I like to track librarians’ efforts to make public libraries and their services accessible on mobile devices. Reports like this one from Nielsen forecast that accessing web content from your cellphone is going to be the widespread norm of the future no matter where you live. The big question is how can public libraries find a way to leverage their content in a manner that identifies them as unique, convenient, and fun to use on a mobile device? There are a million issues and difficulties associated with this challenge, but the other day I was lurking on the PubLib listserv and picked up on an interesting thread. While my head is constantly spinning with outlandish ideas about custom ebook reader devices, iPhone apps and copyright law problems, sometimes I have to slap myself because the answer is so simple. The first iteration of mobile library services is and will be text message alerts for things like overdue fines, the arrival of an item placed on hold, or really any kind of alert associated with a patron’s account. Why? Because the infrastructure is already there, and it can be expanded upon.

Corinne Dickman posted to PubLib and then explained to me in an email how she has integrated text message alerts into the ILS at her library in Washoe County, Nevada:

“We use Unicorn through Sirsi/Dynix for our ILS, which has the email notification already enabled. By adding the cell number according to the carrier’s instructions as an additional email, the user gets two notifications of holds, overdues, etc. A form allows us to indicate that we don’t charge, consult your carrier, getting the text is not a guarantee, and we also can’t guarantee the message will come across in one text message, or how long it will be.

When I asked her how she figured this out, she said:

“I’m a 45 year old librarian addicted to texting! I was absolutely peeved to discover that text messaging to talk to our patrons how THEY want to be communicated with was expensive and unwieldy. So I remembered from years ago that one could send a text via email. Course, the kids all knew it! So I experimented with multiple email addresses within the library record-just mine-and discovered that I could get the same notification three times: my work email, my home email, and my cell.”

Awesome. I figure that this must be easy enough to set up regardless of what ILS you are using at your library, and I couldn’t believe that this isn’t a standard service everywhere just yet. Hopefully some librarians will read this post, give it a shot, and write back to let everyone know if it is working for them. AND- if you are already doing this at your library and are having success with it, please share your stories! Also, why not take this a step further- if your ILS can send messages to your phone that a book has arrived, what other doors does this potentially open? On the flip side, when would you find you are getting too much information pushed to your cellphone, when would alerts become obnoxious, or even invasive?