Text a Librarian is not an instant messaging service like Meebo, AIM, et al. Text a Librarian enables libraries to offer mobile text message reference services. Patrons can text questions from their mobile phones to reference services and librarians type answers on a web-based interface.

Notifications of new questions can be integrated with Meebo or other IM clients to alert you when a new question is posted. Each notification you receive has a link back to your microboard so you can quickly click on it and type in the answer.

Great question. Chances are you might be using what is called a "hack" – a workaround patch that allows text messages to be sent to your instant messaging service. Or you might simply be using a dedicated library mobile phone to receive and answer text messages. Either way, you may be exposing and openly storing patron's private information in various ways. Further, these methods do not take advantage of the statistics, reporting, collaboration and ease-of-use that Text a Librarian provides. In addition, Text a Librarian was built with patron and librarian experience in mind as well, so that answers are formatted in a way that resembles how the text message response will appear to the patron. Please sign-up for a webinar if you are interested in learning more about how our service differs from the alternatives out there.

We think Twitter is great and we are big fans. We developed the Twitter Answers App in October 2007 and have received awards and press coverage for it. That said, Twitter is a VERY limiting tool for reference questions, especially if you are using it for SMS/text messaging reference. Why?

• Twitter users make up only 6% of the number of mobile phone subscribers in the US and 55% of those Twitter users have never sent a message ("tweet").
• More than 60% of U.S. Twitter fail to show up the following month according to Nielsen Online.
• There are multiple steps required (including registration, phone validation, double following and detailed direct messaging instructions) for a non-Twitter using patron to ask you a reference question privately, from their phone, not posted to the internet.
• Twitter is limited to 140 characters and lacks an orderly threading system for follow ups.

If you LOVE Twitter and are offended at these statements, please understand that we love Twitter too. We know it can be helpful to libraries for announcements, feeds, posts, social buzz, etc, but it is not an efficient solution to manage SMS/Text messaging reference services. Rather than post more limitations, please take a look at the Text a Librarian features list to see all of the great system features built for librarians. Text a Librarian works with over 250 million U.S. mobile phones and does not require patrons to be members of a 3rd party service.

On the patron side, many mobile phones still cannot send a text message to an email address (including the iPhone). On the library side, mobile carrier spam filters do not like seeing a single email address or IP sending SMS messages to their customers via email accounts. The result is delays and/or the blacklisting of your library's email and IP address by that carrier. It really is not a question of "if" but "when" it will happen.

Privacy and Security is a top priority. When a patron sends in a question, s/he is assigned an auto-generated anonymous patron ID. Libraries do not have access to patron information other than this anonymous patron ID. Unlike workaround "hacks", phone numbers are never displayed and all information is hosted on our private and secure servers. See the image below for an example of a Patron ID.

No. Very early in development, we tried the method of auto-refreshing and found it to be quite frustrating and disruptive to workflow. Instead we use other indicators on the Microboard (moving text, red box, an optional sound) to let you know when a new question arrives. This is, of course, in addition to any custom notifications you set up using email, IM or SMS.

We have set-up technology partnerships with the top mobile carriers in the U.S. including: Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Alltel, AT&T and Virgin Mobile, among many others. Text a Librarian is accessible to approximately 250 million mobile users in the U.S., covering 95% of all mobile phones.

The only good thing about the AIM hack is that it is free for your library to use. That said, here are reasons libraries are using Text a Librarian instead of the AIM hack:

• Patron-Librarian Experience - Text a Librarian uses a simple, functional message threading system optimized for the text messaging experience for both librarians & patrons.
• Patron privacy - All patrons are assigned an anonymous, private user ID with no phone numbers displayed.
• Archiving and Reporting - Growing, searchable knowledge bank of past questions for future reference with on-demand, flexible reporting tools.
• Support – Text a Librarian offers dedicated support staff with a prompt response to all inquiries.
• Textspeak Dictionary - 800+ word Text Speak translator to help you understand beyond LOL and BRB.
• Keywords - Short and easy to remember (4-6 characters), only need to be used once by the patron. The system will remember them in the future.
• Marketing Materials/Templates - professionally designed marketing collateral (print and digital) to provide instruction and raise patron awareness.
• Additional Features - Custom and flexible auto-responders for when the library is closed, messaging footers, templated answers for frequently asked questions, multimodal notification systems and RefStart -- your custom web 2.0 tool connecting virtual reference, social media and search for more efficiency in receiving and responding to patron questions.

If you need one more reason why we think you should use Mosio's Text a Librarian: We will always improve the service by listening to your feedback, expanding features and evolving with technologies.

None. There is no hardware or software needed. Text a Librarian is completely web-based and accessible on any computer with internet. Of course, a username and password is always required to access your microboard.

This functionality is not currently included in the Text a Librarian service. We're looking to provide this functionality, so if it's something your library is interested in, please tell your representative. If you'd like to announce library news or promote events happening, we recommend using the SMS Footer function located in the Edit Board section of your Microboard Administration where you can type a custom footer message promoting library hours, special events, etc.

