IM me

Maybe your library isn't using instant messaging (IM), but you can be certain that a good number of your users are. According to the September 2004 study "How Americans Use Instant Messaging," by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 53 million adults send instant messages on a daily basis. How many are your users or potential users?

IM is also making inroads in the corporate world, on the desktops of more than 11 million Americans. With such a wealth of participants out there, it makes sense that librarians jump into the IM fray to make their services available to their unique audience via this technology.

This is not just any audience; many IMers are those hard-to-reach Millennials who grew up in the 1980s with computers and don't think of them as technology. "IM is essential because it aligns library services with the preferred technology of this target population of users—a huge mass of future library and information users who could, potentially and scarily, become nonusers," says Stephen Abram, vice president of innovation at Sirsi.

IM reference works in much the same way as do other flavors of reference—just think of it as a sped-up email transaction. Questions generally begin with a cordial preamble, just like at the reference desk. Some introductory behavior, however, is unique to younger users. "Are you real or are you a robot?" is commonly asked of IMing librarians.

Like in-house patrons, people who IM often need help expressing their information needs. With IM, the reference interview doesn't float away in conversation, it's right there before you. The types of questions received via IM are similar to those received via telephone, and IM works well with what Ashley Robinson, librarian at Pennsylvania State University Libraries, calls "just in time" reference: questions about library services, phone numbers, or a URL. Emailing articles from subscription databases and getting immediate patron feedback are also great ways to employ IM. In the process, librarians can truly be their users' personal guide through the information ocean.

How does IM compare with that other online reference service, chat? "IM reference connects patrons with local librarians and is often less formal," explains Sarah Houghton, E-services librarian, Marin County Free Library, CA. Chat also "has rather strict systems requirements that sometimes cause system or software crashes and bad reference experiences for the patron," she says. "If we could offer IM reference 24/7, we would."

Marin County's service went live in January, and while many of the questions are homework related, Houghton also reports questions from adults, especially local businesspeople. "We've received some circulation inquiries, but most questions have definitely been of the traditional reference variety," she says.

The easiest way to get staff comfortable with IM is to promote its use within the library. "The main reason that we use IM rather than phone is that we cover a large geographic area. Some branches are not within the local calling area of one another," says Kevin Smith, assistant director of Cass District Library, MI. An IM to a colleague requesting a quick fact or asking "What time is the meeting?" can improve workflow and communications.

Karen Wenk, science digital initiatives librarian, Rutgers University, agrees that interoffice communication can be improved with IM. "We are able to talk about things that we would hesitate to say in an email," she notes. "Office politics and more 'feeling' type of things are best said without the thought of an everlasting email trail."

It is also important to experience new methods of communication. "Librarians really need to get on an IM network and use it so they can become familiar with the nonlibrarianish world of chat. Anyone doing chat reference who doesn't use IM in their daily life is really missing an important perspective," says Jody Fagan, digital services librarian, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Some libraries don't allow IM or chat at all. According to one librarian, "I needed it for a virtual reference training class and had to petition…for permission." Also, nonusers may view it as trivial, more for fun than meaningful communication. School librarians may even have the mandate to make sure kids don't use IM.

In addition, "Some librarians are afraid of being overwhelmed with questions, are not comfortable handling multitasking…don't type very fast, or just prefer face-to-face interaction," states Chris Desai, who manages the IM initiative at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

IM patrons do present some unique demands, says Houghton, "particularly their desire for quick (almost instantaneous) answers."

Another challenge lies in unintended uses. One librarian reported that "the staff updates one another with missed messages…but I also think they chat amongst themselves without the boss overhearing." This misuse is tempered by the improvements in communication and workflow. "There is much debate about how IM might affect productivity, which apparently mirrors concerns raised about phones and email when they moved into the workplace" says Sayeed Choudhury, associate director for library digital programs, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins. "If anything, it enhances it."

Training, scheduling, and promotion are all key to implementing an IM reference service. Training can be similar to sessions created for virtual reference: highlighting how to insert URLs, predefining text messages ("please wait while I get that answer"), and emphasizing getting comfortable with the unexpected. Play out reference scenarios.

Desai says that "staffing the evening hours is difficult. It is sometimes assumed that IM reference has to be 24/7, which is pretty tough." Strategies for implementation differ because of contextual factors. Duke University Libraries offer IM reference Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight, with slightly limited weekend hours. Coverage like this isn't possible for the majority of public libraries. Expecting high youth usage, many offer IM from afternoon through early evening.

Houghton says she publicized her service every way imaginable: sending press releases to local papers (one generated a feature story), distributing flyers and business cards with the library's screen name, reaching out to schools, and posting on the library's blog, e-newsletter, and homepage.

Instant messaging isn't going to replace other forms of communication. But it can make your reference services relevant to a whole new group of users, while serving existing users even better. Says Houghton, "IM results in patrons getting better service, while illustrating again the vital role librarians play in providing information that the search engines cannot fulfill."