from the Patron Surveys from October are being highlighted. REMEMBER to use a "real" nickname for your screen-name to receive recognition for your great work! Comments are posted below exactly as they were entered by the patrons:

Kudos (Agent who helped the patron is in italics)

  • the librarian did an awesome job finding me what i needed. i was super ecstatic about the results that the librarian gave me. Thank you for building this website. (Librarian80 - Cleveland Public Library)
  • The assistace was a good exprience and fast as well as cuteous. I am thankful. (ad.arianne - AfterDark)
  • I am extremely impressed with the courtesous and quick service. It gives librarians a great name!!! (ad.oliveo - AfterDark)
  • I love librarian 16 she is gr8 (Librarian16 - Worthington Libraries)
  • This site was very useful and people looking for help (especially with research) will find this greatly beneficial. (Librarian29 - Columbus Metropolitan Library)
  • wow you guys are amazing i got an a on my repot cause you guys gave me good info thanks (Bentley - AfterDark)
  • This is the perfect website. It has really helped to understand things alot better. I really enjoy being able to talk to another person and not just a computer. I just wish I could have known about this website earlier! Thank you for all your help. (Amy@Willoughby - Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library)
  • Once again very helpful. Thank you guys so much! (librarian115 - Kirtland Public Library)
  • great work I know im gonna do this report great (ad.connor - AfterDark)
  • yes, u are my favorite online website i have been searching u like seen i was like 5 i love ur website im a big fan now i tellin everybody to go to ur website if they need help on something in i did o they would be logging on ur profile right about now get ready ok i got to go bye i call u tomorrow on the computer! (librarian163 - Cleveland Public Library)
  • i LOVED THE LIBRARIAN WHO WORKED AND HELPED ME! (librarian13 --Elyria Public Library System)
  • it was great librarian 51 was great better than all my teacher especially with the help (Librarian51 - Ashtabula County District Library)
  • i just hope that in the future that more and more people wishes to use this for any information that they may need. i found it too be a good source to find help with what i needed. keep up the good work. (librarian101 - Akron-Summit County Public Library)
  • The librarians were very nice! :D I enjoyed talking to them! They found the answer to the question I asked very quickly! I expected it to be much slower than it was! This service has been a big help for my school projects and other things! I will definitely use this service again! (librarian03 - Cleveland Public Library)
  • Yes Margeret was the best Librarian i have ever had in all my time using knowitnow she helped me with whatever i needed but some of these librarians do not like to hlep thank you for your service it was great margeret (Margaret - Orrville Public Library)
  • ad.mckenzie was SUCH a great help! We started talking about the topic I was researching and I was able to think of so many examples with the great information she was able to find for me. I don't know what I'd do without KnowItNow! Thank you so much! (ad.mckenzie - AfterDark)
  • Well this was great but I felt rude not knowing how it worked and didn't answer fast enough. I went to the link the librarian found for me and started getting to some things I really needed to research. I didn't realize there were other callers waiting. So this is great! I will get the hang of it. I can show my son too as he could use some help finding research for school. (ad.Alexander - AfterDark)
  • They can find exactl what I'm looking for. I will definately come back and tell my friends. If Now It Now went out of buisness, I would die!! (ad.steve - AfterDark)
  • thanks for everything i always get on here when i am stuck on a question or need help on a project. i am glad to say that i always get the help that i need. Thanks (librarian116 - Geauga County Public Library)
  • I appreciate that the individual that answered my question didn't make me feel as ignorant as the question was that I asked. (Nicole - Muskingum University)
  • I love this Website It is soooo helpful! (librarian30 - Columbus Metropolitan Library)
  • this librarian was very great and supportive..!! thanks for all your support! :) (librarian101 - Akron-Summit County Public Library)
  • I just happen to stumble upon this website & it proved to be most valuable so the next time I'm helping one of the kids with their homework I have a source I can rely on for help. Great idea. Thanks loads (ad.gayle - AfterDark)
  • I will use this much more often in the future. It is an excellent way to answer questions that i have spent countles hours trying to get answers for. Well done. (ad.ian - AfterDark)
  • The last couple times I know I had difficult, "Hail Mary" type of questions. I have been pleasantly surprised both times (including this time). (librarian80 - Cleveland Public Library)
  • THE libarian was not only helpful but very kind!..i will defintly be visting this website again!:) (librarian341 - Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County)
  • The librarian was more helpful than I anticipated and after locating what I needed offerred to continue working on the subject and send additional information to my e-mail. I will definately use this service again! (ad.dj - AfterDark)
  • this site helped me find alot of great resources for my junior research project on abortion laws in ohio. thank you sooo much to everyone that helped me! i will most deffienetly use this site again (: (ad.jonas - AfterDark)
  • Angela, is getting back to me after she checks some areas. She will do it on "E" mail. Appreciate the assistance/help. (Angela - KSU SLIS student)
  • libraian 29 EXCELLENT!! and no he/she didnt give me answers she was just amazlingly helpful be sure to reward her !! i giveher 10 claps!!! hahahah thanks again love your service byeee (librarian29 - Columbus Metropolitan Library)
  • This is great! I was so excited when the link that was sent was exactly what I needed! (gcpl1 - Green County Public Library)
  • Thank you very very much I am going to start using u guys alot thanks this is a good service and I will be sure to past it around to people I know. (librarian31 - Columbus Metropolitan Library)
  • "librarian16" gives each student EXCEPTIONAL service. More librarians should be like this great role model. If you pay librarians for this, give "librarian16 a raise!!!! (librarian16 - Worthington Libraries)

