Text 309.222.7740 for FSC Library: MyInfoQuest

Texting Trend• “Use of text messaging by teens has increased

since 2006, both in overall likelihood of use and in frequency of use. In 2006, 51% of all teens, regardless or cell phone ownership, had ever sent a text message, while 58% had done so by 2008. Similarly, daily use of text messaging is also up, from 27% of teens using text messaging daily in 2006 to 38% texting daily in 2008.”¹

About the MyInfoQuest Project• My Info Quest is a collaborative reference service •enables users to send questions via SMS text messages on their mobile phones, questions are answered by a librarian•70+ libraries participate nationwide

•Majority of participating libraries are public libraries• Massachusetts – 1 public library and 1 academic library•Illinois’ Alliance Library System manages project with Tap Information Systems•Coverage by EST : M-F 9am-10pm, Sat 10am – 6 pm, Sunday hours vary

•Info Quest bases its services by U.S. Central Time.

About the MyInfoQuest Project• SMS reference software and systems provided by

Altarama. Software serves as a gateway system to redirect questions to Gmail account.

• Each library is assigned a 3 letter code• Patrons text a question, including the local library’s

code• Librarians who monitor the questions in Gmail will

send by a response to the patron. Each response is labeled with the librarian’s institution code

Questions and Answers

• Not meant for questions longer than 320 characters (2 SMS messages) or requiring in-depth research

• Send source information in addition to response• No legal, tax or medical advice• Goal: respond in less than 10 min. and answer

questions within 2 SMS messages• Commit to excellent customer service• Treat all inquiries seriously

Sample Questions• How do you say video games in spanish• What are the words to martin luther king's i have a dream

speech??• what's average time span for the zygote phase in humans• How many calories are there in a thai veggie spring roll?• Who invented peanut butter?• i would like to know why my library card doesnt work• Is there a lecture today at the library on hormones? Or

gardening? • What social trends happened in the 1920's?

Why FSC joined My Info Quest• Already provided email and IM reference• Wanted to expand our outreach to users with a

SMS presence

• Limited funding to start our own text messaging project• Desire to offer longer shifts of SMS reference

services hampered by limited staffing

Our Commitment to My Info Quest• No cost to participate in the project• Might be fees in the future, for now the project is

funded until the end of 2010• We commit 2 hours per week to answer questions • For our commitment of 2 hours per week, our students

can text a question and receive a response from a librarian within most of our hours of operation

Our Home Base

Tools of the Trade• Wolfram Alpha• Google• Infoquest Ready Reference page• Libraries websites• What ever it takes to answer the question

correctly in a timely manner

Advantages of Participation• Community of librarians sharing best practices; FSC

participated since the beginning.• No cost; minimal impact on staffing; shared workload• Students appreciate another way to contact the

library• Coverage (7 days a week morning till evening)• Comfort with interface (Gmail); no need for

dedicated cell phone

Advantages• Opportunity to network and work with public and

academic librarian; discover new resources• Challenging, fun, builds reference skills. Gets your

heart rate up!• Interesting questions• San Jose State Professor distributes monthly

evaluation reports• Project well organized

Concerns• Missed shifts• Uneven quality of responses • Difficult to determine questions from home library; patrons usually do not add library code to text message• Difficult to assess the service• No mechanism for home library to follow-up

Is it worth our time?Infoquest Text Messages by Massachusetts Area Code and Month

Area Code August September October November December January February March

Area Code Total

339 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0351 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0413 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1508 0 10 44 15 33 21 17 33 173617 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 6774 0 10 16 2 0 2 5 7 42781 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2857 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2978 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Monthly Total 0 21 64 19 33 26 23 41 227FSC answered 3 23 16 12 14 56 27 24 175Questions Answered Nationwide 345 668 823 652 582 868 1034 910 5882

Is it worth our time?• The number of text messages sent from an area

code in MA during one month is higher than the amount of IM questions we receive in that given month

• During student-lead tours of the Library, the tour guides often mention the texting service• Spread by word-of-mouth among the students• Shows that the students like the idea of texting a

librarian

Next Stage• Evaluate other SMS reference services like

Questionpoint, Mosio, LibAnswers• Wait to see how Infoquest develops before

making a decision. Possibly supplement this service with another

• Embed assessment into process