Reporting from Taking the Library With You: VR Going Mobile (the session will also be virtual on 7/7!). This started out on Twitter, but moved to the blog when Twitter went belly-up at the beginning of the session.

Panelists:
Pam Sessoms from University of North Carolina / LibraryH3lp
Cathy Sanford from Contra Costa Libraries
Mary Carol Lindbloom from South Central Library Council / MyInfoquest.com

Each panelist provided a brief introduction, then Dr. Radford posed questions to the panel, and lastly the panel and moderator took questions from the audience. These are quick notes from the session to get them up quickly:

Sessoms: focusing on LibraryH3lp mobile. UNC using it on their mobile web page. Java/HTML/CSS. Light–More text than mobile

Sessoms: For SMS service,began with AOL hack–little traffic. Switched to Google voice going through LibraryH3lp.Slightly fragile

Sessoms: Not many in-depth reference from mobile reference interface. Librarians can tell that it is mobile from an avatar.

Sessoms: Librarians can be mobile or at desktop to answer SMS/Mobile/Chat. LibraryH3lp allows all to be transferred to queues.

Sanford: LibGudies, LibAnswers, SMS plus the rest. Staff multi-tasking while answering questions.

Sanford: Answer-me_this is favorite tool. Users automatically redirected to potential matches. Available when libraries aren’t open. Knowledge database for staff.

Sanford: Answer-me-this for reference, reading recommendations, public can be involved. Pre-scripted responses mean quicker to answer all questions.

Sanford: Their philosophy is that everything you can do in the building, they want you to be able to do online.

Lindbloom: June 17 PewInternet Guide to Teens, Young Adults, Mobile Phones and Social Media—must read.

Lindbloom: Cell phones decreasing digital divide by allowing all to have access to the web. J

Lindbloom: Reasons for chat reference are the same reason to look at chat reference. www.myinfoquest.info. Libraries have # for users with three letter codes for each library. Nationwide with 70 libraries. Goal is 24/7. Now open 80 hrs/week for the summer.

Lindbloom: For VR Collaborative 10k-12k questions/yr. For SMS 7k/yr text reference request in that consortium. Goal is response time <10minutes.

Lindbloom: Each library donates 2hrs/wk. Trouble with people not showing up for shifts. Usser/advisory meetings & training session. Using Altarama software, filtered into Gmail acct.

Lindbloom: ww.myinfoquest.info for patrons. Hidden part of site holds PR, swapping desk shifts. Marketing to librarians and library users. “Txt 4 Answers” is the tagline they have evolved.

Lindbloom: Find them on Facebook, Twitter. Project evaluation is ongoing. Just got IMLS grant to carry the project through another year. Testing out Text a Librarian, Gmail, 511, Altarama in July.

Radford: QR = Quick Response codes you can aim a camera at and download information into the smartphone.

Radford ?: What do you think are currently the 1-2 most important virtual apps for providing virtual services? What would you like to see in terms of apps in the next few years:

Sessoms: Not a big proponents of apps for VR because they have to exist across platforms. Jabber apps to monitor IM can be used on the go—roaming reference models. HTML5 is going to be the big thing. Get electronic reference in mobile friendly formats will be important. As questions become more challenging, better e-books will be great.

Sanford: Focused on library-service. Wants the outcome to be good for the patrons. Feels that QR codes will be useful in the future. Video chat will make a difference for VR—we will be F2F again.

Lindbloom: Challenging to monitor questions through mobile device—would like those options to improve. QP quidgets could improve. QR have been around since 1994 for manufacturing applications. Create augmented reality walking tour with QR codes. Get up to a page of information from the code (4000 characters).

Radford: QR/Augmented Reality = hyperlocal. Students took pic of call number on the screen from reference desk to carry with me to the desk. Also text-me-this-call-number. Circ stats have bounced in one library with this in their catalog. Students coming to the reference desk with call number on the phone. Marketing in SMS in elevators.

Radford: How are you marketing your mobile VR services?

Sanford: Be careful with branding. Go where your customers are—identify those places. Embed widget when they have a no result found that automatically opens IM widget. Find where they get stumped and market there. QR codes get library into the community virally.

Sessoms: Traffic is slow at the beginning of new tech. People have to come to rely on them. Getting them mentioned in instruction sessions. Busier services seem to be in more urban environments (anecdotal). NYU has a busy texting services.

Lindbloom: In 60-70 communities—half academic, half public--each marketing differently. Website has posters and suggestions. Start of the semester checklist for academic. One library has students working on a video to advertise SMS service. 6x3ft banner idea for parades, hang in the library. Door hangers, posters, lots of ideas on website. Barriers for success can be geography, hours available. Should mirror reference 24/7. Students using VR up until 1-2am.

