Library offers help via instant messenging

IU libraries now offer an opportunity for members of the IU community to chat online and gain instant access to a librarian. This service allows students to ask questions without ever leaving their computer. \nStudents can access this service on the IU Libraries home page by clicking "Ask a Librarian." This service is as easy to use as any other 'instant messenge' service -- simply type in a question, hit enter and wait for the response.\n"Students can ask any question -- in support of learning and research," said Ann Bristow, Head Librarian of the Reference Department. "There is no predetermined limit on the type of question or the complexity." \nThe questions are answered by full-time staff and graduate students from the School of Library and Information Science, all working from the two physical locations of the Reference Department in the Main Library. There is also a staff on instant messager duty Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends.\nThis instant messenger service, similar to America Online's version, has been active since Oct. 1 but has not received the volume that it can potentially handle. The library staff agrees that the service is now ready for students to take full advantage of.\nOne librarian, Jian Liu, has worked at the Library since 1994 and now spends time each day on and off in his three hours at the reference desk answering questions on IM.\n"Typical questions have to do with homework, like 'where can I find this book?'" Liu said. "This service works to serve a specific niche. More and more people are online doing research. There are many reasons, like parking, for why students do not to want to come to the library to ask a small question."\nNot wanting to leave the comfort of your own home is not the only reason to use this new service; many users are actually already in the library. It provides easier and quicker access to the librarians on staff. The instant messenger option is appealing to others, possibly for several reasons.\n"If you are working in the library but don't want to lose the workstation or leave belongings to go and ask for help, or if you like to 'multi-task,'" Bristow said.\nA student can type in a question and tend to other tasks while the librarian produces the answer. For questions that are too lengthy or too complicated for the instant messenger format, librarians will suggest an answer in e-mail. \nReference Librarian Jeffery Graf alerts potential users to the upgrades occurring next month that will provide a cleaned-up version of the program free of glitches, and will also allow co-browsing between the student and the librarian. IU Libraries implemented this service specifically for the use of IU students, staff and faculty.\n"If you are logging on an off-campus computer, you need to put in your name and password," Graf said. \nThis ensures that the librarians can focus their time on the IU community, the community this option is meant to serve.