iGS information Gas Station

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iGSinformation Gas Station
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iGS

• iGS is designed to be a movable information
  station in two parts self service pumps and a
  double-sided service unit. People can come to the
  station with their questions and problems or they
  can send questions to the station by email, SMS
  etc.

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Media Piazza of SanomaWSOY Publishing House
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iGS Starting Points

• Establish a place and premices for personal face
  to face service
• Promote information service
• Test mobility

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Project
Funded by the Access to Learning Award (Bill
Melinda Gates Foundation, 2000) iGS started in
30th January 2001
2001 at the Lasipalatsi Film and Media Centre
2002 on tour
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1. Personal Service 1

• Self service is the trend of today
• lending, payment etc.
• Often self service is better service
• avoid queues by lending desk
• not personal control Dont look what I read

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1. Personal Service 2

• Everybody can search information all information
  by Google
• ? on the contrary, valid information is not easy
  to find
• Oversupply of information
• Licenced resources and databases
• Peoples routine ways on their information
  behaviour
• ? demand for knowledge on possibilities and
  effective or manysided ways of search

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1. Personal Service 3
Traditional model Librarian is a gatekeeper
iGS model Librarian is a consult

• Customer have to decide which information is
  relevant
• -gtat every phase of search process (not only
  final results)

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Side by Side
Why iGS brand? At a good old gas station you
get your windscreeen cleaned, and so in
information Gas Station, if your screen is dusty
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2. Promote Information Service

• Motto Ask anything
• Widen the range of librarish information needs
• Citizen's Special Assistant
• lack of skills
• lack of time

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Principles

• Facta is given if possible, not only references
• Limits of factual answers health, laws etc. ?
  refer to the specialist on the basis of common
  sense

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3. Mobility

• Mobile service at virtual
• customers information needs arise on the road
  and they want send questions from anywhere
• Movable unit
• we move along the road
• to places we are needed
• The librarian with the portable computer?

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SMS

• People can send questions on the road
• Answers are directed back to the mobile telephone
• 160 characters (also the answers)
• Charge of 0,84

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Team

• 10 persons work for iGS, mostly at their own
  libraries
• Experiences transfer in a natural way to the
  everyday life and enrich their home libraries
• On tour 1-2 person work at the station, others
  work by remote service

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Tours Work at the Info Station

• Gigs and breaks variate
• Guests can visit physically, but within limited
  time and place
• Helsinki Railway Station, Shopping Centers,
  Service Houses for Senior Citizens, Media Piazza
  of Sanoma Publishing House, Book Fairs etc

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iGS arrivals by lorry
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Construct of two identic elements
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Model of neon ligth from old Gas Station
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In one hour construction is ready
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Connection via cable, ADSL, WLAN
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Remote Service

• Continuous and non-stop work besides ones
  regular work
• Service also at weekends (some members of the
  team work on sundays)

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Top Subjects 2002
60 subject categories

• iGS SMS
• Languages, words ... 7
• Health ............. 5
• People ............. 5
• Music .............. 5
• Geography, places .. 4
• Food drinks ...... 4
• N778

iGS Email Music .............8 Languages,
words ..6 IT ................5 Economy,
business..4 Health ............4
Authors,litterature4 N3942
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Volumes 2001-2003
All services

• Total 7764
• 2001 2978
• 2002 4786

Virtual questions in a day
)
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Who Are They?

• Regular customers (have sent more than one
  questions)
• Heavy users

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2003

• Economic cutbacks of the city
• The tours continue, but less
• On-line service on radio / TV

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Conclusions

• iGS seem to be something special
• Personal service for those who need it
• All kinds of information needs are wellcome
• A paradox of information society
• information has become easier to reach for
  professionals, but ordinary citizens are more
  confused
• 10 years ago this kind of service could not be
  possible

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• http//igs.kirjastot.fi/ (finnish)
• http//igs.kirjastot.fi/index3.html (in english)