Need Info? Text the Library

Noting that many people — especially young people — are relying more and more on phone texts to communicate, the reference desk at the Bernards Township Library has added text messaging as a reference service, effective on Monday. 

Area residents now ask the library questions and obtain information either by text or by chatting with staff members via a widget on the library website.

“Recognizing the increased use of text messaging by patrons of all ages, we felt it important to offer a way to communicate with the library via text messaging,” said Ruth Lufkin, Director of Bernards Township Library. “The new service provides an easy-to-use interface for our librarians and maintains the privacy of our patrons’ information.”

Senior Reference Librarian Lynne Hilf said that the texts or chat messages can ask any question that a library patron normally would ask a reference librarian. The responses during normal library hours would include information or possibly refer the questioner to certain websites. Users also may check whether books are available, she said.

To use the service, text askbtl to 66746 for instructions. Message and data rates may apply.

For users who are unable to reach a librarian in person or online, or those who simply prefer texting over talking, the Text-a-Librarian service provides a convenient option for getting information on a mobile phone from the helpful reference librarians at Bernards Township Library.

With Text-a-Librarian, patrons ask questions by sending text messages with their mobile phones and librarians answer on a web-based interface, keeping a “live archive” of all the questions and answers. The service does not display phone numbers and generates an anonymous ID for each patron in order to reference conversation history.

Text-a-Librarian was developed by Mosio, an award-winning mobile technology company that enables companies and institutions to utilize mobile communications, according to information from the library.

“Mobility is a way of life for most students and increasingly for society in general, making the way in which we stay connected a central issue for many libraries,” according to Noel Chandler, Mosio CEO. “Text a Librarian makes it possible for students and patrons to tap into the wealth of knowledge of local librarians from their mobile phones, while keeping patron information private and secure.”

On average, Americans text message almost twice as much as they talk on mobile phones, according to a recent Nielsen Mobile Survey, according to information from the library staff.

For more information about the Text-a-Librarian service at Bernards Township Library please visit www.BernardsLibrary.org/askbtl. The new chat option also is on the library’s main webpage.