Looking for a quick answer? IM a Kent State librarian

Andrew Schiller

Students can now instant message a Kent State reference desk librarian if they need help doing research. The IM service is available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday

Credit: Ron Soltys

This instant messenger buddy will never need to be blocked and is always there to listen — to your reference questions.

Students can now instant message the library if they need help doing effective research at a campus library or really need to know whether Ohio became a state in 1802 or 1803.

“The key thing is getting students to add our name (IMaKSULibrarian) to their buddy list,” reference center manager Thomas Warren said.

The advantages of the IM service are that it’s less formal and interaction can be “short and sweet,” Warren said.

The reference desk can IM with people using the four major IM programs: Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, mIRC and AIM, according to the Libraries and Media Services Web site.

Of all the Ask a Librarian services, IM is the third most-used, behind in-person and phone contact. The e-mail and chat functions are used the least, and the chat service may eventually be dropped, Warren said.

The service ranges from having no patrons at all to getting two or three per hour. That’s a pretty good amount to handle, Warren said, considering that not every question has a quick or simple answer. Only one reference desk employee can use the IM login at a time, but that person is still responsible for handling in-person and over-the-phone questions.

The library piloted its IM service last semester and introduced it during freshman orientation tours. This semester it will gain increased exposure from a Facebook ad campaign, Warren said.

The IM service — which is busiest during the afternoon and early evening and when exams are looming — is available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The reference desk prefers to deal with “ready reference questions,” ones where the answer can be found pretty quickly — such as the population of a state or the names of that state’s senators.

“But we’ll answer anything,” Warren said. “We’re here to help. Whatever makes it easy for the patron.”

Contact libraries and information reporter Andrew Schiller at [email protected].