[Publib] Text a Librarian

[Houghton-Jan, Sarah]

The joint public/university reference department at the San Jose Library has been using Text a Librarian for the last several months.  Our library serves 1,000,000 residents of San Jose + 30,000 or so SJSU students. We have several hundred staff, but only a small percentage staff the TaL service.  All of them received some basic training (it's not hard to use, so it didn't take much).  Staff currently answer Text a Librarian questions in the afternoons from 1-6pm during their regular reference desk shifts at our main library, and at the branches library staff answer questions usually from the back room (as we do not have reference desks at the branches).  We hope to expand our hours of availability soon.  There are no limits on type of question.  There are no limits on the type of staff who can answer questions.  But if a question is beyond what our non-librarian staff can answer, they have been asked to pass it on to a librarian.  For more on how we use the service, see our Text a Librarian webpage: http://sjlibrary.org/services/reference/texting.htm
 
Sarah Houghton-Jan
San Jose Public Library

 
________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of Rebecca Schreiner
Sent: Mon 11/2/2009 12:44 PM
To: 'publib at webjunction.org'
Cc: Betsy Blanche; Christopher Sauder; Linda Sappenfield
Subject: [Publib] Text a Librarian



How many public libraries use "Text a Librarian" as a way for patrons to ask questions of library staff?  If you do, how do you use it?  Where do you use it?  What hours do you provide the service?  Any limits on type of questions?  Any limits on which staff can answer the text messages?

 

If you don't use it, why not?

 

If you could indicate the size of your library and the number of staff, that would be helpful.

 

Thanks for any information you can provide.

 

Rebecca Schreiner

Public Services Manager

Round Rock Public Library System

216 East Main Street

Round Rock, Texas  78664

512-218-7018

 

 

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