Meebo
Although I’d heard a lot about meebo (mainly from a co-worker who’s granddaughter is addicted) I had never actually used the service. I think it’s great. Really, but to me chatting is not exciting. I remember having an ICQ account, then IM, but I guess I’m just not an instant messaging type of person. The ease of talking to people online, was never something I enjoyed. I’d rather pick up the phone and hear their voice.
But that does not mean that instant messaging and online chat don’t have their advantages. For many it’s the best way to keep in touch, and to carry on multiple conversations at once. And for reference work, it’s the easiest way to reach patrons who have come to the website to research information, but would otherwise not be talking to a Librarian. For the reference chat assignment I contacted the reference librarians at slcl.org, or st. louis county library. They say that primarily that the people they see coming in for their services are older, less tech savvy people, whereas the younger generation tend to access the reference chat. They also see a lot of inquiries about certain books the library may hold, and it’s genealogical section as they hold a portion of the National Geological Society’s records. They say that in response to chat sessions that are lengthy they have implemented a service called Book a Librarian, where they can set up an individual session with a patron for more indepth, in person service for those complicated reference questions. They have a set rotation for chatting service so that the chat room is covered at all times without a librarian having to choose between the person in front of them or on the internet, which is a very nice way to staff the reference department to ensure that everyone gets their needs attended to. On the whole they seem to have covered the bases with their chat service.