Radford: Perhaps texting is still being used for social interactions, and not “business” interactions. That may change over time with marketing, etc. Barrier is getting the word out—letting people know it exists. Most effective marketing is viral—recommended by friends or trusted people (librarians, teachers, faculty)…need to market to librarians as well as users. Library Instruction sessions are very important—demo it. Have students take out the cell and put the library’s number in their contacts.

Radford: Worried about being overwhelmed? It hasn’t happened yet. Loves the banner idea—hang a banner in front of the library that says “Free WiFi”

Radford: Social change with current devices or will it take more technology to affect change?

Lindbloom: It comes down to broadband. Broadband initiatives are critical—still a lot of dumb phones out there. They will be replaced over time (like color TVs).

Sessoms: We are all still trying to figure out how to serve our patrons. We are all still putting ourselves out there, trying to experiment, take risks and see what works. It will work itself out as the technology matures.

Sanford: We need to be paying attention to change as it happens.

Radford: Things are moving so rapidly, it’s important to keep on top of societal shifts. ACRL 2025 report. Maybe no traditional students due to rising costs, etc. Globalization of privatization. Maybe for profit universities are taking most profitable undergraduate programs.

Radford: New term “tree books” vs “e-books”—but still have to take into account energy produced in manufacturing e-books (actual higher energy cost than tree-books). Anywhere/anytime societal change. Modern office building structured around the paper. J

Radford: In your experience how does the traffic coming from mobile VR users differ from that coming from other VR channels?

Sessoms: Fewer hardcore research questions coming through SMS or mobile widget. More “nitty gritty” things, like book availability, study room availability, hours. They are on the go, trying to figure out if they want to stop in. Do get the occasional research question, but not as much as in traditional IM/Chat.

Lindbloom: Questions are not as indepth in general for SMS: directional, “stump the librarian” questions. Treat every question with respect (future tax payers). Trying to establishing whether or not there is a real person behind the service with frivolous questions. For academics—let everyone know (admissions, etc.) know you are providing this service.

Sanford: Mostly ready reference. Want the questions from the bar.

Radford: Questions may seem frivolous, but users can sometimes value them differently. May be really important to that person. Treat the patrons with respect and they will come back. If they aren’t treated well, they will remember forever. Only takes two characters to type “hi”

Radford: They are chatting, IM’ing and texting the same question. Why? Cry for help—which method will be the most responsive. Who’s going to be nice to me? Where will I get the best information? We need to answer with as much compassion as possible.

Do people need to put software on their phones for QR Codes? Yes, you do have to have an app that is a barcode scanner to downloaded for your phone. Sanford is recommending particular QR Code reader. C

Do you use a push document on VR?

Sessoms: LibraryH3lp does. Does not happen all the time, but very convenient. E.g. If patron can’t get the document, can send pdf of articles. Send scan of style guide.

Lindbloom: do not push documents with SMS.

What happens if you cannot answer a question, what do you do?

Sessoms: We never say no. There has to be someone who knows more. “Let me get back to you” Tries to get email for follow-up.

Lindbloom: There is no such thing as a question you can’t answer.

Radford: Refer people to subject expert rather than giving a half-assed answer. But ask if it’s okay to do the follow-up referral.

Sanford: LibGuides are owned by subject specialists so patrons have access.

Sessoms: Notion of wanting a good answer really important in usability studies—on subject pages give them directly to a subject experts.

If a library wants to start a VR reference but only has funds and staff to do one thing—what should they do?

Lindbloom: Join Infoquest

Sessoms: Start Meebo for free: IM, widget, etc.

Smartphones are expensive. Do you offer smartphones for librarians to train?

Sanford: No. Tech savvy staff.

Lindbloom: Users are coming to the library with multiple devices and wanting to know what content the library has for each. We need to know what we have that works on what platform. New pathfinders.

Sessoms: They do have iPod Touches for staff to learn what it’s like to use the mobile browser.

Radford: Librarians aren’t accessing questions from a smartphone, but on the dashboard on their computer.

How does the collaborative reference work with your database providers, copyright, etc.?

Lindbloom: Comes up with collaborative reference. They have a sense of what the other libraries subscribed to in terms of databases (not as detailed as questionpoint). Leave it up to each library. It’s a grey area. Maybe less reference in text reference because there is less depth to the information needed for things like definitions.

