Instant Messaging in Libraries: Ten Points from Aaron Schmidt
Aaron Schmidt’s 10 points about IM in libraries include:
- Instant Messaging is free (minus staff time)
- Millions of our patrons use IM every day.
- For some, not being available via IM is like not having a telephone number.
- There are three major IM networks (AIM, Y!M, MSN)
- Y!M and MSN will be interoperable at some point.
- Trillian is a multi-network IM client, meebo is a web-based multi-network client. Use them.
- Having practice sessions in-house is a good way to get staff excited about IM in libraries.
- Staff can communicate in-house using IM.
- Libraries can choose to have one IM point of contact, or they can choose to divide it departmentally.
- IM is user-centered and builds relationships with library users.
edit: URL fixed as per Aaron’s comment below.
tags: aim, im, im client, im networks, instant messaging, libraries, library, public relations, point of contact, reference, reference services, relationships, telephone, telephone number, trillian
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Not your fault, but rather my lazy arse, but the link to the original post is broken. This one is better:
http://walkingpaper.org/212
Love your pics of the gorey house, btw.
[...] I noted Aaron Schmidt’s points on IM in libraries previously, but what I didn’t say then was how certain I was that popular instant messaging clients like AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo!’s or Google’s are far superior to the so-called virtual reference products. Why? They’re free, our patrons are comfortable, and they work. Ah, heck, just take a look at what Michael Stephens was saying about them last week (as quoted by Teresa Koltzenburg at ALA TechSource): “Back in 2002, my library jumped into the virtual reference game, and we wrote a gigantic check to an unnamed VR company. We spent the summer doing intensive training. I was training at that time at my library, and I designed a four-session, four-hour-apiece training course to get people comfortable with this huge, scary thing that was virtual reference.†[...]