More Conversation
September 5, 2008
I wondered for those who wished to explore setting up a text messaging service if we would want to work together considering a system to use and verbiage for signs. I called and talked with Roger Layton about posting signs instructing students how to send text messages for our science reference desks. Of course, we can post on table tops, perhaps along shelves, but permanent signage requires approval and apparently is somewhat difficult. Anyway, he felt it would be great to add these instructions to the new directional maps they are creating and of course, if we all used the same system, it would be consistent and allow us to help each other. This is for SMS – phone texting – and is not part of (but perhaps could be used along with) libraryh3lp, or Plugoo or Meebo.
For example, I created an AIM account for science reference text messaging called leescience. So, if we all decided to use AIM for our SMS, we could then post messages within the library, in the Daily Universe, etc., telling students to:
For library help, send a text message to 265010
And enter the following text
(Standard Text Messaging rates apply)
Science and Maps
leescience:your question
General Reference
leegeneralref:your question
Fine Arts and Communications
leearts:your question
etc
For example:
leescience:what are yr hours?
It would be nice if there were some consistency with AIM names. I tried sciref, science, with no luck (they were taken). Putting lee in front seemed to do the trick. So, what do you think? What suggestions, issues, etc.? Please forward this to anyone you think would be interested.
Peter Zuber
Engineering Librarian
2321 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602
I am excited about this discussion. The students are deep in texting and this would be a great way to get good resources within their reach.
LIS has two prototype applications, one of which uses SMS to query the catalog. We’ve been pondering what types of SMS applications would be useful. Let’s get those interested in this together to talk. We’re setting up the skeleton of a mobile web page at http://www.lib.byu.edu/m .
Bill Lund
AUL for LIT
The mobile page looks great, Bill. Look forward to hearing more about this. If possible setting up an SMS query for account info would be cool. It would be nice using HBLLMobile to see when items are due on the fly. Renewals would also be great.