Instant Messaging at Chatsworth University

Dear Director,

We have discussed in previous meetings our dilemma at the reference desk in our library. Chiefly, reference librarians, such as myself, are concerned that we are not meeting the needs of our users as well as we might with a virtual reference service. The reference desk is commonly underused and the reference librarians find themselves answering questions about lavatory locations and how to printer materials more frequently than they're asked for research assistance. After conducting a recent survey, we found that most students conduct research online and would be more inclined to use virtual reference service than in-person reference services.

As such, we propose using our staff in the place where we're needed most: on the web. We would like to start a virtual reference service on our homepage. Below are the top 5 reasons:

1.) Remote flexibility. Using an online chat service will allow our users to get timely responses from our librarians without visiting our library. They can access our reference services wherever they are during library hours. Our university's mission to increase hybrid learning capabilities is another reason why virtual reference services would benefit our university.

2.) Anonymity. Some students may feel awkward asking some questions. This will allow students to satisfy their reference needs without feeling embarrassed or "dumb."

3.) Easy linking abilities. Since there is a good amount of resources that librarians use on the Internet, sending patrons helpful links to websites and databases is easy online. Librarians can simply add the link to the chat.

4.) Eliminate bias. Virtual reference eliminates prejudices and biases that a librarian may have when helping users. Although librarians should assist every user in the same manner, an online virtual reference source further eliminated such biases.

5.) Low cost. Using open source and free chat software ensures that there not be a high overhead cost for this addition. Training for our librarians and marketing for these services are the only costs our library will endure. These costs are well worth the investment for the improvement of our reference services to our users.


Thanks for your time and I hope to discuss matters with you in person (or via instant message . . .) soon.