SMS & Text Messaging
Another form of chat/instant messaging that is hugely popular is SMS or text messaging between mobile phones (or between mobile phones & PCs).
SMS, or "Short Message Service is a communications protocol allowing the interchange of short text messages between mobile telephony devices. The SMS technology has facilitated the development and growth of text messaging. The connection between the phenomenon of text messaging and the underlying technology is so great that in parts of the world the term "SMS" is used colloquially as a synonym for a text message from another person or the act of sending a text message." [Wikipedia] In use since 1985, SMS allows for a user to send a text with up to 160 characters between devices.
I'd wager that many of you have already sent a text message between phones. Did you know that you can also send SMS messages from your PC to a phone? You just need the receivers phone number and provider. Here are links to a few of the major mobile phone providers and their PC to phone text messaging:
What about libraries? There are libraries now using text messaging to communicate with customers, receive questions and search the catalog. Take a look at some of these examples:
-Receive a text message from the catalog - tired of writing down all those titles? (University of Oregon)
-Ask a Science Librarian (Yale University Science Library)
-Get your library notices via SMS (Cuyahoga County Public Library)
-Search the catalog (Bibliothece di Roma)
How would you like to see SMS/text messaging used in the library?
