iGS - ask anything
Where does the Kruununhaka district get its name from? What is the official EU definition of a city? Why is there no life on Mars?
In the iGS, information Gas Station provided by the Helsinki City Library, professionals in information retrieval answer questions on just about anything.
- This is a free web service, to which the questions are sent through the library homepage. It is our aim to provide the answer within two weeks of sending the question, says Riitta Taarasti, Planner in the Helsinki City Library.
The answers are sent by e-mail. In addition, questions and answers will be displayed on iGS's website for the enjoyment of all.
- If for some reason our information service professionals do not find an answer to your questions, they will provide tips on where to continue the hunt for the information, says Taarasti.
The birth tale of the iGS service is typical of a web service. It was launched in 2001 as a two-year project but due to its popularity it has become a part of the everyday activities of the Helsinki City Library. iGS has even spawned a weekly radio programme on the Ylen aikainen channel. The iGS radio team contemplates all manner of questions every Thursday at 10.40 am.
Finnish Information Specialists chose iGS as the Information Expert 2004. The City free paper nominated iGS the Best Reference Service in Town in 2005.
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Text: Simo Salmela
Photo: CIty of Helsinki picture bank
