Thing #7: Commincation Tools

The e-mail productivity tips were helpful. I see now that I probably do spend way too much time on e-mail - composing longer responses when I could respond in a shorter, more-to-the-point reply.




Instant messaging- this is something I see my kids/nieces do all of the time. I didn't see how we would have the need to incorporate this into our librarian workday, (as other communication tools seem more practical for us)- until I read the Library Journal article "IM Me". Some libraries are using IM Reference- a sped-up version of e-mail reference. It seems to me that you would have to have a librarian assigned to IM reference at all times, in order to catch all the IM requests in a timely manner and respond "live." Our library branch responded to e-mail reference questions for years (now another branch handles it) and so I can see how this could be incorporated, if we had enough staff. I also found it interesting that some library systems are using IM as a main way of communicating between librarians (instead of/in addition to phone calls and e-mail).




It is good to be aware of how instant messaging works, because many (most) of our young patrons who come in to use the internet use this. This may be the form of communication that these young users will prefer to have with us in the future, as they become adults. Something to think about.