[OPLINTECH] OPLIN testing cellphone message service

[Stephen Hedges]

OPLIN is seeking libraries to test a new service that will allow 
libraries to send notification messages directly to patrons' cellphones 
via standard Short Message Service (SMS) instead of sending messages to 
their e-mail accounts.

Libraries that are interested in testing this service should be aware of 
these four points:

1) Your existing Integrated Library System (ILS) must be capable of 
sending notifications to patrons' e-mail addresses.

2) To use the service, you should ask a patron if they wish to receive 
messages by cellphone instead of by e-mail; their normal text messaging 
charges will apply. If they want cellphone messages, you will enter 
their e-mail address in your ILS as <cellphone_number>@sms.oplin.org. 
For example, if the patron wishes to receive notifications at their 
cellphone number 614-123-4567, then you would put 
"6141234567 at sms.oplin.org" in the e-mail field of their patron record. 
Notifications will now be "e-mailed" to their cellphone rather than to 
their normal e-mail address.

3) All notifications sent to patrons' cellphones will be cut off after 
160 characters, which is the maximum length of a single cellphone 
message, so your standard notification language must include all 
important information (library name, phone number, etc.) within those 
first 160 characters.

4) Patrons will not be able to reply to your messages. This is strictly 
a one-way notification service.

There will never be a charge for this service to libraries that help us 
test it.

For more information, please contact us at http://support.oplin.org.

-- 
Stephen Hedges, Director
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
2323 W. Fifth Ave., Suite 130
Columbus, OH 43204
614-728-5250  ::  AIM: hedgesst