(Remember, if you are a KnowItNow24x7 librarian, you should be signed up for an account on the Provider site to access all transcripts and survey comments.)

Statistics: Top 20 for October 2010

KnowItNow24x7 librarians handled 8,295 live sessions in the month of October. Everyone's contribution helps make this possible. Below are the Top 20 Answering institutions/organizations for last month, accounting for just slightly over 89% of all the sessions handled on the service.

Institution/Organization Sessions Handled Percentage of Total Sessions
Total for NEO-RLS

3268

39.397%
Total for Cleveland Public Library

2318

27.945%
Total for Cuyahoga County Public Library

423

5.099%
Total for Akron-Summit County Public Library

220

2.652%
Total for Columbus Metropolitan Library

199

2.399%
Total for Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County

112

1.350%
Total for Worthington Libraries

106

1.278%
Total for KnowItNow24x7 (Statewide Coordinator)

83

1.001%
Total for Lorain Public Library System

81

0.976%
Total for Kent State School of Library and Information Science (reference students)

68

0.820%
Total for Ashtabula County District Library

57

0.687%
Total for Mansfield/Richland County Public Library

55

0.663%
Total for Oberlin College

54

0.651%
Total for Orrville Public Library

54

0.651%
Total for Columbus State Community College

51

0.615%
Total for University of Cincinnati

49

0.591%
Total for Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library

49

0.591%
Total for Bowling Green State University

48

0.579%
Total for Wright State University

45

0.542%
Total for Geauga County Public Library

44

0.530%

For more statistics, visit the Statistics page on the Provider site

Online Resources of the Month: Online Training Opportunities

This month is Thanksgiving, a time to gather with family and friends and to reflect on what one can be thankful for. As librarians, one of the things we can all be thankful for is the willingness of colleagues across the U.S. and overseas to share their expertise and allow others to benefit from it. Along those lines, this month's online resources focus on free online learning opportunities (with a special mention of Ohio's own ORE):

If you have a favorite free online learning web site focusing on reference or other library skills, feel free to post a comment to this newsletter.

(If you are a KIN24x7 librarian, feel free to post suggested online resources here.)

Follow @KIN24x7 On Twitter!

KnowItNow24x7 began tweeting on August 27 as @kin24x7. Librarians who staff KIN24x7 (as well as anyone interested in the service) are highly encouraged to follow the Twitter feed. In addition to highlighting content posted to the Provider site and tweets of pertinent reference-related information, @kin24x7 is an excellent way to stay informed in the (unlikely) event of a service interruption that would preclude SparkRef broadcasts or posting to the Provider site. You can follow us from your own Twitter account or simply subscribe to the RSS Feeds (for Twitter: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/165806983.rss; For KIN24x7 Provider site: http://provider.knowitnow.org/rss.xml) through Google Reader or any other aggregator.

KnowItNow24x7 Staff

Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Statewide Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, AfterDark Virtual Reference Service Coordinator
Morgan Paul, AfterDark Virtual Reference Service Specialist
Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison and Reference Librarian, Oberlin College
...and supervisors and agents across Ohio at KnowItNow24x7-participating libraries like Melissa Groveman at Greene County Public Library.

The KnowItNow24x7 Newsletter is published monthly and 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.

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