IM the Librarian

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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OUs IM page
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Considering IM in your library
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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!!

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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

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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

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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

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Before you get started
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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

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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

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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

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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

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Steps to successful implementation

• Training
• Software
• Publicity
• Hours of operation
• Staffing
• Statistics
• Evaluation

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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