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As you may know, Instant Messaging (IM) was implemented at the beginning
of Fall term in order to provide reference service through Yale’s
centrally-staffed virtual reference service, Ask!live (see
<a href="http://www.library.yale.edu/reference/asklive/index.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.library.yale.edu/reference/asklive/index.html</a> ).<br><br>
Instant Messaging also provides individual Yale libraries, departments,
and collections another means of meeting the reference needs of their
individual constituents. The Arts Library, Medical Library, Science
Libraries, Social Science Library, the Yale Center for British Art, and
SML’s Research Services and Collections department all implemented IM
reference services early in September.<br><br>
In addition, individual librarians, managers, curators, and selectors may
wish to set up personal IM accounts to supplement liaison service to
faculty and students in specific schools, programs, and/or
departments.<br>
<br>
The Reference Group is sponsoring an Instant Messaging information and
demonstration session on Wednesday, November 14 from 11:00-12:00 in SML
409 to support and encourage the development of new library IM services
through the web-based IM platform, meebo <
<a href="http://www.meebo.com/">http://www.meebo.com</a> >. This
session is open to all librarians, managers, curators, selectors, and
other interested staff (with supervisory approval) who wish to
expand existing library-, department-, or collection-based e-mail
reference services through the addition of this new service
technology. Please come and see a demonstration of IM in action and
learn what Instant Messaging is, why Ask!live is now using it, and how it
can facilitate communication among Yale librarians as well as
communication with our users. <br>
<br>
Sign up for this session, “Instant Messaging Reference Services for
Libraries, Departments, and Collections”, at
<a href="https://medapps13.med.yale.edu/tms/tms_enrollments.offerings?p_crs_id=1220&p_std_id">
https://medapps13.med.yale.edu/tms/tms_enrollments.offerings?p_crs_id=1220&p_std_id</a>
= <br><br>
-Sue<br><br>
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Suzanne Lorimer<br>
Coordinator of Research Services<br>
226 Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University<br>
P.O. Box 208240<br>
New Haven, CT 06520-8240<br>
(phone) 203-432-8371 (fax) 203-432-8527<br>
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