I use chat on occasion to communicate w/ friends, typically via gchat but I've also used chat in Facebook. In library school we had an assignment that involved working a chat shift for an undergraduate class that was required to use a chat service (Meebo) for their assignment. My first shift was about a week before the assignment was due and I got no chatter. I volunteered for a slot at the tail end (right before the assignment was due) and got bombarded w/ chat requests and unfortunately had no back-up.
I currently work an hour shift a week for LRC Live and look forward to gaining more experience in this area. I do think chat can be very effective and convenient for certain types of questions - and a little more complicated in cases when the library user has little knowledge about how to use library resources and a not-so-clear idea on what they are researching. That said, I think sharpening my skills in reference and in the use of Questionpoint, will lead to better competency and better experience for both me and the LRC Live patrons.
I like that chat offers another avenue for library users to seek out help.
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