IM Reference: Coming Soon!
The Tech Trends committee has been super busy and Leslie M. is super eager to get IM reference into the branches. So...here's the plan.
Tech Trends folks are going to find us an IM client and worry about sign up and all that part. Chris Rich and I (with help from Sue R. when she gets back from Europe) will develop some internal procedures. RQT will help with that also. Goshen and Amelia branches will serve as beta sites beginning on June 15. Then the great hope is that we will have IM reference in all ten branches by September 30. That's a fairly short time frame, but I'm confident that we can do it.
We will, of course, have discussion about this at managers' meetings, and at RQT to hash out any problems, glitches, etc. We will also have discussions on integrating all this with current reference practices AND with roving reference, which is also being introduced this summer.
All of this means a fairly seriously paradigm shift in the way we think about reference. Reference work will become much more customer oriented, with greater focus on customer needs and less on "covering the desk." We will be adopting new ideas about both our electronic availability and physical availability to our users. We can think of it as a proactive, rather than reactive, attitude toward reference.
But more later...your thoughts and opinions are most welcomed.
Liz
posted by Liz @ 8:41 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Liz, I think this is awesome! Looking forward to it.
c
Well, now! It has been pointed out to me that I'm clearly not an IM-er. Which is very true, I'm not.
Let me clarify here. Once we have Amelia and Goshen up and running with IM Reference, the service will be available to anyone in the whole wide world, not just Amelia and Goshen customers. It will simply be Amelia and Goshen staff answering the questions. By September 30, we'll add other branch staff (as needed) to answer questions. But the service is available from the get-go.
I have talked with Julie at MR because naturally we have to market this new service. She's on and thinks we can pull something off in June.
Liz
We're working on Starbookgirl's kind of question. But services offer e-reference in real time. But briefly KnowItNow is available statewide and your question may be answered by any assigned librrian in Ohio. It is also offered 24/7. Our IM Reference will not be 24/7, because we really cannot pay someone to be up at 3:00 am to answer questions. Our service will be offered during regular service hours and can be geared to the specific needs of our customers.
Liz
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