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IM the Librarian

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Why libraries should consider using it (the good, the bad and the ugly) ... It's kinda like having a Babel fish in your ear! Ok, but who's using IM? ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: IM the Librarian


1
IM the Librarian!
  • An Instant Messaging Primer for Librarians
  • Eboni A. Francis
  • Librarian for Food, Agricultural and
    Environmental Sciences
  • The Ohio State University Libraries
  • NRIC Conference August 4-6, 2007 Las Vegas,
    NV

2
Today we will talk about
  • What exactly IS instant messaging?
  • Whos using it?
  • Why libraries should consider using it (the good,
    the bad and the ugly)
  • IM at some of Ohios academic libraries
  • How OSU is jumping on the IM bandwagon
  • List of resources

3
So, what is IM, anyway?
  • Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time
    communication between two or more people based on
    typed text. The text is conveyed via computers
    connected over a network such as the Internet.

4
So, what is IM, anyway? (contd)
  • Several IM clients are available including
  • AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
  • 53 million active users
  • Windows Messenger (formerly MSN)
  • 27.2 million active users
  • Yahoo Messenger
  • 22 million active users
  • Google Talk
  • Less than 1 million active users
  • And several others!
  • In general, these IM clients can only help users
    communicate with other users ON THE SAME CLIENT,
    unless you use an aggregator.

5
Well, whats an aggregator?
  • An aggregator is a multi-protocol instant
    messaging application that allows communication
    between different IM networks.
  • Here are a few
  • Trillian http//www.ceruleanstudios.com/
  • Meebo http//meebo.com
  • Pidgin http//www.pidgin.im/
  • Fire http//fire.sourceforge.net/
  • Admium http//www.adiumx.com/
  • In other words, aggregators act as translators
    between multiple IM clients.
  • Its kinda like having a Babel fish in your ear!

6
Ok, but whos using IM?
  • 75 of online teens and 65 of all teens (16
    million) use IM
  • 48 of teens who use instant messaging use it
    daily, 30 use it several times a day
  • 42 of online adults reported using instant
    messaging

7
More on IM use
  • 46 of teens said they choose instant messaging
    most often when communicating by text with
    friends, compared with 33 who choose email
  • Teens view email as something you use to talk to
    old people (i.e. US!!), institutions, or to
    send complex instructions to large group

8
Are my patrons using IM?
  • PROBABLY!!
  • Walk around your library
  • Are patrons using IM (either clients or
    web-based)?
  • Are they allowed to?
  • If not, I bet they have (or will) figure out a
    way to do so!
  • More of your patrons will be using IM, and will
    be using it increasingly more, including on their
    mobile devices.

9
Are my patrons using IM? (contd)
  • One way to find out is to conduct a SURVEY.
    Seems pre-historic but it works!
  • Librarians at Ohio University conducted a survey
    among their users. Heres what they asked
  • What is your academic status?
  • Do you use IM?
  • What client?
  • Have you used our chat reference service?
  • Would you ever contact a librarian via IM?
  • Web-based chat reference service is currently
    offered by OhioLINK, but this service is being
    discontinued

10
Are my patrons using IM? (contd)
  • Heres what they found out
  • Over 300 responses in one week
  • 75.8 were undergraduates, 21.9 were graduate
    students
  • 96.7 of all respondents use IM
  • 84.8 use AOL, 24.5 use Yahoo!, 25.5 use MSN
  • 75.8 had NOT used Chat Reference Service
  • 87.4 said they would contact a Librarian via IM

11
OUs IM page
12
Considering IM in your library
13
The good
  • Our patrons are already using it
  • Librarians can be where the patrons areeven if
    they are not in the library
  • Ability to multi-task
  • Its FREE!
  • You can communicate with other librarians and
    faculty too, not just students. Spread the
    library love!!

14
The bad
  • It may be challenging to offer the service for
    the same number of hours as a cooperative
    web-based chat service can provide
  • You can send hyperlinks and transfer files
    through most IM clients, but they dont allow
    page pushing or co-browsing

15
The ugly
  • IM clients are not exempt from computer viruses,
    worms and other pests
  • You may encounter jokesters, pranksters and other
    annoying users
  • Many IM programs allow logging of transcripts of
    conversations but these are not secure

16
IM _at_ Ohios academic libraries
  • Individual libraries
  • Ohio University
  • Harris Library at the Mandel School of Applied
    Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve
    University
  • Kent State University Libraries
  • Marietta College
  • Miami University Libraries
  • Oberlin College
  • University of Akron
  • Wright State University
  • Consortial IM services
  • Chat with a Librarian OhioLINK only
  • KnowItNow 24x7 Statewide service

17
Before you get started
18
Things to keep in mind
  • Begin with a small group of interested staff
  • DEFINITELY team up with your IT folks
  • Survey IM use among library patrons
  • Take virtual field trips to observe how other
    libraries use IM ASK QUESTIONS!!
  • In-house practice sessions
  • Share experiences via listserv, blog, wiki,
    podcast, etc

