Volume 2, No. 4
Coordinator's Corner: Thank You!
As everyone is aware, this past month has been a stressful one. The launch of the new software platform was not without incident, but, by the end of September, things have begun to get back to a routine. I would like to take this opportunity to officially thank everyone for their patience, understanding, and perseverance throughout this process. It has been greatly appreciated, and the willingness of librarians to make use of the Spark IM features to ask questions of me, the Web Services Coordinator, and each other has been very positive. I am fully aware that this hasn't been the easiest month to be a KnowItNow24x7 agent nor a provider library. Your libraries' IT departments are to be commended for their assistance in getting everyone set up with the new software, too. Please send them my thanks.
Even with all the issues associated with the launch, it is heartening to see that well over 6,000 sessions were logged with patrons by our KIN24x7 librarians. One of the most interesting developments along those lines was the jump in activity on ReadThisNow. That facet of our service still has its own portal (www.readthisnow.org), but now is also available as a queue (Reading Recommendations - ReadThisNow) to be chosen from the patron's drop-down menu. Last year during September there were 97 sessions on ReadThisNow. This past month there were 282 -- almost three times as many as 2007. Several libraries have expressed interest in either monitoring or adding this queue.
There are further developments in the months ahead, and everyone will be kept updated via the newsletters, the Provider page, and the KIN24x7 mailing list. Thank you all again for all your hard work and dedication to Ohio's statewide virtual reference service!
Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
Guest Author: Mary Lou Toth, RN: MetroHealth Line
Real-Time Health Advice From A Trusted Source in NE Ohio
Since 2002, KnowItNow24x7 patrons in northeast Ohio have had the opportunity to get real-time health advice from a trusted source. Originally, nurses employed by the MetroHealth Line fielded health questions/concerns from Cuyahoga and surrounding counties by phone. The MetroHealth mission is to improve access to care along with improving communication within the community, and our work with KnowItNow24x7 fits nicely into this. As it relates to KnowItNow24x7, the MetroHealth Line provides general information or web site addresses to callers asking about specific disease processes. If a caller is asking about specific symptoms they may be experiencing, he or she is asked to call MetroHealth directly so nurses can actually triage their complaints according to standard triage algorithms. MetroHealth does not triage calls over the Internet at this time.
The MetroHealth Line is available as a transfer only. Patrons cannot choose us from their available drop-down menu; they must first go through a public librarian. Questions that should not be transferred would include suicide callers, students doing research for a home work project, or a caller with very specific symptoms.
In addition to our duties with KnowItNow24x7, we speak with and assist other health care workers that are attempting to resolve situations for their patients. These would include scheduling specialty appointments, acting as a second opinion for home care nurses wondering about symptoms their patients are displaying, notification of doctors with specific patient information that needs relayed, etc.
We feel fortunate in being able to provide residents of our service area with the ability to access high quality healthcare information via the Internet with KnowItNow24x7 and encourage other similar services to investigate partnering with the statewide service in serving their local area.
[KIN24x7 Coordinator's Note: If you have a service similar to MetroHealth or some other local information provider, you may contact support@knowitnow.org to ask how your library can collaborate with them via KnowItNow24x7. -- D.B.]
Statistics: September 2008
Even with the launch of the new software platform and the issues relating to it taken into account, this was a very active month. Of course, school (both secondary and higher education-wise) is back in session which always begins to increase activity. Below are the total sessions by institution/organization for September 2008 (i.e., multiple agents for each library or institution have been added together):
All agents are a vital part of the KnowItNow24x7 network. Thanks to everyone for their contribution to Ohio's virtual reference service!!
RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: KnowItNow Wiki
Initiated by our KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark colleagues, the KnowItNow Wiki has a wealth of useful websites and resources. The wiki can be found at afterdark.knowitnow.org/wiki/. Categorized into twelve subject areas, the wiki is a true collaborative project. All KnowItNow24x7 librarians (public, academic, and AfterDark) are encouraged to contribute to the maintenance of the wiki to keep it current and relevant. If you are interested in having a wiki account, please email the KIN24x7 AfterDark Coordinator, Noah Himes, at noah.himes@neo-rls.org. You do not need an account to access the information and resources available in the wiki, only if you want to contribute to it.
To suggest a Resource of the Month, please email comments@knowitnow.org.
The L-net/KnowItNow24x7 Partnership
As discussed in the in-person training sessions and elsewhere, Oregon's L-net and KnowItNow24x7 are now involved in a question-sharing phase of their partnership. Ohio's daytime KIN24x7 librarians may see questions from Oregon between 9am and noon (i.e., 6am and 9am, Pacific Time), and KIN24x7 AfterDark will be covering Oregon from 9pm to 9am(6pm to 6am, Pacific Time). Oregon, in a reciprocal relationship, will be answering questions on several KIN24x7 queues' overflow. The relationship is meant to be mutually beneficial for each state and will be regularly monitored to maintain balance in question-sharing loads.
More details about the partnership are available at provider.knowitnow.org/node/279. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email support@knowitnow.org.
Customer Service and Picking Up Patrons
As mentioned in previous newsletters, picking up more than one patron at a time during your KnowItNow24x7 shift is both desirable (from a customer service perspective) and often necessary (from a traffic volume perspective). The analogy is to multiple people coming up to the "actual" reference desk at the same time. A librarian would not serve the first and completely ignore all the others. The same should be true at the "virtual" reference desk. It is perfectly acceptable to "pick up" another patron and let them know that you're currently working with someone else and that you'll be with them as quickly as possible. With the Toast Popups in Spark, you can monitor them without even clicking their tab. If they ask if you're still there, send them a quick message stating your status. Or, if it's a ready-reference question, you can answer it and let them get on their way.
Consider this from your own perspective: Would you rather wait in a line and be completely ignored or would you rather be spoken to kindly with a "I'm currently working with another patron, but I'll be right with you as soon as possible. Thanks for waiting." Which would make you more inclined to be friendly once your turn comes?
Don't Forget Your KINwear!
Our store at CafePress is always open. You can buy golf shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, "thinking caps," and even teddy bears with the KnowItNow24x7 logo on them. KnowItNow was the first virtual reference service available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week anywhere and YOU are a part of that! At your next conference, workshop, or meeting, don your KIN24x7-wear with pride and say, "Why, yes, I am a KnowItNow24x7 agent." (They're great for gifts as well!)
KnowItNow24x7 Staff
Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark Coordinator
...and KnowItNow24x7 agents across Ohio!
The KnowItNow24x7 Newsletter highlights 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 comments@knowitnow.org.
If you or your friends would like to sign-up for KnowItNow24x7 updates, just go to updates.knowitnow.org and click on Sign up for the latest KnowItNow news.