This item is in: Chandos > Information management > Electronic and information resources

Instant Messaging Reference: A practical guide

Rachel Bridgewater and Meryl Cole, Washington State University Vancouver, USA

Chandos Information Professional Series

The strength of the book lies in its accessibility and comprehensive nature.
Library Management

 - exclusively focused on instant messaging reference services
 - provides practical information about starting and running a successful instant messaging reference service
 - includes significant background information and in-depth discussion of the broader issues raised by instant messaging and instant messaging reference
 - get started with IM - tips on choosing software, setting up accounts and training staff
 - each chapter can be read as a stand-alone essay so readers can focus in on issues of interest

Virtual reference is a vital component in twenty-first century reference service and the time for debate over its virtues and necessity has passed. This book focuses on the practical implementation of instant messaging (IM), including privacy and security and its future potential. Targeting busy practitioners who are looking for comprehensive answers about instant messaging in particular, rather than virtual reference in general, this book addresses questions from the basics of what IM is and how it operates to the more complicated issues such as privacy and security to its future potential as a strong candidate in the virtual reference arena.

Readership: Practitioners in all kinds of libraries. The primary audience are those practitioners who are academic or public librarians interested in starting, improving or expanding Instant Messaging reference service. Library science students, at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level, studying basic reference or virtual reference comprise a secondary market for this book.

£42.50 / US$70.00 / €50.00

£62.50 / US$105.00 / €75.00

An e-book version of this title is available to purchase as part of a Collection or Pick n Mix. Visit Chandos Publishing Online

About the authors

Rachel Bridgewater is the Reference Co-ordinator at Washington State University Vancouver. In addition to co-ordinating reference services, Rachel teaches, develops and supports web applications, and serves as the library's copyright expert. Rachel is also part-time faculty in Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Science. Rachel frequently speaks about technology topics at local, national, and international conferences. In her talks, Rachel often addresses the impact of emerging technologies on culture, learning, and teaching. Meryl B. Cole is a reference librarian at Washington State University Vancouver. Her background in international teaching and curriculum development fuels and informs her interest in teaching in today’s increasingly wired world. A firm believer that libraries need to promote their services as any other organization does, Meryl draws upon on her extensive experience in corporate communications to market library services to the community at large.

Titles which may also be of interest:
Emerging Technologies for Knowledge Resource Management
RFID for Libraries

Contents

Introduction

Virtual reference: an overview and brief history
 - What is virtual reference?
 - Why virtual reference?
 - Is virtual reference perfect?
 - Basic models for virtual reference: e-mail, web-based chat and instant messaging
 - Summary

IM basics
 - What is instant messaging?
 - Why IM?
 - IM: a very brief history
 - How does it work?
 - Protocols and clients
 - Summary

Basic IM reference – set-up and use
 - Choosing services
 - Choosing screen names
 - Choosing a client
 - Setting up the software
 - Getting your first IM
 - Staffing
 - Training
 - Policies
 - Building FSU Libraries’ IM reference service
 - Summary

Conducting the IM reference interview
 - Opening the interview: setting the stage with your website
 - Negotiating the question
 - The search process
 - Communicating information to the user
 - Closing the interview
 - Summary

Managing patron expectations and staff attitudes
 - What do our patrons expect?
 - What’s the answer?
 - Staff attitudes
 - What are librarians thinking?
 - Summary
 - Note

Evaluating /updating service
 - Gathering data
 - Let’s evaluate
 - Summary

Taking your service to the next level: widgets, enterprise IM and collaborative IM
 - The wonderful world of widgets
 - Widget advantages
 - Issues/problems with widgets
 - XMPP, enterprise IM, collaborative IM and the future of IM reference
 - Enterprise IM
 - Collaborative IM
 - Summary

Issues with IM reference
 - Privacy
 - Security
 - Spam/spim
 - Culture issues
 - Workplace issues
 - Staffing/scalability
 - Costs
 - Harassment
 - Summary

Promoting your IM reference service
 - Promote it
 - Summary