IM

Even though I had IM accounts years ago, I never used them -- mostly because I really didn't feel the need to be online at the very same time as someone I was e-mailing. I like e-mail for the personal convenience and the ability to do things in my time continuum rather than someone elses.

I IM'd Susan and we had a very nice brief conversation using Google Talk for the Week 3 thing. I didn't have to wait very long for an initial reply, which really suprised me since I was trying this over the noon hour.

Would I IM? I don't know. I'd need to feel that what I had to communicate needed an immediate response, but the person I was trying to communicate with would also have to be online at the same time I was. I'd probably wonder if my communication was important enough to demand that immediate attention. Could it be broken into short enough bits to make IM efficient for the communication?

It could be used for reference questions, and is in many libraries. I see three drawbacks. One, that the service would only be available during the hours that a library was staffed, while an e-mail reference question can be sent at the customer's convenience, even if the library isn't open. Two, someone would need to staff the computer(s) that the IM was on, and the staff might feel tied to that desk in order not to miss a message. And three, with limited staff there could be conflicts between helping the customer in front of you and the one trying to get through with IM and the one trying to get through on the phone.

The positive aspects of IM for reference include the ability to clarify a question with the customer, to answer a remotely asked question in close to real time, and the ability to provide written information rather speaking the information while the customer writes it down (as in telephone reference).

Masses of people use IM. Will I? I really don't know.