Sanford: Talk to vendors in advance about anything they are doing and ask them about limitations. Most have said none. Do not want them to impede a sale, but beyond that, nothing.

Sessoms: In North Carolina they have a state-wide pool of resources to draw from, which includes the major databases. Judicial fair use.

Speaker on Saturday discussed making videos about how to use the catalog and then email them. Is that possible with SMS?

Sessoms: That could be done easily through Jing and then shorten the link with bit.ly. That could be great.

Sanford: We would like to incorporate that into LibAnswers. We don’t want them getting a no response and nowhere to go.

Lindbloom: Using Jing for other things…thinks it’s a great idea.

How much traffic do you get through facebook or other social media?

Sessoms: Very little chat traffic on Facebook. Some of the best results has been for looking at renovation in progress or special collections blogs.

Sanford: Not a lot of chat through FB. Use facebook to recommend books, when they will get comments in response. A different level of virtual reference.

Lindbloom: Not seeing traffic through FB. Eastern Illinois has been getting VR questions through FB. App on FB pushing to Questionpoint.

Can you post hours with Meebo? What are the core hours to be available?

Sessoms: With Meebo the widget will show whether you are online or offline. You post your hours on your webpage. You can have your widget disappear when you are not online. Spikes in the afternoon, lull at dinner, then peaks again in the evening.

Radford: Peak hours correspond to in-house traffic. When you are busy f2f you will also be busy online.

I wish I was married to my programmer. Do you know of a client for blackberry on the library end?

Sessoms: Yes, any Jabber client.

When you had embedded a widget in your online catalog for null result, what happens when people are offline?

Sanford: Goes to email

Do you use shorthand for SMS reference? Do you excuse poor grammar?

Sessoms: Use the lingo if the patron uses it first.

Radford: Mirror patron behavior.

Have any panelists fielded geneology questions through VR? Any suggestions about how to make it satisfying for the patron?

Lindbloom: Direct them to the library. Text ref is a segue into library services. It establishes a relationship with the library user.

Sanford: Sends to subject guide on LibGuides.

Sessoms: Refer questions to state library or North Carolina collection.

Pam mentioned all these iterations of software. What do all the changes in software do to marketing?

Sessoms: Opaque to patrons. Librarians have had more difficulties

To reach patrons, use patrons using local media, youtube, etc.

We just ask for phone numbers if the text is too complicated.

The MS Library 2.0 Summit is back! We’ve re-imagined it as the MSU Libraries Emerging Technologies Summit, and we are already starting to get great submissions for the Steal-This-Idea sessions. We are so excited to have Jason Griffey as the keynote this year!

This conference started in 2007 with Michael Stephens introducing about 100 folks from eight states in the region to new technologies that were poised to change the library world. Along the way, some have–and some have disappeared–but the culture of learning that took hold after his visit has changed the MSU Libraries. We had cutting (bleeding?) edge presentations that have echoed in the library community since (mind you, this in was 2007):

A report from Southeastern Louisiana’s SMS virtual reference project (an early report from the pioneers of text messaging reference)
A workshop on the impact of social media, and Facebook in particular, for marketing in academic libraries
A panel on the challenges of institutionalizing 2.0 technologies in libraries

Enthusiastic about our work in the area and wanting more, we invited Sarah Houghton-Jan to come in 2008 to give us a big-picture for the state of 2.0 in the library world. Her timely keynote, Sustainable Web 2.0 Services for Small and Underfunded Libraries, came just as we were all beginning to feel the pinch of the economic downturn. Other sessions were perfectly timed for this Wild West period of 2.0 development in libraries, including:

Managing Identity in Social Networks / Information Overload
Using Google Analytics in Libraries
How Viral Marketing Can Help Your Library

Though we weren’t able to host the Summit in 2009, it has given us time to reflect on what we would like to know about (and talk about) at this point–in particular issues around assessment, sustainability and the future of social media in a post-2.0 environment. Now that we are using these tools, doing this outreach, in a culture of learning and growing, what’s next?

As we’ve done in the past, we’ll be podcasting and archiving the Summit, but nothing beats actually being a part of the discussion. If you’ve got something you want to talk about, consider submitting a proposal.

The now annual April Poetry Month Challenge has started over at Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides. Basically, he gives a prompt every day and you churn out a poem. I’ve had several friends do this (and I sort of half did it once, lol)…one of them has had several poems published now. It’s a great way to get a body of poems to work on without a lot of judgment on your part…how much time do you really have to agonize over a poem if you are generating one a day? Plus it’s just a fun community to be a part of. Let me know here if you are doing it…I’m considering it, but I’ve got a Computers in Libraries presentation coming up on the 12th and my creative energy might be tapped out working on it.