We love mobile phones of all kinds (iPhones, Blackberries, Palm and others). They are great for peer-to-peer communications, but they are an inefficient way to organize and manage SMS reference services. Some specific reasons:

• They are not collaboration-friendly.
• Phones expose the privacy of patron information by displaying patron phone numbers.
• They lack reporting, archiving and downloading of any data or transcripts.
• Technical and customer support of the phone manufacturers and mobile carriers is neither dedicated nor easy.
• Limited to 160 characters
• Lack organization of handling multiple patron inquiries simultaneously
• You have to buy hardware (the phone) and sign a 2 year contract with fees of $60-$150/month (not including overages, taxes, fees or insurance).
• Texting on a phone handset vs. typing on a computer keyboard is significantly less efficient.
• Mobile phones break, get lost, need charging and become obsolete.
• Cell phone reception can be inconsistent or weak throughout your library.

Text a Librarian addresses all of the above issues and provides a suite of reference features that are not available using a mobile phone.

We have priced the service consulting many libraries and librarians. Our pricing model is not based on number of patrons, but rather per microboard purchased, outbound messages and numbers of logins. Please see our Pricing Page for more information.

We do not charge overage fees. If you approach your monthly message limit, your administrator will receive a notification. At that time, you may purchase additional messages or upgrade to the unlimited package if you choose to do so.

Simply put, a microboard is a dedicated, secure website created for each library or library system where all of the questions and answers live. Librarians login to the password-protected microboard to view and answer questions, as well as to run reports and utilize other features. Patrons do not have access to the microboard. Your library's microboard can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection as long as you have the proper User ID and Password. There is no software to install or update and the only hardware you need is a computer (or a mobile phone with the ability to access the internet).

We typically build one dedicated microboard for each library. That said, Text a Librarian's collaboration features will allow multiple libraries across campus to use the same microboard. And, we have catered our pricing structure so that additional microboards are discounted as the need for growth and patron usage increases. We are happy to explain how other libraries are using the service and to help determine what will work best for your library system. Please contact

Yes. By design, each microboard has its own keyword to differentiate itself from other microboards.

If the patron forgets to start her first question with the library keyword, she will receive an automated response that directs her to include the keyword or contact her library to obtain it. After the first question is properly sent in with the library keyword, Text a Librarian recognizes that the phone number is contacting your library's microboard. While we do recommend educating patrons to always start new questions with the library keyword, technically the patron must only include the keyword on the first question.

No. While we do recommend educating patrons to always start new questions with the library keyword, technically the patron must only include the keyword on the first question. After that, Text a Librarian recognizes that the phone number is contacting your library's microboard.

The questions and answers will live on the microboard indefinitely so that they can be archived, searched and referenced.

We have created some marketing materials (posters, table-tents, website logos, t shirts, digital assets, etc.) that your library can download, edit and print to include in your library or on your library's website.

Please don't hesitate to email us with your questions. We are very responsive. Or if you'd like to sign-up for an online webinar, we definitely encourage you and your staff to do so. We find we get a lot of great questions from all the librarians that attend these online demonstrations. Email us at and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

By all means, please do so! Text a Librarian was built in conjunction and consultation with many librarians, and continues to evolve with the great feedback we have received by librarians. We take all suggestions to heart and do our best to address these in our product features if a) we can do so with the technology and b) if it will benefit all libraries using the service. Email us at and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!

Text messaging, or texting, is the term for the sending of "short" (160 characters or fewer) text messages from mobile phones using the Short Message Service (SMS). The individual messages which are sent are called text messages or, more colloquially, texts or SMS.

According to Nielson research, in the U.S. today, about 200 million of the 259 million wireless users subscribe to or purchase text-message capability. Of these, 138 million use text-messaging on a regular basis. In fact, text-messaging has become so pervasive that U.S. mobile subscribers now send and receive more text-messages in a month than they do phone calls. These numbers have been increasing exponentially over the past few years. Source: http://tinyurl.com/d235d9

No. Instant Messaging, aka Chat (Meebo, Trillian, Jabber, AIM, GoogleTalk) is typically conducted on a computer. Text Messaging is conducted on a mobile phone.

A short code is a 5-6 digit mobile phone number where patrons send text messages. Text a Librarian's short code is "66746", which spells "MOSIO".

The quick answer is it is possible, but the long answer is that you probably don't want to. It is a very resource-intensive and timely certification process with the mobile carriers. Leasing a short code can be expensive and take up to 10-12 months to set-up. In addition, there is ongoing carrier compliance to ensure that your SMS gateway is functioning within the parameters of their certifications. If you have further questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to let us know.

The keyword is a short, easy-to-remember word or combination of letters that libraries create (i.e. AskTal) to delineate their library from others using Text a Librarian. The patron enters the keyword, then a space, followed by the question and the system recognizes where it should send that question. (i.e. AskTal What are library hours during finals?)

No.

Please don't hesitate to email us with your questions. We are very responsive. Or if you'd like to sign-up for an online webinar, we definitely encourage you and your staff to do so. We find we get a lot of great questions from all the librarians that attend these online demonstrations. Email us at and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.