IM at GSU

1
IM at GSU

• GUGM 2006
• Sarah Steiner
• May 18, 2006

2
Getting Started

• The impending expiration of GSUs QuestionPoint
  contract led to the exploration of other options
• IM met with mixed librarian opinions, but all
  felt it was worth investigating
• Service launched February 1, 2006
• AIM, MSN and Yahoo! via Gaim

3
Staff Buy-In

• In order to create buy in I
• included advocates and skeptics on the planning
  committee.
• spoke individually with all the librarians who
  would be staffing the service and addressed their
  concerns.
• The service was shortly adopted by the Access
  Services (Circulation) Department

4
Staffing

• 25 people cover the service
• Day vs Night shifts
• During the day we staff in one hour shifts from
  our desks
• At night IM is staffed from the reference desk
• Dealing with shift changes has been the biggest
  problem with staffing.

5
Getting the Word Out

• Website banner
• Business cards
• Flyers all around campus
• Mention in BI classes
• Ad in student paper

6
Student Response

• Steady, but not earth shattering
• Students have been very complimentary, and there
  has been very little abuse of the service

7
IM vs QP

• Both are highly useful and draw a different
  crowd.
• QP is essential for individuals who dont have IM
  accounts and need assistance from the webpage.
• IM is preferred by students who use IM regularly.
• QP still gets more traffic, but IM gets many
  repeat customers.