I would like to say that it is easy to keep up with all of the latest trends in libraryland, but it’s not. I have been reading about and following the trend of using IM in lieu of more traditional virtual reference software for over a year. I remember Chad Boeninger down the road at OU (that’s Ohio University) talking about his experiment using AOL IM with OU’s B-School folks at OhioLINK’s 2004 Reference Rendezvous. [Read Chad's recent post about OU's use of IM.]
In case you are trying to keep up-to-speed with what’s going on, you may want to check out what Sarah is writing over at LibrarianInBlack. She has been posting from the Virtual Reference Desk Conference.
Check out these posts:
- Adoption of Instant Messaging for Chat at a Research Library in Conjunction with the Formal Chat Software Used: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- Instant Messaging: An Alternative Virtual Reference Solution?: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- User Satisfaction and Best Practices: Correlation in Live Online Reference: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- Hurry! Hurry! R u dum? *#%@!: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- Heavyweights Beware: Alternatives to Traditional Virtual Reference Products: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- r u there? Adding IM to an Established Virtual Reference Service: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- IM Working with Trillian: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- Evaluation of a Chat Reference Service from the User’s Perspective: Virtual Reference Desk Conference
- Trillian training
