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WhatsApp at HKUST Library: A New Channel for User Communica?on
Victoria Caplan: Head of Reference & Collec?on Services Ki-‐Tat Lam: Associate University Librarian Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Library
May 28, 2014
Last revised 5 May 2014
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Outline Background
– HKUST Library communica?on channels – HKUST informa?on service desk trends – Social media trends – Use of smartphones trends
Project Details – Goal – Challenges – Service soV-‐launched in January 2014 – Results so far
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2013 HKUST Library communica?on channels
• Walk-‐up to the service points – InfoDesk, Circula?on Counters, Informa?on and Learning Commons Help Desks
• Phone • Email • Online “Ask a Librarian” form • Other Online Channels
– Library website, news blog, Facebook, YouTube, RSS feeds, etc.
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Ques?ons at Library Informa?on Desk -‐Trends
297 229 166 138 175 405 312 295 284 249
3876 4320 3865
3347 3209
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Walk-‐up
Phone
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VR, DR, & Social Media Trends
• “Digital Reference“ has been around for years – IM; “ask a librarian forms”, various chat soVware
• HKUST had considered chat, text, & IM in past – Concerns about whether IM worth ?me & effort – SMS = $$$$$ – HKUST’s Blog, SmartCAT, Facebook, etc. get lijle interac?on from users
• Free WiFi tex?ng recently growing popular
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Smartphones Now Ubiquitous in Hong Kong
• Hong Kong’s smartphone penetra?on = 87%1
• 90% of students have Smartphones2
– Most popular uses: phone calls, SMS & WhatsApp
• Students seem to use smartphones everywhere • WhatsApp tone ringing frequently in Library
1. Nielsen Corpora?on. (2013, September 17th ). The Asian Mobile User Decoded. Retrieved from hjp://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2013/the-‐asian-‐mobile-‐consumer-‐decoded0.html
2. Luo, Qi. (2013, November 5th ). Students Gepng Smarter as Phone Use Rises. The Standard, Local, p. 12. Retrieved from Wisers.
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2013 – Thoughts & Goals
2013 Spring • WhatsApp thoughts
– Free with WiFi connec?on throughout HKUST – Most smartphone users also have internet connec?on via providers off campus
– Easy to install & use! – Very common among HK people (even non-‐techies) – No need to download widget or do anything special
Goal: Start to use WhatsApp for InfoDesk Services Summer –> Fall 2013 • Ref & Systems colleagues began to talk and plan
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Service Model Drives Decisions
• Keep it simple • Keep it inexpensive • It’s just another communica?on channel
– WhatsApp Service is just another medium for Informa?on (Reference) service – like phone, email, or walk-‐up
– Best (at least ini?ally) handled like other forms of ques?ons – via the shiV-‐work at the InfoDesk
– Only one staff responsible at a ?me (whoever is on the InfoDesk shiV)
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Challenges
Just buying a mobile phone not best solu?on – InfoDesk shiV work (2-‐6 hour shiVs) – Security (misplaced, lost, or stolen) – Bajery Charging – Small keyboard & thumb dexterity – Want easy way for staff to input Chinese
Why not try and set-‐up answering WhatsApp (& WeChat) via desktop computer
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Technical Challenges Emula?ng Android mobile screens and inputs on desktop computer
L Google’s Android emulator: mainly for developers L Genymo?on: display issues J BlueStacks App Player: OK speed; few display issues √ adopted
Emulator on PC does not have physical SIM card, but WhatsApp requires communica?on via the mobile phone number during installa?on
– Resolved The emula?on PC is housed in Library Server Room
– InfoDesk staff connect to this PC via Remote Desktop Connec?on
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Mobile phone number
5918-5097 Mobile phone number
9876-‐5432
Jerry
Remote Desktop Connec?on
InfoDesk Office
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Click this icon to launch WhatsApp BlueStacks Player for Windows
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Librarian at InfoDesk checks WhatsApp on PC Patron chats to librarian
via WhatsApp
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Human Challenges– Service Guidelines
• Similar to phone & email: – If you can answer quickly & easily via this medium, do so
– If not, refer to others or suggest other mediums
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Human Challenges -‐ Training November -‐ > December 2013 1. Systems colleagues wrote basic instruc?ons 2. Systems ini?al briefing & training Ref staff (mid-‐
November 2013)
3. Ref colleagues wrote up service guidelines & posted those & the system instruc?ons on staff manual (mid-‐December 2013)
4. Ref staff & staff from other depts. who serve at InfoDesk met for Q&A & discussion (mid-‐December 2013)
January 2014 – soV-‐launched service
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Human Interac?on – Staff Acceptance Some trepida?on at first What helped? • SoV-‐launch in January -‐ knowing ini?al uptake would be low (between semesters)
• Reminder that it was just another form of what we have been doing for decades
• Reassurance that one could call on other colleagues to help
• Posi?ve reac?on from patrons aVer start of new semester (Feb 2014)
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WhatsApp Promo?on
February 2014 • Facebook pos?ng • Email announcement • Library Newslejer ar?cle • Physical signs at Circula?on Desk & InfoDesk • Added to all general contact pages on Library Web pages & Libguides
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A WhatsApp ques?on and answers
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Another WhatsApp ques?on
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Bilingual -‐WhatsApp Service
Note: Library was closed on April 20 (Easter Sunday) and therefore the first ques?on could only be answered aVer Library opened at 1pm on 21 April (Easter Monday).
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I got it. Much appreciated you prompt reply. This whatsapp service is awesome
Users Like the WhatsApp Service
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Thanks a lot! You’re very helpful!
Users Like the WhatsApp Service
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Users Like the WhatsApp Service
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Patron Response Stats
Question Format Question Count Percentage
Email 23 2.6 %
WhatsApp 60 6.8 %
Phone 71 8 %
Walk-‐Up 729 82.6 %
Totals 883 100 %
InfoDesk Reference Sta?s?cs February 4, 2014 -‐ > April 29, 2014
Comparable to chat reference in other HK Libraries: FY 2012-‐131: Lingnan = 132 chat sessions & HKBU = 226 1. Chan, Chris. 2013, November 29. Chapng up a storm: collabora?ng on Chat Reference. JULAC Libraries Forum. Retrieved from hjp://www.julac.org/?uamfiletype=ajachment&uamgevile=hjp://www.julac.org/wp-‐content/uploads/JForum2013_LSC_collabora?ng_on_chat_reference.pdf
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Patron Response : Feb 4. –> April 30 stats – Past 5 years
54 31 44 31 23 72 83 69 66 71
974 999 948 835
729
60
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Walk-‐up
Phone
Fall 2014 will give bejer idea – usually fall semester = ~ 2/3 of all InfoDesk ques?ons
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Wrap Up – Thoughts for Future
How may this impact academic libraries’ communica?ons with stake holders?
– Helps users by being very convenient (users always have their smartphones with them, in the Library, at home, on a bus, etc.)
– May help users know they can turn to the informa?on services for all ques?ons, big & small
– May help library to promote other services (e.g. research consulta?on, ILL, etc.)
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Q&A
Aldridge, Mark. (2003). Ques?on Mark Cloud. Retrieved from WikiMediaCommons hjp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ques?on_Mark_Cloud.jpg
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Infrogman?on (2007). Thank you messages from our Lady of Guadelupe Gro@o. Retrieved from hjp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GuadalupeNOLA15Oct07ThanksHearts.jpg
Thanks