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Table 5.1 IM/SMS System Requirements

Must

have

Should

have

Nice

tohave Queues & the ability to move between them

Reporting functions (statistics; must be exportable tocsv or tab)

Visible queues, status & assignment for all staff lookingat the data

Must work on network reliably

More than one librarian can access at a time

Works on common browsers & operating systems (forusers)

Ability to store data disassociating patron names/idsfrom content of questions

Archives and data must be stored on local server(s) orsecure vendor server

Can send clickable links

Supports patron authentication

Scalability

Customizable user interface

If its a commercial product, has good customer servicereputation & support

Individual identifier for each transaction

Transaction logs must be searchable (keywords)

Email transcript to user option Tagging (categorization) by staff

Librarian to librarian interactions possible

Can handle IMs from commercial providers (e.g.,GoogleTalk, AOL, etc.)

Can send messages to cell phones & other devices

Can send images & files

Capable of easily transferring a query from onelibrarian to another

Functional from reference desks

Does not require librarian to be on the local network(available from anywhere)

Good documentation

Works with text messaging systems (or includes it)

Has canned answers available automatically

Spell-check

Works on mobile devices

Support from vendor

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Could have multiple instances, e.g., different queues

Knowledgebase for staff and or public (FAQ builder)

Co-browsing

Customizable staff interface

Surveys possible

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