Why use IM for library reference?
What is the difference between IM and Virtual Reference/Chat?
How do you get staff comfortable with using it?
How do you implement the service?
How often should it be available and what times of the day?
Is there a downside?
What libraries are using it?
These questions are answered in the article by Aaron Schmidt and Michael Stephens entitled “IM Me”. (Library Journal, April 1, 2005)
A library reference chat can be done with a librarian/service anywhere in the world. An IM session is done with your local library. If needed, you could physically visit the library and pick up the materials you need to use. Everything doesn’t have to be on the Internet and emailed or faxed to you. If you are a regular library user, you would be dealing with people you already know.
Schmidt and Stephen’s suggestion to have the library staff IM each other (especially between buildings) seems like a good idea to me. Everyone could get familiar with using it, so when the library implemented it’s use with patrons, it would not be a scary, new thing. And it’s faster than email and less expensive than using the phone. My own library has two buildings that are in different area codes.
I think a lot of the resistance to implementing new technology is the fear that it will be hard to learn and that it will take a lot of staff time away from the desk (i.e., patrons that are physically present). Does it mean adding staff? The bottom line is always, “how does it fit in the budget?”
Have any of you (classmates) used IMing for library reference? What library did you use? What do you think of it?
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6 comments:
This does seem like a great use of time for everyone. However, the point of budget is well take. This needs more investigating. Thanks for your input.
In Michael Leonard's LIS 704 Reference class, we had a guest speaker lecture about the IM Reference in Illinois. Unfortunately I can't remember her name. She is also a LIS teacher at Dominican and is the director of the River Forest Public Library. From what I can recall from her lecture, IM reference work is a feasible service in Illinois Libraries. One option is to do it cooperatively through a program called Ask Away. http://www.askawayillinois.info/signup.php
Is AskAway actually IM or chat-based reference? There is a difference.
The cost of IM reference as AAron and I stated can be rather low but it does involve STAFF TIME!
I really like the "digital age" reference book by former IPL leader Joseph Janes. He explores email and chat reference in detail, listing all the pros and cons of these services.
I think IM reference is a great idea. It allows the librarian to send the patron links to sites or the catalog that the librarian is using to answer their questions. I'm excited about creating a page for our project because I want to see how feasible it is to create a service like this using free web 2.0 tools.
I finally had the need for distance reference help, so I looked to see if Dominican offered email or IM. I could not find any resources on the Dominican Library site offering these type of help. How ironic is that!
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