FREQUENCYA CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATIONTEXT A LIBRARIAN @ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

BRIAN WILLIAMS, JD | MSLSRESEARCH LIBRARIANCRIMINOLOGY, LAW & SOCIETYU.S. GOVERNMENT INFORMATIONUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

brianrw@uci.eduBrian.williams@gmail.comhttp://justcrim.typepad.comhttp://twitter.com/briancrimehttp://delicious.com/briancrimehttp://www.facebook.com/briancrime

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

intro 2 frequency

Special thanks to UCI Libraries’ Carole AnnHughes, Associate University Librarian forPublic Services, and Cynthia A. Johnson, Headof Reference, for encouraging the developmentof our Text a Librarian project @ UCI.[Administration has to be supportive or thiskind of thing wont work]

Thanks to those early adaptor universitylibraries that grabbed onto short messageservice (SMS) public services! While I’m quitecertain the following is an incomplete list,these are the four university libraries I foundto be actively providing text message referenceat the time the UCI Libraries Text Team wasputting together our text a librarian proposalin Summer 2007:

•Curtin University of Technology•Southbank Institute of Technology•Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU)•University of California, Merced

Runyon Canyon, Los Angeles CA

Brian Williams, JD | MSLSResearch Librarian Criminology, Law & Society U.S. Government InformationUniversity of California, IrvineBrian.williams@gmail.com

http://justcrim.typepad.comhttp://twitter.com/briancrimehttp://delicious.com/briancrimehttp://www.facebook.com/briancrime

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

http://delicious.com/briancrime/sms

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

http://delicious.com/briancrime/early_adaptors

& X-tra special thanks to the Text a Librarian Team @ UCI

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

My library WAS doing text message reference service along with these four identified “early adaptors” way back in the dark ages … 2007 or earlier.

[and you missed it]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

The Funhouse (Mural & Basketball Court. PunkRock Nightclub, Seattle WA. Taken during ACRL2009)

Question: YES NO Button | Multiple Choice

My library IS doing text message reference service [YES/NO. INTERACTIVE BUTTON HERE].

We are using [MULTIPLE CHOICE. SELECT ONE]

A: Mosio’s Text a Librarian

B: Some other converter program (IM, Email, Etc. – flipping user text to computer)

C: Cell phone, Smart phone, Blackberry (anything handheld other than an iPhone)

D: iPhone

[Our choice is not to choose – deal with it]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHY BUILD A TEXT REFERENCE SERVICE ?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

4 8 15 16 23 42

numbers | etc.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Uci & sms frequency: Justifying text message reference by the numbers [sometimes numbers work 4 u; other times, not so much]

A Winter 2007 UCI Academic Computing surveyfinds … “… 34% of our students use cell phonetext messaging daily and 58% use it at least afew times a week…” Almost 60% of our studentsuse cell phone text messaging several times aweek.

Today, these numbers seem very low [DEFINITELYUNSEXY], but they are one part of the numbersjustification for why libraries need to jumpinto the text frequency.

UCI Student Information Technology Experience Survey. Email. From: NACS: Network and Academic Computing Services (UCI OIT) Date: Tue, March 18, 2008 6:02 pm.

Spreading the word: Messaging and communications in higher education. ECAR key findings. Pirani, J. A., & Sheehan, M. C. (2009). EDUCAUSE. Web site: http://www.educause.edu. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/Resources/SpreadingtheWordMessagingandCo/168955

ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009 (Research Study, Vol. 6). Smith, Shannon, Gail Salaway, and Judith BorresonCaruso, with an Introduction by Richard N. Katz. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2009, available fromhttp://www.educause.edu/Resources/TheECARStudyofUndergraduateStu/187215

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

CELL PHONE ACTIVATIONS SURGETEXT MESSAGING SURGES

Text.it “the UK’s official guide to messaging” [http://www.text.it/ ]4.2 Billion Cell Phones Activated. 3g Americas [ http://www.3gamericas.org ]

6.8 Billion : U.S. and World Population Clock. Census.gov [ http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html ]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHY BUILD A TEXT REFERENCE SERVICE? This “new” frequency [of communication] has blown up, exploded!!! Texting is not just popular with university students, though it is especially so among that population - it’s popular globally and it’s popularity is expanding every day.

We feel and we argue …

Implementing a text reference service capitalizes on this popularity and compliments and extends our existing public services.

