Volume 2, No. 5

Coordinator's Corner: Think Globally, Act Locally

In light of our partnership with Oregon, I thought this might be a good time to revisit the concept that KIN24x7 is "a service of your local public library." This statement has brought up discussions in the past and this is a good time to once again emphasize our commitment to service to patrons wherever they are.

While it is true that, for example, a librarian in Toledo is not in Cincinnati and cannot tell a patron from that southwest Ohio city what his fines are, there is a lot that librarian can do for that Cincinnatian. Librarians are encouraged to:

• look up books in other libraries' catalogs ("Do you have this book?")
• look up fines and policies ("How much is it if I keep my DVD out too long? How long can I keep it out?")
• look up hours ("How late are you open?")
• look up locations ("How can I get to the library?")
• help patron put reserves on items online by sending the library's page to them (Don't take the library card number, just push the page and let them type in their number.)

This is not an exhaustive list, and most everyone does do a good job of helping patrons in faraway places. With Oregon patrons now coming online sometimes, it's just something to remember. It doesn't matter whether the patron is in Cincinnati or Clackamas County, Toledo or Tualatin. We can still look up a lot of information from their local library's website.

That being said, there are times when a patron will have to contact their local library directly ("How many fines do I owe?", "Is that DVD on the shelf right now?"). In Ohio, we have always provided direct, complete contact information to the patron. This is fine. Oregon, however, has a separate system. Let's say an Oregon patron needs to know their fines or something like that. In a case like this, KIN24x7 agents may:

• let the patron know courteously that someone will have to follow-up with him or her and verify the patron's contact email
• give the question a Resolution Code of "Followup"
• this will automatically route the Oregon question to the L-net database which is used by Oregon virtual reference providers to follow-up with patrons
• KIN24x7 agents do not have to followup personally (This will be handled by Oregon's librarians)

Remember, this does not mean that every Oregon question gets coded "Followup" and questions that can be answered through local library's webpages should be. Both the L-net Coordinator and myself have been pleased overall with the professional and courteous manner exhibited by KIN24x7 librarians in dealing with our Oregon questioners. Keep up the good work! If anyone has any questions about dealing with patrons in faraway places in either state, don't hesitate to contact me at support@knowitnow.org.
Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator

Guest Author: Cleveland Public Library, Science and Technology Staff

KnowItNow24x7 and the Science Project "Season"

KnowItNow24x7 (KIN24x7) providers can always tell when it’s science project “season.” The flurry of questions begins: Which detergent cleans best? Which paper towel last longest? Help! I need to do a science project! I don’t know what topic to use for my science project.

These frantic students are often in panic mode. It’s easy for a KIN24x7 provider to get caught up in the panic and helplessness, as well. But, there’s no need to panic. Many great online resources allow us to steer panicked students to an exciting topic and a successful science project.

Most students need help choosing a suitable topic. They often choose the paper towel or detergent comparisons out of desperation, unaware that they can choose something fun and interesting instead. When we can help a student find a topic that really excites them, we’ll achieve the best outcome for both student and KIN24x7 provider, reducing frustration and often eliminating repeat calls from students who still feel lost.

As with any face-to-face interaction, the reference interview is crucial. A few basic questions about the student’s interests will often help them narrow down their topic search and give you a starting point for your search. Once you know that your customer loves sports, music or animals, for example, targeted search keywords will often provide a great set of results.

Once you’ve guided the students to this point, there are many great web sites that will help them independently navigate the process of refining their topics and completing their experiments. (See the RESOURCES OF THE MONTH list, below -- D.B.).

What do we do, though, if a student can’t give us any clues or won’t narrow their areas of interest? A great place to start for general searches is to ask the student what grade they are in. Many sites provide group ideas, topics and instructions by grade level. A keyword search for “science project” and “fifth grade,” for example, is often very successful. We can then steer that fifth grader to age-appropriate ideas and information that will help them get started.

