Briefs: ChaCha Goes Mobile; British Library’s Chief Executive made a Dame in New Year Honours; Deputy Archivist of the United States Retires; Successor Appointed
+ Human Powered Results: ChaCha Debuts Mobile Search via SMS
Smart move by CC going mobile. Lots of potential. However, when we first blogged about their web-based service (still available) we went on about how libraries offer the same type of virtual reference at no charge. While you can always call a librarian (at most libraries), this 24x7 service is fee-based. However, as the article points out, you can try it for free. So, the question is, will OCLC's Question Point (this is an example of a Q P service) and other free librarian powered web-based services Q&A services also begin to offer SMS question services for free? Btw, it goes without saying that this type of service works best with factual questions (How Many Home Runs?, What's the Ticker Symbol?, Who Was the Founder of ..., etc).
Postscript: We need to note that if you have a phone that can handle IM, some library chat services that use popular IM services (like AIM or Skype) work on mobile devices. So, another question, will the large services begin to offer access via a major IM service(s).
See Also: An Introduction to Librarian-Powered Virtual Reference Services (Free)
See Also: Indiana University Partners with ChaCha
See Also: ChaCha Gets $10 million in funding
Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, has been made a Dame of the British Empire in the New Year Honours. She receives the honour for services to education, having led the British Library since July 2000.
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