[OPLINLIST] KnowItNow24x7 Service Update

[McDevitt-Stredney, Marsha]

Please excuse multiple postings...

[cid:image002.png at 01D08426.8B677020]Don Boozer, who coordinated the KnowItNow24x7 service for over seven years, recently moved to a new position as Manager of General Research Collections at the Cleveland Public Library. We thank him for his diligent coordination and leadership, passion for virtual reference, and dedication to providing excellent customer service.  We are pleased to share with you that a seamless transition took place last month with ChatStaff administering the service, and providing statistics and coordination with LibraryH3lp. Cheryl Lubow<mailto:clubow at library.ohio.gov> (614-387-1184), longtime KnowItNow24×7 Quality Assurance Committee (QUACK) Chairperson and State Library Collection Development Librarian, is now the liaison with ChatStaff and Ohio contact for KnowItNow24X7. Users should not see any difference. Ohio libraries will continue to staff the service as they do now, and ChatStaff will continue after hours' coverage.

Please contact ChatStaff at support at knowitnow.org<mailto:support at knowitnow.org> to ask if your library's profile information is up to date. This will help them address follow up questions or inquiries identified in KnowItNow24x7 transcripts.

Since 2004 the State Library of Ohio has provided financial support through federal IMLS LSTA funds and Cleveland Public Library has administered the KnowItNow24X7 online reference service.  A trail blazing endeavor at the time, it has grown from an online chat interface to incorporate email, instant messaging, and texting as well as localized online reference services with after-hours coverage. Many libraries throughout Ohio have contributed staff time to answer questions via KnowItNow24x7 and serve on its committees.  Without their dedication to this service, the success and longevity of KnowItNow24X7 would not have been possible.

­­Over the past eleven years advances in online services utilizing mobile interactive technologies and robust search engines, including library websites and catalogs, have dramatically changed our culture and an individual's ability to search and access information. Although KnowItNow24X7 has evolved with these advances in technology, its usage has declined. In addition to the changing virtual reference landscape, prank calls and libraries starting their own chat services have increased and it's time to assess the future status of the service. The current contract with ChatStaff to administer KnowItNow24X7 ends December 31, 2015.  The State Library of Ohio Board is evaluating the past and future return on investment with KnowItNow24x7 and will announce a decision on future LSTA support for the program in the coming months.
###


[cid:image004.jpg at 01D08426.8B677020]
Marsha McDevitt-Stredney, Ph.D.
Public Information Officer
Director, Marketing & Communications
274 E. 1st Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Tel: 614-644-6875
Fax: 614-466-3584
library.ohio.gov<http://library.ohio.gov/>

Share Your Story<http://library.ohio.gov/state-librarian/share-your-story> by telling us how a
State Library service or resource helped
you or your library.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150501/3f86c041/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 34607 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150501/3f86c041/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 63227 bytes
Desc: image003.jpg
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150501/3f86c041/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 11655 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150501/3f86c041/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 4384 bytes
Desc: image004.jpg
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20150501/3f86c041/attachment-0003.jpg>