It clearly signals the UCI Libraries’ continued commitment to delivering innovative public services

And, most importantly, it enables the UCI Libraries to better serve the educational and research needs of our primary users with an instantly responsive communication channel.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

IN THE BEGINNING (before Mosio debuted “Text a Librarian”), the UCI pilot text team had

to decide how to build a text program. In Summer 2007, we looked at the few text message to computer converter programs available. We looked at smart phones … (the iPhone was introduced in the United States on June 29, 2007)

While we loved the converter programs’ ability to “flip” a text message from a library patron into a familiar computer workstation environment, we were hesitant to pay a third party to translate or mediate text message questions [And the converter options were few, at that time].

So, we decided to go with an inexpensive Verizon text/data plan, using two Samsung smartphones.

We liked the idea of the phones’ mobility and we liked the simplicity of using phones to send and receive text messages to and from our users’ phones.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

THE SMART PHONE CHOICE … We wanted a good deal and we needed flexibility to change our plan as we learned more about texting in the library environment. The iPhone was not in play.

Verizon presented an inexpensive, flexible startup option. We were able to enter an agreement with no penalties for subsequent contract alteration or even cancellation.

This proved helpful as we recognized over time that (A) demand for texting services, unfortunately, would not require two active phones and phone lines, and (B), that given our regular text a librarian hours, 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, we could afford to drop the smart phone’s web access. This step came much later during the second year of our text program as a direct result of California’s significant (not to say apocalyptic) budget exigencies.

We have continued with one phone and unlimited texting to the present (UCI text project now in its 3rd year).

Samsung SCH-i760 (Verizon Wireless) – CNET Review http://tinyurl.com/36av34

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

A word about Scheduling -

The UCI libraries live and die with Oracle calendar software.

Here’s a screen shot of my Oracle next week Tues., Feb. 16, 2010.

I’m responsible for monitoring the smart phone 9 to 5.

Text Team Members typically cover three day or two day sms phone shifts.

The shifts are evenly divided among the 7 InglouriousBasterds on the Text Team.

FUTURE NOWSTAY FLEXIBLE | THINGS CHANGE

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

“No future for you?” Sex Pistols

As it turned out … text to computer converters were getting better … and a massive roll out was coming …

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

I have worked as a special agent with KGB and received compensation for that work.

[and, yes, I am starving]

“Compensation is “per piece”and is based on response type:* $0.10 (USD) for each fullresponse – query isinvestigated and answered bythe Special Agent; * $0.05(USD) for each validationresponse – answerautomatically populates fromour Knowledge Database and isforwarded on by the SpecialAgent” http://542542.com/current_positions

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

OMG !!! OCLC’s QuestionPoint and Mosio’s Text a Librarian announce virtual reference collaboration – 15 January 2010

The landscape of text in libraries has totally morphed in two short years …

And while I recognize the power of mobile computing and know that handheld devices will continue to be useful to libraries and, of course, wildly popular with our users ...

It’s obvious that some form of “converter” like collaborative text messaging service in libraries is coming soon to a QuestionPoint type consortial

environment near you …

That’s very exciting and likely a good thing.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

OCLC’s QuestionPoint and Mosio’s Text a Librarian virtual reference collaboration will enable libraries to better provide text message based reference services to our users.

[a cell phone is cheaper]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

My library would be very interested in participating in a consortial Text Messaging Reference Service deployed by QuestionPoint.

[what are we going to do with all those handheld devices]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

COUNTINGTRACKING WHAT’S UP @ UCI

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

We count because we can

13 Oct 2009 to 26 Jan 2010: 1,149 visits to justcrim.typepad.com shown above

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

“Librarians have perceived that there should berelevant relationships between the numericalmeasurements of certain aspects of libraryactivity and the managerial decisions that wehave to make and so have embarked upon the basicarithmetic process of counting, perhaps to thepoint of obsession…”

Available @ http://ifl.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/3/211.pdf

Flickr. Numbers. Uploaded on December 5, 2007. By Koen Vereeken. Available @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/koenvereeken/2088902012/ [Creative Commons: Some rights reserved]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

frequency (of text messages received) | frequency (sms - Vesuvius of communication frequencies)

Text A Librarian @ UCI StartDate 01.31.2008

WEB: We use the web capability ofour Samsung i760 to answerapproximately 25 % of all textmessage questions received duringthe pilot’s first 1/2 year.

