Text the Library With Comments, Feedback and Suggestions Enabling libraries to set up mobile text messaging reference services so patrons can ask questions has been the primary use of our technology to date. In fact, mobile questions and answers is our business, it’s what we geek out on every day at work. But there’s another […]
Category Archives: Digital Reference
Text a Librarian Video – Text Messaging Reference Software for Libraries
Progress As Promised – The Future Value of Software as a Service for Libraries
“Here is the prime condition of success: Concentrate your energy, thought and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun on one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it.†– Andrew Carnegie […]
RefStart: Virtual Reference + Social Media + Search =)
It’s official, RefStart is now LIVE! When Text a Librarian launched at ALA Midwinter in January earlier this year, we began hearing of the difficulties of managing all of the various virtual reference utilities, social networks, search engines and reference sites available. “I wish I could have everything in one place†became a current theme. […]
Library Marketing Tips, Part 4: a Tool, a Trick and a How-To
There are enough topics around the subject of library marketing for an entire blog. In fact, Jill Stover posted to her blog, Library Marketing, Thinking Outside the Book, for 3 years and it has some amazing ideas. That said, we’re on the final week of Library Marketing Tips, so we’ve decided to throw in a […]
Start Pages as Library Virtual Reference Tools: Pageflakes and iGoogle
We realize that start pages have been talked about in the library community for several years. Michael Stephens wrote a great piece on start pages about 18 months ago (originally written in Computers in Libraries in April of 2007) and Dr. Joyce Valenza recently wrote a piece called “netvibes enhanced!” on the School Library Journal […]
Using a Mobile / Cell Phone for SMS Text Message Reference Services at Your Library: Thoughts for Consideration
Why can’t we just use a phone to handle SMS reference services? We get that question a lot. It is a great question seeing as mobile phones provide the “truest” form of SMS communications – similar to listening to a vinyl album on a record player. Our answer usually goes something like this: You can…BUT… […]
Library Marketing Tips, Part 1: Avoiding the Noise (Templates Inside)
2) Choose more than one method, include one you absolutely know will work. Prior to being in the mobile industry, I worked in internet advertising and guerrilla marketing, both when they were considered very new. I saw over 400 campaigns take place and always noticed one thing: the brands utilizing more than one method or […]
Beyond 160 Characters in the Library – Text Messaging Reference Doesn't Need to Be Limiting
There seem to be varying stories about the history of SMS (Text Messaging) and why Friedhelm Hillebrand, the creator of SMS, decided on 160 as THE number. Some say it’s the amount of characters on a typical postcard, many other stories not that he just determined it while sitting at his type-writer in Germany, noting […]
Library Marketing Tip Mondays: Promoting Text Messaging Reference Services at Your Library – Posted Weekly in August
At ALA Annual in Chicago we got a wonderful chance to meet more of our clients face to face, get some feedback, thoughts, questions and shared excitement about offering text messaging reference service to patrons. An instruction and electronic services librarian using our service at an academic library asked if I had any suggestions or […]