Volume 3, No. 4
Coordinator's Corner: Multae Manus Onus Levant
First, a "Welcome!" (and a "Welcome back!"): The KIN24x7 "local queue" continues to generate interest as well as new providers.In the next few months, we'll be welcoming several libraries: Martins Ferry Public Library, Canal Fulton Public Library, and, after Jan. 1, we will be welcoming back one of the founding members of KIN24x7 - Medina County District Library! A heartfelt "Thank you" to each of these institutions for their current and future vital contributions to KIN24x7.
As a statewide service, KIN24x7 must be easily accessible to every Ohio resident. Every library is highly encouraged to have a prominent link to http://www.knowitnow.org on their website. However, there are still some libraries who do not contribute staffing to the service whose patrons are very active on KIN24x7. Of the almost 550,000 sessions handled on KIN24x7 since 2004, around 220,000 have come from patrons whose libraries do not contribute staffing to the statewide service. Current KIN24x7 provider libraries are encouraged to persuade other libraries to join the network and have them contact support@knowitnow.org to get more information. As the saying goes: "Multae manus onus levant". With the new options available via the KIN24x7 software, now is the perfect time to step up to the plate and join the team.
Don Boozer
KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
KIN24x7 Seeking New Logo
KnowItNow24x7, Ohio's statewide online reference service, is seeking to rebrand and redesign its logo. The statewide service will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Sept. 7, 2009, and a new logo will serve to take the organization into its sixth year and beyond. Ohio graphic designers in public, academic, and special libraries, as well as other institutions (including graphic design students), are invited to submit logos to be considered as the new identity of KnowItNow24x7. A detailed, 7-page Logo Redesign/Rebranding Project Prospectus is available online on the Marketing Materials page of the KnowItNow24x7 Provider site. Please read the entire prospectus before submitting any logos to be considered. Deadline for submissions is October 31, 2009, at 11:59 pm.
Logos will be accepted as in-kind contributions to KnowItNow24x7, and the winning design will be credited to the submitting institution (and designer or design team) on the Marketing Materials page of the KnowItNow24x7 Provider site.
If there are any questions, feel free to email support@knowitnow.org. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing the designs! (This announcement is available for wide distribution throughout Ohio, so feel free to re-post on applicable listservs and message boards.)
Expanded AfterDark Coverage
To provide needed back-up for those libraries staffing KIN24x7 in the early evening hours, AfterDark librarians will now be staffing the service starting at 6:30 pm, Monday through Thursday (and earlier on Friday and Saturday). AfterDark's critical contribution to Ohio's statewide online reference service is greatly appreciated, and the AfterDark Coordinator, Noah Himes, keeps that aspect of the service running smoothly.
Switch to New Spark Version Coming
Monday, November 16, has been set as the tentative date for the switchover to the new Spark/Openfire software. Minimal downtime is planned. Provider libraries and AfterDark librarians should plan to replace their Spark clients after their last shift before Nov. 16. Further information on downloading the Spark client and other details will be forthcoming as the date approaches. If you have any questions or concerns at present, feel free to email support@knowitnow.org.
A Sampling of KIN24x7 Survey Comments from September 2009
The following are a sample of constructive criticism and kudos from the Patron Surveys from September. Note especially the two first-time users and their positive reaction!
Constructive Criticism
- gave me an unreliable resource (Note: Patron's question was "How did the enlightenment changed society?" Librarian sent only one link "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" then logged off. How would you have handled this question? When is and is not a good time to utilize Wikipedia)
- Once the session is over you need to be able to see the conversation even one the librarian has logged off! (Note: This is being addressed in the current round of development.)
- i wish that they would expalin it better and not be in a rush but what i like is how it syas when sum1 is talking so u dont hav 3 keep askin r u there?
- Just when I thought the librarian was done giving me titles, another one would pop up. I wish there was a way that they could tell me that they are still searching instead of me wondering whether they are done or not without having to wait forever or guess, other than that tiny issue, it is a wonderful service. Thanks (Note: This is why it is important to update the patron with even a "still looking" or "thanks for holding" message periodically)
Kudos
- Very fast typers O.O (librarian03)
- Thank you so much for helping me I've been trying to the answer for hours. (librarian31) ( Question: What are the countries closest to Djibouti. Answer given: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dj.html. Moral: Know your online sources.)
- Librarian08 was very nice and very helpful.
- i just thank jonas for helping me on that math quiestion. if Jonas did not help me i would of been confused.so far i relly injoy this.I think it is so nice of you to help us children on a quistion.also i think it is awesome you wok 7 days a week and 24 hours a day to help children like me.and also at 1115.this was homework for over the weekend but i did it know but i was stuck on that quistion the whole night.thank you so much foer helping me.thank you bye
- I've done a lot of prior research, but this helped pinpoint exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.
