Re: [ILL-L] FW: PLA Blog » Print » OMG! Text message alerts from your library is EASY!

[Amy Thompson]

We did some testing of this (and it worked) in ILLiad but I guess it could be implimented in whatever system you are using. Have your patrons register their text/email address as the following site outlines: 
 
http://www.emailtextmessages.com/
 
then input the email address in the patrons information. In ILLiad, the patron can edit their own info (multiple e-mail addresses are possible - seperated by a comma). Please let me know if you need more info.
 
Amy Thompson - Lead Coordinator
Interlibrary Loan Department
Kennesaw State University
Horace W. Sturgis Library
1000 Chastain Rd.
Bldg. 17 Rm.121 
Kennesaw, GA 30144
MS1701
770-423-6002 -- 770-423-6185 (fax)
OCLC (GKJ)
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"Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. " 
~P. J. O'Rourke 11/14/1947 - 
 
 

>>> tvandyke at fau.edu 10/10/2008 3:20:56 PM >>>

  Is anyone in ILL using text messaging for notifications? If so, could you reply off-list so we can discuss how you set it up. Our administration is asking if we could use this in ILL.Thanks,Teresa- PLA Blog - http://plablog.org -OMG! Text message alerts from your library is EASY!Posted By Nate Hill On Thursday, October 2, 2008 @ 4:36 pm In PLA Blog | 1 Comment I like to track librariansâ€* efforts to make public libraries and their services accessible on mobile devices.  Reports like [1] this one from Nielsen forecast that accessing web content from your cellphone is going to be the widespread norm of the future no matter where you live.  The big question is how can public libraries find a way to leverage their content in a manner that identifies them as unique, convenient, and fun to use on a mobile device?  There are a million issues and difficulties associated with this challenge, but the other day I was lurking on the [2] PubLib listserv and picked up on an interesting thread.  While my head is constantly spinning with outlandish ideas about custom ebook reader devices, iPhone apps and copyright law problems, sometimes I have to slap myself because the answer is so simple.  The first iteration of mobile library services is and will be text message alerts for things like overdue fines, the arrival of an item placed on hold, or really any kind of alert associated with a patronâ€*s account.  Why?  Because the infrastructure is already there, and it can be expanded upon. Corinne Dickman posted to PubLib and then explained to me in an email how she has integrated text message alerts into the ILS at [3] her library in Washoe County, Nevada: â€*We use Unicorn through Sirsi/Dynix for our ILS, which has the email notification already enabled.  By adding the cell number according to the carrierâ€*s instructions as an additional email, the user gets two notifications of holds, overdues, etc.  A form allows us to indicate that we donâ€*t charge, consult your carrier, getting the text is not a guarantee, and we also canâ€*t guarantee the message will come across in one text message, or how long it will be.   When I asked her how she figured this out, she said: â€*Iâ€*m a 45 year old librarian addicted to texting!  I was absolutely peeved to discover that text messaging to talk to our patrons how THEY want to be communicated with was expensive and unwieldy.  So I remembered from years ago that one could send a text via email.  Course, the kids all knew it!  So I experimented with multiple email addresses within the library record-just mine-and discovered that I could get the same notification three times: my work email, my home email, and my cell.â€Â Awesome.  I figure that this must be easy enough to set up regardless of what ILS you are using at your library, and I couldnâ€*t believe that this isnâ€*t a standard service everywhere just yet.  Hopefully some librarians will read this post, give it a shot, and write back to let everyone know if it is working for them.  AND- if you are already doing this at your library and are having success with it, please share your stories!  Also, why not take this a step further- if your ILS can send messages to your phone that a book has arrived, what other doors does this potentially open?   On the flip side, when would you find you are getting too much information pushed to your cellphone, when would alerts become obnoxious, or even invasive?

1 Comment (Open | Close) 
1 Comment To "OMG! Text message alerts from your library is EASY!"#1 Pingback By Library Text Message Alerts*10.02.08 « The Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian’s Weblog On Thursday, October 2, 2008 @ 5:00 pm 
[...] Text Message Alerts*10.02.08 2 10 2008 Nate Hill had an interesting post today [http://plablog.org/2008/10/omg-text-message-alerts-from-your-library-is-easy.html]  on the PLA blog regarding using text message alerts for various functions in the [...]



Article printed from PLA Blog: http://plablog.org
URL to article: http://plablog.org/2008/10/omg-text-message-alerts-from-your-library-is-easy.html
URLs in this post:
[1] this one from Nielsen : http://www.nielsenmobile.com/documents/CriticalMass.pdf
[2] PubLib listserv : http://lists.webjunction.org/publib/
[3] her library in Washoe County, Nevada: http://libwww.washoecounty.us/Click here to print.



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