Micro-Scholarship, What it is, How can it help me.pdf
The Cat Who Sat Down At The Reference Desk
1. The Cat who Sat Downat the Reference Desk With apologies to Lilian Jackson Braun David Newyear Adult Information Services Manager Mentor Public Library
2. How did we end up with a talking cat on our website? www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
3. June 19, 2009 Governor Strickland proposes a cut to state funding for public libraries. “Proposed budget cuts announced by Gov. Ted Strickland potentially could strip 50 percent of the state's funding for public libraries in the next two years. Nearly 70 percent of the state's more than 250 public libraries rely solely on state funding. A reduction of this magnitude could mean many will close branches or reduce hours and services.”1 www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
6. September 2009: MPL Board of Trustees directs library administration to “seek and implement technology to make up for the budget shortfall.”www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
17. There were relatively few hardcore research questions. www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
18. Don’t you love us anymore? In the course of strategic planning, MPL’s community focus group ranked reference services next to last in their desired service responses. Create Young Readers: Early Literacy Understand How to Find, Evaluate, and Use Information: Information Fluency Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong Learning Stimulate Imagination: Reading, Viewing, and Listening for Pleasure Connect to the Online World: Public Internet Access www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
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20. Banks and Pracht found an increased emphasis on developing Web-based reference services, a focus on the Internet, and a decreased number of questions asked at physical reference desks.4
21. Some librarians are afraid of this technology and worried about…www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
28. Professional staff should do professional work! Chatbots can ease the burden of routine questions so libraries and library staff can make better use of their time. www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
40. On the Horizon In the works Desktop Icon for library computers Reader’s advisory Improved prompting and direction of questions Balance between immediate answers, linking to resources, and chatting LSTA Grant for AI Library Access points throughout our community Ready to deploy “bot in a box” On the drawing board: Direct link to patron account Multiple resource linking (single query opening multiple resource links) Voice recognition www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
41. And she’s not alone… Akron-Summit County Public Library North Canton Public Library Wadsworth Public Library Westlake Porter Public Library University of Nebraska OVRP – Ohio Virtual Reference Project www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
44. References "Governor Ted Strickland's proposed budget cuts endanger future of public libraries." Sun News Wednesday, June 24, 2009: n. pag. Web. 13 Mar 2011. http://blog.cleveland.com/garfieldmaplesun/2009/06/governor_ted_stricklands_propo.html Radford, Marie et al. “Taking the Library with You: VR Going Mobile. “ ALA Virtual Conference. 7 & 8 July 2010. Web. 5 October 2010. http://www.amandaclaypowers.com/2010/06/28/taking-the-library-with-you-vr-going-mobile/ Banks, Julie, and Carl Pracht. "Reference Desk Staffing Trends: A Survey." Reference & User Services Quarterly 48.1 (2008): 54. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org Zabel, Diane. "Trends in Reference and Public Services Librarianship and the Role of RUSA Part One." Reference & User Services Quarterly 45.1 (2005): 7. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Mar. 2011 http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org Christansen, Anne. “A Trend from Germany: Library Chatbots in Digital Reference.” International Ticer School, Digital Libraries à la Carte Module 2: Technological Developments: Threats and Opportunities for libraries. Tilburg University. 28 August 2007. Web. 12 October 2010 http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/ticer/07carte/publicat/07christensen.pdf www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
45. References Zick, Laura. “The Work of Information Mediators: A Comparison of Librarians and Intelligent Software Agents.” First Monday. 5.5 (2000). Web. 13 October 2010 http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/748/657 “Virtual Meeting with Kathleen Improved Sales Productivity by 50%.” SitePal case study #15. Web. May 2008. http://www.sitepal.com/pdf/casestudy/loftusphotography.pdf www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
59. Contact Info www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html David Newyear Adult Information Services Manager Mentor Public Library david.newyear@mentorpl.org www.mentorpl.org Visit Emma at www.mentorpl.org/catbot.html