19
OSU demographics
  • 59,091 students on all 6 campuses (Columbus,
    Wooster, Lima, Marion, Mansfield, Newark)
  • 45,417 undergraduates
  • 10,418 graduate students
  • One main library and several department
    libraries and collections around campus

20
How OSU is doing it
  • Began an IM interest group in Feb. 2006
  • 14 librarians and staff with individual Yahoo IM
    accounts
  • Some of us also have AIM, Windows Live, and
    GoogleTalk accounts
  • IM is especially useful during Thompson Librarys
    3-year renovation

21
How OSU is doing it (contd)
  • OhioLINK chat reference service will end as of
    December 2007 so
  • IM implementation committee convened in June 2007
  • OSUs IM reference service is scheduled to begin
    Sept. 19, 2007

22
Steps to successful implementation
  • Training
  • Software
  • Publicity
  • Hours of operation
  • Staffing
  • Statistics
  • Evaluation

23
Training
  • Set up individual accounts and/or group account
    to share
  • In-house practice sessions
  • Try additional features
  • Voice-to-voice
  • Web cam
  • File transfer

24
Software
  • Participating librarians have individual accounts
    on Yahoo, AIM and MSN (some also have Google
    Talk)
  • Weve also set up a group screen name to share
    OhioStateRefDesk
  • Pidgin is our aggregator of choice
  • The library firewall does not block Pidgin
  • Supports a wide variety of IM protocols
  • Its FREE, open source software
  • Supports file transfers and may have more
    capabilities than other aggregators

25
Publicity
  • We are working to add an Instant Messaging link
    to the navigation bar on all OSU Library web
    pages
  • Perhaps we will model our pages after Ohio
    University Librarys IM page (check out OSUs Vet
    Med Library)
  • OSULs communications office is helping us to
    decide on other publicity methods (tent cards,
    pens/highlighters, posters, etc)
  • Some librarians (like me!) give their individual
    screen names to students and classes

26
Hours of operation / Staffing
  • Sunday 12-8pm (Student employees)
  • Monday-Thursday 12-8pm (Librarians and
    staff)8pm-12am (Student employees)
  • Friday 12-5pm (Librarians and staff)
  • Librarians and staff members to volunteer in
    2-hour shifts
  • Library student employees to staff the service
    when librarians/staff not available

27
Statistics
  • We already record question statistics using this
    online form, and have added IM to it
  • Here we can use the comments section to note
    the kind of questions received
  • We DONT expect to be overwhelmed with questions!

28
Evaluation
  • Nothing to evaluate (yet) but we may consider a
    short, online survey
  • Respondents may be entered into a drawing for a
    neat prize or other incentive
  • Based on results, we will be able to make
    necessary adjustments

29
Resources
  • Reference and Information Services Without
    Walls. College Undergraduate Libraries 13, no.
    4 (2006)
  • Andrew Richard Albanese. Pride of the Buckeyes
    Ohio State University revamps its library
    services as it revamps its buildings. Library
    Journal 4/1/2007 http//www.libraryjournal.com/art
    icle/CA6429250.html
  • Breeding, Marshall. Instant messaging it's not
    just for kids anymore. Computers in Libraries
    23, no. 23 (2003) 38. http//www.librarytechnolog
    y.org/ltg-displaytext.pl?RC10779
  • Educause. 7 Things You Should Know about Instant
    Messaging http//www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/
    ELI7008.pdf
  • Fagan, Jody Condit and Michele Calloway.
    Creating an Instant Messaging Reference System.
    Information Technology and Libraries 20, no. 4
    (2004) 201-212. http//www.lita.org/ala/lita/lita
    publications/ital/2004fagan.cfm
  • Foley, Marianne. Instant messaging reference in
    an academic library a case study. College
    Research Libraries 63, no. 1 (2002) 36-45.
  • Schmidt, Aaron and Michael Stephens. IM Me.
    Library Journal 130, no. 6 (2005) 34-35.
    http//www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA512192.htm
    l?qIMme
  • The Shifted Librarian. Different Communication
    Strokes for Different Folks. http//www.theshift
    edlibrarian.com/archives/2007/05/10/different_comm
    unication_strokes_for_different_folks.html

30
More resources
  • LISWiki
  • Main page http//liswiki.org/wiki/Main_Page
  • Chat reference libraries http//liswiki.org/wiki/
    Chat_reference_libraries
  • Wikipedia
  • Instant messaging http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In
    stant_messaging
  • Multiprotocol instant messaging application
    http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiprotocol_instant
    _messaging_application
  • IM Statistics
  • http//arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060927-7846
    .html
  • Pew Internet Report Teens Technology
    http//www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/162/report_displa
    y.asp

31
Questions/comments?
  • Eboni A. Francis
  • Librarian for Food, Agricultural and
    Environmental Sciences
  • IM ebonifrancis (Yahoo)
  • Office 614.292.9563
  • Email francis.144_at_osu.edu
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