Outline

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Outline IM _at_ Gerstein

• Background
• Gerstein
• IM other reference services
• Planning, Implementing Adapting
• Results of Pilot stages
• Conclusions

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Gerstein Science Information Centre
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Reference Services at Gerstein
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ask.gerstein web presence
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ask.gerstein web presence
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ask.gerstein web presence
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Planning (for success)

• Form a team
• Work towards a date
• Brainstorm logistics
• Marketing plan
• Evaluation planned prior to going live

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Logistics (initially)

• IM aggregator GAIM connects to
• MSN, Yahoo, Google, AIM
• IM hours same as info desk
• Weekly rotation
• Away messages used when necessary
• I will be away from my desk until 1200. In the
  meantime e-mail us at ___ or phone us at ___
• Back in 5!
• One-on-one training with manual

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Marketing

• Bookmarks
• Signs in library
• Banners outside library
• Branding

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Evaluation of service

• Logging through GAIM
• Date, duration, content
• Evaluation questions asked
• Are you a U of T student/staff/faculty/other?
• Where are you IMing us from?
• What do you think of the service?

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Quiz !!

• ASL?

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Quiz !

• TTFN

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What happened?

• April 11 went live
• 250 questions received
• Ranged from _ to _ per week
• Pilot over, service continued
• Success!

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What happened?

• Some troubleshooting required
• Software
• Staffing

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Who asked the questions?
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Who asked the questions?

• Roughly 90 students
• Equal number of grads undergrads
• 5 from outside U of T

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What did they ask?
Typical questions What time does the library
close? I need 3 articles for my assignment
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IM Services used

• Almost 90 MSN
• No AIM users

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Patron feedback

• Some funny
• "is this a robot
• is this the minx with the tightly wound bun?

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Patron feedback

• Some very useful
• "the service the wonderful - i find it efficient
  to ask on msn for info if i cannot find something
  and then drop by the library to pick it up
• I think that it is great, very convenient and
  quick. You told me exactly where to go and what
  to do so that I would be able to find the
  information that I need.

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Patron feedback

• Some made us blush
• I BRAG to my friendsthat I'm talking to a
  librarian or I chatted up the librarian today
  lol, it drives them nuts

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Patron feedback

• More blushing
• The service is awesomeness wrapped up in
  electronic form. I'm so so so pleased that the
  university decided to be technologically advanced
  and realized that sometimes students are too busy
  to trudge all the way down to the library to get
  questions answered from reliable sources

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Is IM a worthwhile addition?

• Definitely
• Patrons use it
• Patrons love it!
• FREE

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Quiz !

• HTH

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Quiz !

• ROTFL

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Acknowledgements
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Questions?