Providers who get swamped with “hit and run” questions or simultaneous visits by an entire classroom of students can use many of these sites as “quick reference” resources. A number of the web sites provide one-stop shopping: topic finders, kid-friendly tutorials, and step-by-step instructions for completing a successful science project, all sorted by grade level or subject area. Since plenty of these web sites are designed with kids in mind, the students can often navigate with little or no prompting from the KIN24x7 provider.

There’s no need to panic or groan when the science project questions start rolling in. Take a deep breath, ask a few basic questions and consult some of these great resources:

Statistics: October 2008

This month we look at the top 50 individual public library accounts that have had the most sessions in October. For a complete breakdown of these totals and to see everyone's contribution to KIN24x7, check out the Statistics Page for this month

The top 5 AfterDark answerers last month were:

• ad.mckenzie: 278
• ad.jeanne: 231
• ad.chris: 186
• ad.jonas: 182
• ad.andie: 147

All agents -- public, academic, AfterDark, and special librarians -- are a vital part of the KnowItNow24x7 network. Thanks!!

NoveList from OPLIN ends June 30, 2009

OPLIN has announced that, due to fiscal concerns, the statewide subscription to EBSCO NoveList will be canceled when the current contract ends on June 30, 2009. Although this is well over six months away, KIN24x7 agents should be aware of this. For more information on this as well as a list of recommended free online readers advisory tools, check out this page elsewhere on the Provider Site

Kudos to KIN24x7 Libraries

Congratulations are due to the following KnowItNow24x7 provider libraries who were named in the Top 10 (corrected) HAPLR ratings for their population categories this year:

• 500,000 Population
  • #1 Columbus Metropolitan Library
  • #2 Cuyahoga County Public Library
  • #10 Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
• 50,000 Population
  • #1 Washington-Centerville Public Library
  • #2 Worthington Public Library
  • #4 Euclid Public Library
  • #6 Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library
  • #7 Geauga County Public Library
• 25,000 Population
  • #2 Westlake Porter Public Library
  • #3 Upper Arlington Public Library
  • #4 Wadsworth Public Library
• 10,000 Population
  • #1 Twinsburg Public Library
  • #5 Orrville Public Library
  • #7 Rocky River Public Library

A link to the (corrected) American Libraries HAPLR article is available here.

Kudos is also due to Cleveland Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library for their being named two of the 25 Most Modern Libraries in the World by BestCollegesOnline.com in the area of Technology and Innovation. All the libraries mentioned can be found here.

RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: Science Fair Projects

These resources are provided by the Science and Technology Department Staff, Cleveland Public Library, as part of the Guest Author article above.

• All Science Fair Projects: http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/
• FactMonster: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/sciproject1.html
• From Idea to Exhibit: http://www.pnm.com/sciencefair/doc/research_project_guide.pdf
• How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/
• IPL Science Project Resource Guide: http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/gettingstarted.html
• Science Buddies: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/
• Science Fair Central: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/
• Science Fair Idea Exchange: http://scienceclub.org/scifair.html
• Science Fair Primer: http://users.rcn.com/tedrowan/primer.html
• Science Fair Project Index: http://www.ascpl.lib.oh.us/dbs/sfdb/
• Science Fair Support Center: http://www.scifair.org/
• Science Made Simple: http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/
• ScienceProject.com: http://www.scienceproject.com/
• Steve Spangler Science: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/

Also see this tip from Cynthia L. DuChane, Project Coordinator, INFOhio.

To suggest a Resource of the Month, please email support@knowitnow.org.

Get to Know Ohio Jeopardy

In an effort to let our Oregon partners learn a little more about Ohio, a "Get to Know Ohio (and KnowItNow24x7) Jeopardy" game has been uploaded to our KIN24x7 Provider site at provider.knowitnow.org/node/289. Ohio KIN24x7 librarians are welcome to take a look and test their knowledge of their home state as well. Good luck!

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.