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KIN24x7 librarians from nine institutions from across the state, plus several AfterDark providers, attended the Forum held on Jan. 21. The following report provides highlights for those who could not attend. PowerPoint presentations used during the meeting will also be posted here. I would like to thank everyone who took the time out of their busy schedules to come and meet their fellow KIN24x7 colleagues as well as to share their insights. -- Don Boozer

Speakers:

  • Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator, Cleveland Public Library (For Don's PowerPoint, click here)
  • Noah Himes, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark Supervisor, NEO-RLS
  • Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison; Reference Librarian, Oberlin College (For Megan's PowerPoint, click here)

Attendees:

  • Akron-Summit County Public Library
    • Valerie Sherman
  • Cleveland Law Library
    • Kathleen Sasala
  • Cleveland Public Library
    • Pam Benjamin
    • Bruce Biddle
    • Bill Bradford
    • Ron Burdick
    • David Furyes
    • Ellen Leavitt
    • Cindy Lombardo
    • Michelle Makkos
    • Diane Mathews
    • Susan Mullee
    • Kelly Ross
  • Cuyahoga County Public Library
    • Melissa Barr
    • Janet Haverman
    • Paula Seals
    • Jana Theis
  • Lorain Public Library
    • Cheri Campbell
    • Sandra Ruth
  • Massillon Public Library
    • Sherie Brown
    • Teressa Fischer
    • Andrea Piasecki
  • Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County
    • MaryBeth Brestel
    • Michelle Savoti
  • Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
    • Jody Ruby
    • David Topoleski
  • KIN24x7 AfterDark
    • Penny O'Connor
    • Plus several from the above list also representing their local library (in italics)

Don gave a talk which included a brief history of KIN24x7, the current state of affairs (with some statistics), and future initiatives. For the PowerPoint, click here.
Megan provided a perspective from OhioLINK and the KnowItNow Academic librarians.
Noah provided valuable insights from the KIN24x7 AfterDark (AD) perspective especially ways in which the AD librarians collaborate and build community through instant messaging. Don encouraged "daytime" librarians to use the Spark IM feature to collaborate, ask for "reference backup," and build a more cohesive community of KIN24x7 librarians.

A number of issues were discussed including (but not limited to):

  • Tutoring: The loss of Tutor.com's online tutoring is still being felt, according to a number of attendees. Don is exploring several online tutoring services to judge the feasibility of bringing back a tutoring service. This is still very much in the exploratory phase and will be contingent on a number of fiscal and logistical factors. In the meantime, several attendees had very constructive ideas for alternatives:
    • Using tutors in libraries: While this would be problematic for online referrals, referring students to a local Homework Help Center was also raised. This would provide more exposure to those Centers as well as provide a referral for in-person tutoring to our patrons. Developing a list of dedicated, active Homework Help Centers in Ohio libraries may be a good finite project for an ad hoc KIN24x7 committee. By dividing up the state, we could capitalize on the expertise of our librarians and the resulting list (with contact information) could be posted on the Provider page. Anyone who either knows of an existing list like this OR is willing to help compile one, please contact support@knowitnow.org. The goal would be to find libraries that provide actual in-person tutoring, not simply provide a collection of books. Don would be interested to hear others' thoughts on this as well as alternative solutions.
  • Training for serving OhioLINK patrons: Several librarians spoke of the value of having some training on OhioLINK databases and policies when serving college students. Megan and Don will coordinate in scheduling sessions. Any available online resources for OhioLINK training will be posted on the Training Materials page as they become available.
  • Spark software: A number of librarians brought up technical and user concerns with the Spark software. Ideas for future enhancements to the software were offered, as well as options for alternative ways of providing service and alleviating stress.
    • The Co-Browser freeze is still an issue and is being investigated by the developer. It is recommended to simply use your own browser and cut and paste URLs directly into the chat window. This has been the preferred method for many librarians including our Oregon colleagues for some time.
    • KIN24x7 librarians are always encouraged to bring issues, problems, or concerns to the attention of the Coordinator or simply email support@knowitnow.org. Please see Section VII of the KIN24x7 Provider Handbook for helpful instructions on when and how to contact technical support.
  • Sharing Workload: Cleveland Public Library's General Reference staff expressed that they are feeling the strain in handling the "General Questions" queue. Some libraries mentioned that they can't always answer questions during their shift. While everyone is busy, it must be emphasized that everyone's contribution to KIN24x7 is vital. It is very important to staff shifts for which you are scheduled. The questions you don't answer must be answered by someone else, and everyone's cooperation is extremely important in adhering to the agreed-upon schedule.
    • If you need to re-arrange your schedule, please contact support@knowitnow.org. Don is willing to work with libraries to make your KIN24x7 shifts as mutually beneficial as possible.
    • Cumulative statistics for all KIN24x7 libraries is available on the Statistics page.
  • Increased Advocacy: KIN24x7 librarians are encouraged to begin being more active advocates for the service, both between provider and non-provider libraries as well as among provider libraries. Both grassroots "librarian-to-librarian" as well as top-down "administrator-to-administrator" advocacy is encouraged. This also coincides with a more local emphasis on marketing the service. More on this will be forthcoming in the future.
  • The AfterDark Wiki: Available to ALL KIN24x7 librarians for helpful resources at http://afterdark.knowitnow.org/wiki/. If any daytime librarians are interested in contributing or have suggestions for the wiki, contact Noah at noah.himes@neo-rls.org. This would be one way for all KIN24x7 librarians to collaborate.