I am from a branch where IM is not a task that we are responsible for. It was though very interesting to hear what others had to say about how it is going. It sounds like it is a lot of fun going back and forth with patrons about questions that they might have. It sounds like business is very slow right now but we are hopeful that it's popularity will really soar once word gets out. I think that it is another great way for our libraries to reach out to the public and help them out with their questions.
I think that IMing and reference at the library are a pretty good mix as long as the questions don't get too involved. If the questions are too involved then the customer will not have the immediate response/answer that they have been seeking. People who use IM expect an immediate response and sometimes those are pretty hard shoes to fill. Ah.... the pressure on the librarian to quickly find the answer and send it back to them. The clock keeps ticking. Tick, tick, tick.......
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