Looks like we may be able to do the Summit again this year! Still thinking about assessment and writing up the proposal now. Any thoughts about what you’d like to see? I’m wondering about trying to do a virtual component, in case people can’t travel all the way to Starkville… How did the Handheld go this year? Glitch-free? Any tips from people on that? I wasn’t able to attend because of work conflicts, unfortunately.

So excited!!!

Most of my favorite restaurants from living in the Boston area are in Cambridge or Somerville. If you are going to MLA Midwinter, I suggest you get out of Boston proper and see the Squares anyway–and don’t just stop at Harvard Square…Kendall (mostly for MIT stuff), Central, Porter and Davis (great cafes) are all worth a look–just head north on the Red Line toward Alewife. Send me a message @AmandaClay or comment and let me know if you go to any of them. And I’m always looking for new places, so let me know what you find. I’m particularly interested in the new shabu shabu restaurant in Harvard Square… Yelp.com is amazing for this sort of thing, on the web or on your iPhone. I don’t have much use for yelp in Starkville, but it was invaluable in New York last month.

Some of these are off the beaten path–I’ve noted when they are near a subway stop or where to catch a cab/bus.

Afghan — Helmand is delicious and elegant. Anything they do with lamb is amazing, especially the Qabelee. Just across from the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall–you can get a shuttle bus from Kendall Square.
Brunch – Henrietta’s Table in Harvard Square has the Most Amazing Brunch of all-time. The restaurant does locally sourced, organic, etc., but the scope of this brunch is beyond belief. Delicious. Pricey–$45/plate. Another Very Special Meal.
Burgers — Miracle of Science has a straightforward menu broken down into a periodic table on a chalkboard in the restaurant. Very MIT. Great vegetarian options and big plank tables to sit. Gets busy at lunch during the week. Head toward MIT after you get off the red line at Central Square.
Chinese — Mary Chungs, Central Square. Order the Suan la Chow Chow or anything “dun dun”–esp the fried tofu. YUM!
Chocolate – Burdick’s. Period. Sit down. Have espresso and chocolate. Amazing. Harvard Square.
Deli — S&S Restaurant Deli Great old fashioned sit-down deli with the best Ruben and blintzes ever. Somerville, MA. Cab from Porter Square (it’s in Inman Square, but only buses go there).
Haitian – Highland Creole Cuisine in Somerville, MA (this is a drive, and the service is terrible, but the food is great–DM me @AmandaClay to find out more) Must haves: fresh squeezed (SWEET) lemonade, Tasso boeuf (sometimes I call first to see if they have this–they run out of dishes), griot (pork), cabrit (goat), plantain, conch, rice and peas. I like the white beans with rice, but again, sometimes they run out. The menus are in English and French. Careful of the “cole slaw” garnish–it’s made with habanero peppers. Cab from Porter Square.
Indian — India Samraat on Mass Ave near the Charles is my favorite. Great paratha, saag, and samosas.
Italian Pastries — Modern Pastry I find there is less of a line than at Mike’s (the other popular North End bakery), and great stuff. There’s also one in Medford, if you are around that area. Close to Haymarket on the Orange Line.
Mediterranean — Definitely upscale, Casablanca is where I have had some very memorable meals, including the first time I ever had skate–delicate, buttery, delicious. Harvard Square.
Micro-brewed beer and locally sourced food — Cambridge Brewing Company a short hike from Kendall Square on the Red Line (the best Porter in the world–called Charles River Porter after the formerly impenetrable river).
Mussels from Brussels (steamed mussels topped with perfect fries and garlic aioli) — Central Kitchen in Central Square (go for lunch and order apps–it’s overpriced for regular entrees and dinner).
Sandwiches – Darwin’s in Harvard Square is a little off the main Square on Mt. Auburn and is a neighborhoody (gourmet-ish) sandwich shop and cafe. Very inventive sandwiches and a nice place to read the paper.
Tapas — Dali. Hands down a wonderful experience. Have the shrimp in garlic and olive oil, fresh anchovy filets, white asparagus, “meaty” mushrooms, stuffed squid and garlicky chicken for sure. This is in Somerville, but it also has a sister restaurant on Newbury Street called Tapeo. I like Dali better, but Tapeo is easier to get to. Cab from Harvard Square to Dali. Tapeo is near the Hynes Convention Center stop on the Green Line.
Very Special Meal – Rialto in Harvard Square is amazing. Italian in sensibility, but it’s really just amazing gourmet food. Award-winning chef, Best of Boston, etc.