Lots of talk of that QuestionPoint qwidget going on at this conference. I didn’t realize how many folks were into this vendor-chat thing. Overall I think I’m more interested in bringing IM to our virtual reference offerings. We participate in L-net and I firmly believe in the importance of the service, but I do believe that our students are going to be more apt to use IM. Actually, I’m most convinced that we need to figure out txt reference, but that’s another post.

I really appreciated Bill Pardue’s (slam the boards) talk on predatory reference. As he said, think of it as a nature film: we are question-eating animals. I love that! We consume questions and we need to hunt them down. It may have been once upon a time that our potential users had nowhere else to go, but that is not true any longer. Consider services like ChaCha that are actively stalking our prey (questions). How do we connect to our patrons when they are not in our buildings, virtual spaces, and other ‘expected’ locales? We need to be in the quad, at the caf, over by the gym, in the coffee shop, etc. See the notes on this section for a brief overview of what some academic folks have been doing. Hey bosslady, can we have a hot dog cart, too?! (Or one of those bike ice cream carts, as I quipped on Facebook)

Kudos to Greg Notess for actually making me take an interest in screencasting (libcasting as he calls it). I had really been yawning at this idea for quite a while now, but I am starting to see the light.

News from the Front: Effects of QuestionPoint’s IM Widget on Chat Traffic
Virginia Cole, Olin Library, Cornell University, NY

Chat as distinct from IM– chat = full service, keeps transcripts, transcripts can be emailed, many features, etc.

Qwidget (QP widget)

Staff experience with IM (not full featured chat)

  • openings in IM
  • traffic spikes
  • lack of email address in IM/anonymity (full chat logs and identifies by email addy)
  • users more often open without a question in IM
  • “how ya doing?” “hi?” etc.

IM traffic spikes… Real or imagined?

  • peak period
  • spikes=
    • more than one chat
    • within 5 minutes of each other
    • same librarian/same shift
  • transaction length
    • none less than 2.5 mins
    • IM tends to be used for under 8 mins
    • chat tends to be less than 16 mins
    • 12 mins still tends to be the norm
    • patrons choose IM when they have shorter questions, choose chat for longer
  • Question types
    • chat has tons of research questions, IM has decent research questions
    • IM tends toward questions on holdings, etc.
  • will see hurry statements in IM moreso than chat
  • users and anonymity — in most cases doesn’t seem to be an issue
  • location is key but extended hours most important
  • after break-in period staff will adjust
  • 50% of users choose no-login IM
  • but 50% stayed with chat

Implementing “Predatory Reference”: Fun and Innovative Approaches to Moving Reference Beyond the Library
Bill Pardue, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL   (slam the boards)

  • Predatory reference
    • like a nature film — we are question-eating animals
    • we consume questions
    • we need to hunt them down!
  • why go predatory?
    • because 90% of users identify the  library with books and nothing but books (OCLC “perceptions of libraries” report)
    • people don’t have questions just when they are in the library
    • ppl who arent at library aren’t thinking of calling us when they have questions?
    • our users ARE going to other places
    • it’d be nice to show off when it’s unexpected
  • get the patrons when they are not
    • in the building
    • on the website
    • on our Facebook
    • etc
  • what’s the goal?
    • provide reference?
    • meet people and marketing?
    • not mutually exclusive but need to make one or other primary!
  • common strategies
    • get out of the building
      • do reference in odd places!
      • colleges — think dorms, quads, etc.
        • librarian house calls (franklin & marshall univ.)
          • also univ of Tennessee at Knoxville
        • roaming librarian
          • Northwestern at student center, cafeteria, etc.
        • Out on the quad (with hot dog cart)
          • George Mason Univ
          • later adopted at Penn state berks (billy walker bew11@psu.edu)
          • answer cart/library dude
        • Plan some fun and call it reference
          • jessamyn pub nights…
      • public libraries — same ideas, town center, parks, senior centers, nursing homes, downtown, bookmobile, grocery store, etc.
    • lurk and leap
    • weasel your way in
      • embedded librarians
      • enroll in blackboard, etc.
  • consider whether you will have an audience for your service (promote vs. provide)
  • make sure you have buy-in from the location you choose

Quick Screencasts for Distance Reference
Greg R. Notess, Montana State University, MN
searchengineshowdown.com
notess.com/screencasting

  • modern library
    • we buy stuff
    • we’re pushy (we push out resources out)
    • we’re everywhere
  • why screencasts?
    • proactive assistant
    • communicate with distant people
    • accessible 24/7, like our resources
    • teach visually, with audio
    • have fun!
  • use them for
    • response to email and phone
    • quick tutorials
    • communicating with tech support
  • how to create one?
    • record a video
      • screen motions including mouse movements and clicks
      • audio commentary
      • can be updated quickly
      • many software choices