- ad.alex was great, he/she helped me so much, that I fell 100% about turning in my homework assignment and getting an A+
- i did not know anything really about absolute value untill noah helped me
- Online chat response time with the libraian (the person replying to the question) was a little slow. But, they did solve my question and offered many options with links to help me. I'm impressed.
- This was like a safety line for me. I suspected I was being scammed, and although the Librarian could not identify the source of the phone number I needed to check out, s/he was able to identify it as a cell phone. Doesn't sound like the way the Ohio Bureau of Unemployment operates to me!
- keep up the good work, your afterdark people who help are the best, friendly and willing to help, it's great just keep up the good work
- librarian204 is asome
- Library166 is the best librarian ever!!!
- I love this service - use it for many things and have shared my secret resource with many others. This is GREAT!
- My librarian was really helpful and I knew i was talking to a real person. I thought it would be robot-like and only give yes or no answers but it didn't. I'm glad because now I know the infomation is accurate. Thanks!
- The librarian that helped me was kind and gave me answers and tips, not just a bunch of links that didn't answer my question. They helped me understand what they were saying, and it got the job done! Great job!
- everytime i come here i get the best answers.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Statistics: Email/Leave-A-Message
Since it's implementation in October 2008, our leave-a-message option has proved quite popular. For those unaware of this aspect of the service, Ohio residents who utilize KnowItNow24x7 and are unable to wait in the queue for a "live" session (for whatever reason) have the option to click "leave-a-message." These messages generate emails, and these are then answered by the KnowItNow24x7 team of email-answerers from both public and academic libraries:
- Washington County Public Library
- Franklin-Springboro Public Library
- Rocky River Public Library
- Cleveland Public Library
- Portsmouth Public Library
- Ursuline College
- Martins Ferry Public Library
Although Web 2.0 applications like Facebook and Twitter continue to grow, email remains a reliable vehicle for sharing information used by many people. Since October 2008, 2,180 messages have been responded to, with monthly totals ranging from 82 to 338 messages:
| October 2008 | 120 |
| November 2008 | 338 |
| December 2008 | 193 |
| January 2009 | 234 |
| February 2009 | 255 |
| March 2009 | 220 |
| April 2009 | 174 |
| May 2009 | 173 |
| June 2009 | 142 |
| July 2009 | 88 |
| August 2009 | 82 |
| September 2009 | 161 |
The emails show the same cyclical pattern as the rest of the service. If all these emails were coming from one institution (which they're not), this puts those people leaving messages on a par with the activity from patrons of Worthington Libraries.
Also in statistics news, check out the new monthly report format here. As always, everyone's contribution to the service - email answerers; public, academic, and special librarians; and AfterDark librarians - is greatly appreciated. You are KnowItNow24x7. Thank you!
ONLINE RESOURCES OF THE MONTH: Top 100 Web Sites of 2009
Top 100 of 2009? Isn't a little early? Well, PC Magazine has come out with their Top 100 for this year. There are sites devoted to fun, info, apps, news, shopping, and tech. Here are just a few highlights:
- Academic Earth at www.academicearth.org - "Scholars and professors from top U.S. universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and more offer up free video lectures on a large spectrum of subjects on Academic Earth."
- Legistalker at www.legistalker.com - "Track your government representatives the way you track your favorite celebrities (it's probably more important). Legistalker provides a way to keep tabs on politicians in the media and on YouTube and Twitter."
- World Digital Library at www.wdl.org - "Check out a treasure trove of some of the world's most important artifacts from 8,000 B.C. to 2009 A.D. World Digital Library features high-res images and a plethora of information on a number of priceless treasures, maps, and documents."
- International Music Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library at imslp.org/wiki - "These days it seems like online musical transcription is limited to homemade guitar tabs. Petrucci Music Library, thankfully, turns that concept on its ear, offering up tens of thousands of public-domain sheet-music downloads." Check out the site's FAQ for more information.
- Lifehacker at www.lifehacker.com - Not a site for reference per se, but a collection of very interesting sites. For example, check out their collection of links to flashcard sites (useful for teachers, students, homeschoolers, etc.).
In addition to the PC Magazine list, ALA has also released its Best Free Reference Web Sites 2009 which includes sites like Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, ePodunk, and Lexicool.
Enjoy!
KnowItNow24x7 Staff
Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Coordinator
Brian Leszcz, KnowItNow24x7 Web Services Coordinator
Noah Himes, KnowItNow24x7 AfterDark Coordinator
Megan Mitchell, OhioLINK Liaison and Reference Librarian, Oberlin College
...and KnowItNow24x7 agents across Ohio!
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.