simple texting, quirky video
Of things we read about this week, the one I'm most fascinated with is SMS. I think SMS reference is a great idea if only because it extends the library service to anyone with a cell phone--and that's just about everyone. I do wonder if SMS is a lasting tool or if it is just a stop-gap technology to be used until we all have IPhones and IPhone-like devices and we all have IM clients on our cellphones. But for now I do think texting will be around for a while. It is its own unique way of communicating--It's brief, asynchronous, and much less expensive than the cost of keeping an internet connection open on your mobile phone. But whether it stays or goes ten years from now, at this moment, it seems like a great tool. SMS reference takes advantage of a great technology we almost all have access to--even those who don't own a computer.
Video chat is the one I have the least interest in. If I have the sort of brief information need that I can have answered from my home without a visit to the library, it's going to be for something quick--a fact like the GDP of Bahrain. IM makes perfect sense to use, and I don't think I would want to get myself situated in front of a webcam, make sure I don't look crazy, make sure my place doesn't look like a mess, and so on just to get a simple answer. Or if I'm working on my laptop inside the library and I need some quick help with my research, again, IM is much simpler and more direct than finding a video kiosk. If I'm going to get up from my work, I might as well visit the librarian for real. Seeing an image of a librarian will not necessarily help me. It is the information I need, not a pixel-ie video of a librarian tapping away at his computer.
I think simple will always trump bulky, no matter how fancy the bulky thing may seem. IM is simple, texting is simple--simple to use and simple to implement.
