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Presented by Meredith McCarthy and Tom Peters Missouri Library Association Conference

My Info Quest: A Collaborative SMS-based Text Reference Service. Presented by Meredith McCarthy and Tom Peters Missouri Library Association Conference Friday, October 7 th 2011. These slides are online already. www.tapinformation.com/MLAIQ.htm. Basic Background.

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Presented by Meredith McCarthy and Tom Peters Missouri Library Association Conference

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  1. My Info Quest: A Collaborative SMS-based Text Reference Service Presented by Meredith McCarthy and Tom Peters Missouri Library Association Conference Friday, October 7th 2011

  2. These slides are online already • www.tapinformation.com/MLAIQ.htm

  3. Basic Background • My Info Quest (My IQ or IQ for short) • http://www.myinfoquest.info/ • A collaborative, nationwide effort involving over 2-dozen libraries • Jefferson County Library here in Missouri. • Started as pilot project in 2010 • 2011 cost was $399 per library plus at least 2 hours per week staffing the virtual ref desk

  4. The General Situation • Face-to-face library service interactions probably have entered an era of steady decline. • Non-face-to-face service interactions in any service sector can be efficient for users, but also frustrating and incomplete. • Interminable phone trees and wait-time • Difficulty explaining your need and finding the person or unit most likely to help

  5. One Service Challenge • How to provide a high quality, useful, responsive, collaborative, multi-state, SMS-based reference service for mobile phone users?

  6. Aspects of the Challenge • Difficult (and perhaps expensive) to negotiate the information need via a reference interview • Many cell phone data plans charge for each SMS message. • “Textese” may be difficult to understand • Little or no knowledge of the context in which the question is being asked

  7. We Know Nothing! • No non-verbal communication • No demographic information • No phone number • No context of the info need

  8. So, Why Offer Such a Service? • The adoption and diffusion of the mobile phone is arguably the fastest and greatest in human history • It puts the service right at the point of need in terms of place and time • It seems to appeal to the teen demographic

  9. How IQ works • Powered by Textalibrarian from Mosio • Participating member libraries share one reference “desk” and thus field all questions • The service provider needs an Internet connection and browser software • The user needs a cell phone and a service plan that enables SMS-based messages.

  10. Sample Questions (Anonymized) • When will power be restored to zip 99999? • Context: Thunderstorms and tornados had resulted in a major power outage in that area. • I need a recipe for a pie crust. • Context: The day before Thanksgiving • Where is the Santa Monica Public Library? • Context: Someone driving or riding to the library • Where’s the nearest locksmith in zip 99999? • Context: User had locked himself out of his house.

  11. People Use This Service in the Context of Actually Doing Something • Traveling • Cooking • While interacting with or experiencing some sort of information object or entertainment experience • Attending a class • How do we know they’re not taking a test?

  12. The Service Provider’s View

  13. Incoming Question! (Part 1)

  14. Incoming Question! (Part 2)

  15. Answering the Question

  16. Another IQ Provider is Answering

  17. How/Where to Provide Service? • Any net-connected device (desktop, laptop, netbook, tablet, smartphone, etc.) capable of running a modern browser should be able to function as an Info Quest service device. • Wifi and cell phone connectivity seem to be sufficient. • Tom once provided service while watching his older son play baseball.

  18. Service Challenges: Incoming • Lots of questions asking for opinions or advice, not just facts • Quite a few about human sexuality and relationships • Is this a serious question? • Discerning the nuances of the question • Example: “SACLIB When is the next Bruins home game?” (hypothetically posted on 9/15/11) • Boston Bruins hockey, UCLA Bruins football, or something else?

  19. Service Challenges: Outgoing • Keeping the response short (160 characters) • Getting the tone “right” • Professional and authoritative, yet relaxed and casual • Responding within 10 minutes on average • Documenting your answer with a supporting URL (often by using a URL-shortener)

  20. Steps to Mastering SMS Reference • Practice, practice, practice • Read about best practices in the LIS literature, blog posts, tweets, etc. • Put yourself in the situation of the user. • Even though we “know nothing,” try to imagine the context within which the question is being asked. • If you guess wrong, the user will correct you.

  21. Some Ponderables • “R U really a librarian?” How to establish pro cred in non-F2F situations without appearing stuffy • Much local info (services, weather, traffic, etc.) now accessible globally • Advantages of collaborative service provision: • Cost-efficient • Able to offer more hours of service • 24/7 is the goal

  22. Thanks for Your Time and Attention Tom Peters Milner Library Illinois State University Normal, IL 816.616.6746 tpeters@ilstu.edu Twitter: TAPintoIT FB: Thomas A. Peters Meredith McCarthy Jefferson County Library Arnold, MO 636-296-5171 mmccarthy@jeffcolib.org www.jeffersoncountylibrary.org

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