This blog was created for my LIBR 500 Foundations of Information Technology course in the School Of Library, Archival, and Information Studies, at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. This post is the conclusion to my blog, and to start at the beginning, you need to scroll to the bottom of this page and work your way up. The photo in the header of this page is one I took of Shelly Beach in Port Macquarie, Australia, which I visited immediately before I started this course. I love having this photo on my blog, because as I worked on this project, it reminded me of the wide world outside of my computer screen. I think that modern information technology is great, but I prefer spending time in the natural world over time spent in virtual worlds.
The overall topic of this blog is Web 2.0 Technologies: Tools and Services in Libraries, and the web 2.0 service I reviewed and evaluated is instant messaging (IM). There is a simple definition of web 2.0 on Wikipedia. Web 2.0 is about connecting and collaborating with others through the use of the internet. In many libraries, there has been a move towards exploring and adopting some of these services to better serve the information needs of library patrons. While some services require a substantial investment of time and money by libraries, instant messaging is an ideal service for libraries to add because it is available for free. There is still a time commitment required by a librarian to staff the service, but I saw in my review that many libraries are doing this while they do other tasks in the library.
I think that instant messaging services in libraries compliment their existing reference services, especially when it is easily accessible on the libraries homepage, and there are clear instructions on how to use the service. The easiest way for a user to use IM on a library website is a clear link from the homepage to an “Ask a Librarian” or “Ask Us” page, and a link to a webpage that is specific to instant messaging. On the instant messaging page, there should be a simple chat box for users to directly type their question into. The use of these chat boxes can be enhanced by having clear instructions, hours of service, and frequently asked questions on the same page. The page could also include email addresses for other IM service providers, but I would suggest putting these under the chat text box, so that first time users are not confused.
For the purposes of this assignment, I focused on libraries that use instant messaging as a one-to-one service, as opposed to libraries that use collaborative services. I think these services are a wonderful compliment to IM services, as they can offer a 24/7 service, and cover the hours that the local IM service is unavailable. I would not recommend replacing an IM service with a collaborative service, because IM is specific to the library that the user is directing their question to. In a collaborative service, usually state or province wide, users are often having their question answered by librarians from many locations, and who may have general knowledge about many subjects, whereas one-to-one IM directs their question to a specific library or librarian. This can be very useful if the user has a specific inquiry that is locally relevant, or requires a subject librarian in a particular discipline like chemistry, for example.
For anyone reading this blog who is new to instant messaging, I will repeat my definition of instant messaging, and also a look at how instant messaging works from my Introduction. To learn more about using IM, see this short summary: 7 things you should know about Instant Messaging. You can also look at the links, videos, and blogs in the right hand sidebar of this blog to get some more information. I especially like the YouTube video, Instant Message Me, which has a Mom and a daughter using instant messaging to talk over the internet. Now that this blog is finished, I look forward to spending more time talking to my daughter face-to-face.
I welcome anyone who is using instant messaging in a library setting to comment, and to include links to the page(s) of their library website that shows their instant messaging service options.
Cheers, Karen Hudson