TYPE: 6 of the first 35 txtquestions are classed as researchquestions.

HOURS: 40% of all Text messagesare received after hours -Evenings, Weekends, Holidays.

http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1555

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Long Beach sunset : how we imagined user response

½ EMPTY: The UCI community’s

initial response to text alibrarian has been modest. Weare concerned about the large %of texts coming in after (9 to 5)hours, on nights and weekends,sort of kills the immediacy ofthe sms text frequency.

The Text Team had originallyimagined we might be able toextend our hours to nights andweekends – That idea led us toopt for the smart phone withdata package and tied into ourbroad vision of text alibrarian as an entirelymobile, handheld referenceplatform.

Libraries with text alibrarian programs, ESPECIALLYTHOSE USING HANDHELD DEVICES(as opposed to text convertersoftware), must figure out howto most efficiently monitortext message queues beyondthe traditional 9 to 5 Mondaythru Friday gig.

We love using the mobiledevice but it arguablypresents unique training andscheduling challenges forlibraries, challenges perhapsdissipated by converterprograms and consortialenterprise.

½ FULL: Two plus

years down the road … Welearn that our usercommunity generally askappropriate, short answertype questions when theytext a librarian. Welearn that answering textbased questions is fun.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

We learn how to share key information with our usersin a compressed 160 character sms framework. Welearn that we can answer all sorts of questions in atext environment. We learn how to cut costs and tokeep the text sms frequency open and viable, evenduring difficult financial times.

Text ref while commuting is unsafe and against the law

… if you build a text a librarian service, they will trickle in …

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

February 2010 | keeping score

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

January 2010 | Select Transcripts

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

January 2010 | Select Transcripts

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

The Cloud Tag Transcript (Wordle.net view of our sms transcripts from january 2010)

(The 824-6842 tag is our loan desk #)

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: Multiple Choice

My library IS doing text message referenceservice in some form today and on average wereceive …

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

[please call me if you’re doing better than 50 per]

A: 10 or fewer text messages a month

B: 10 to 25 text messages a month

C: 25 to 50 text messages a month

D: 50 plus text messages a month

Question: True or False

Support for the texting communication frequency should be maintained in library public services, even if counting texts reveals a tepid response from our users.

[the big picture is all around us]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Not so guerilla advertisingmarketing text messaging @ uci libraries

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

ADVERTISING THE PILOT!

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

THE NEW UNIVERSITY IS UCI’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Our eye catching New University TXT advertisement ran right next to a beach wear advertisement! Sometimes luck is

all that matters.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

FUTURE NOWCODA @ UCI

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Voice to text conversion Voice to text conversion is imperfect, as this slide of a Google Voice beta tool demos. Google voice flips voice mail into sms text messages synchronously, breaking voice mail into 160 character bytes [the sender never knows]. I much prefer deciphering Google's cryptic voice to text translations than to listening to the actual voice mail.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Res ipsa loquitur – the thing speaks for itself – and I couldn’t bringmyself to mention “Cha Cha” during this presentation … I like Mosio (likedit before Text a Librarian) and I give KGB credit for coming in with such akiller name.

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Are we going to continue to go go forward?

The frequency with which our users text us is not what weimagined but … Our pilot was made a “permanent” fixture inthe UCI Libraries Ask a Librarian service menu …

Things change (the budget, for example) but texting is @UCI for the foreseeable future. Obviously, some coresegment of our user population has embraced the Libraries’text a librarian frequency.

In the future, we’ll all be dead [or so the economiststell us]. And in the future, in my opinion, mostlibraries will open up this sms messaging frequency andfit text messaging into their expanding menu of publicservice choices.

We are learning every day about text messaging. So please do email me if you would like to share your experiences to date. I’m @ brianrw@uci.edu & brian.williams@gmail.comSee you on Facebook! & Twitter!

Or, better yet, text me at 6192473889 [cell]. Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk texting with you all.

And thanks to the wonderful people @ Handheld Librarian!

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

Texting is not now and likely never will be an essential channel of communication for library public services.

[like a crow picking up anything shiny, you collect new technologies]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Question: True or False

Text messaging is becoming an essential channel of communication for library public services today.

[the u.k. alone sent 11 million texts in one hour, duh]

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

Photo Copyright held by Edward Colverhttp://edwardcolver.com/

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine

delicious.com/briancrime/sms

Frequency | Text a librarian @ University of California, Irvine