Text Messaging the Reference Desk: Using Upside Wireless' SMS-to-Email to Extend Reference Service |
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Authors: | Keith Weimer |
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Affiliation: | 1. Alderman Library, University of Virginia , Charlottesville, VAkweimer@virginia.edu |
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Abstract: | The author discusses “Text a Librarian,” a short message service-to-email service provided via Upside Wireless, Inc., a Canadian telecommunications provider. Any user of the University of Virginia Library who has a cell phone and text messaging capability can send a text message to a local phone number provided by Upside Wireless. Upside's “virtual SMS channel,” which forwards the message to the Library's reference e-mail account. Librarians then respond to the query with an e-mail message that the user receives as a text message on his or her cell phone. This article describes the process by which a library developed the idea for the service and decided to contract with Upside, as well as staffing for the service and the challenges, successes, and possible new directions. A brief survey of the SMS reference landscape is included. |
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Keywords: | text messaging SMS library reference academic libraries University of Virginia cell phones e-mail |
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