KnowItNow24x7 is an online reference service for the citizens and residents of Ohio brought to you by the State Library of Ohio and libraries throughout the state. Professional librarians are available to answer your reference questions and to assist you in finding information. The service is one of the busiest of its kind in the United States. OhioLINK formed a partnership with KnowItNow24x7 in April 2008 to provide online reference service to their students. The OhioLINK service is named KnowItNow Academic.
NOTE: Beginning on July 1, 2013, you will once again be able to chat live with a librarian 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, and the service will not be closed on holidays. Further details will be posted as that date approaches.
Once logged on with your Ohio ZIP code (or institution, in the case of KnowItNow24x7 Academic) during the hours of 7:00 am through 1:00 am, you and a librarian engage in an online chat session. The librarian will share their expertise and provide high-quality, authoritative web sites and online database resources via web addresses within the chat.
If you provide your email address on the Please tell us about your question page, you will receive in your email a copy of your conversation including all links to the resources shared with you.
Currently, you can have a live chat with a librarian seven days a week from 7:00 am to 1:00 am.
In addition to chatting live, you also have the option to leave a message which will be answered by a librarian by email, usually within the same business day. The leave-a-message option is available after you click "Connect to a librarian" on the Please tell us about your question page. This leave-a-message option is also available during the hours of 1:00 am to 7:00 am. Messages received during this time will be replied to as soon as possible after the service re-opens in the morning.
You can also use your phone to text KnowItNow24x7 by texting knowitnow to 66746. Texts received from 1:00 am to 7:00 am will receive an automatic response first (indicating the service is presently closed) but will recieve a follow-up with detailed information answering their question as soon as possible after the service re-opens.
Another option for receiving information is to contact one of the KnowItNow24x7 instant messaging libraries listed at www.knowitnow.org/im.php during regular business hours.
KnowItNow24x7 is closed on the following holidays:
KnowItNow Academic is available 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday. Outside those hours, students are routed to public or after-hours librarians who are able to serve them.
Whether you're a college student needing help with a research paper, a middle school student needing ideas for your science fair project, or anyone looking for suggestions for a good book to read, KnowItNow24x7 is here to help you find what you are looking for. Although KnowItNow24x7 librarians cannot provide tutoring assistance, they can provide authoritative, helpful information to get you heading in the right direction for homework assignments, research projects, or any other information needs.
But you don't have to be a student to use KnowItNow24x7! The librarians staffing our service are also able to help with any information you might be looking for, whether it be for work, home, or just to answer your curiosity.
There are a variety of levels of KnowItNow24x7 participation:
KnowItNow24x7 is made available free-of-charge to all citizens and residents of Ohio through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded by the State Library of Ohio.
During regular hours, librarians working in public, academic, and special libraries around the state staff KnowItNow24x7 and handle questions as part of their regular reference duties. Overnight and during some daytime and early evening hours, librarians working outside libraries provide online reference service. These librarians work in various places throughout Ohio and are contracted and supervised by the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NEO-RLS) based in Warren.
KnowItNow24x7 is a registered trademark of the Cleveland Public Library for "providing online interactive librarian services."
| Trademark | Status |
|---|---|
| KNOWITNOW24x7 | ® |
| KnowItNow | ™ |
| KIN24x7 | ™ |
| ™ |
| ™ |
KnowItNow24x7 was established to provide timely, authoritative answers to factual questions and guidance in conducting personal research using the World Wide Web, library-provided databases, and the collections of libraries staffing the service (referred to as Libraries below).
Every effort is made to provide accurate information; however, the Libraries do not control the content of resources used. The user agrees to hold the Libraries harmless from any claims, losses, damages, obligations, or liabilities relating to the use of information obtained from this service.
The provision of any factual information or materials, and the identification of other web sites that may be useful in obtaining additional information regarding legal or medical issues cannot be construed as advice. Only a professional practitioner can provide specific advice and direction in resolving legal and/or medical issues.
The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the reproduction, distribution, adaptation, public performance, and public display of copyrighted material. Responsibility for any possible copyright infringement lies solely with the user; the Library disclaims any responsibility or liability resulting thereof.
If you have further questions or comments about KnowItNow24x7, you may email support (at) knowitnow (dot) org.
March 2013
