A new program to answer questions and bring information to the public has begun to serve the citizens of Ohio.
The Delphos Herald reports on how Jane Sadler, library tech coordinator for the Delphos Public Library was using the new web site created by the State Library of Ohio. The site, Know It Now (Ohio only), became available to all Ohioans Sept. 7 through a three-year, $936,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
“It’s sort of like ICQ or instant messaging,� Sadler said. “It’s really easy to get around the site.� Staffed by librarians across the state, KnowItNow offers free, live answers to reference questions. Ohioans can access the site from anywhere. It’s one of only a few virtual reference services available through a statewide public library system in the United States.
Ohio librarians, how’s it working for you? Your comments please.
It all started in Cleveland…
KnowItNow started out in Cleveland as a service used by the Cleveland Public Library. It then branched out to cover the whole NOLA region of the state. I had not realized it was state-wide accessible now.
The service is very nice. It crashes on my poor beat-up Macintosh a bit though (due to problems with my Mac, not the service itself). For when I cannot seek answers at a library in Ashtabula County, it is a useful after-hours adjunct resource. I like the way it runs.