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Making Chat Widgets Work for Online Reference

Here a Widget, There a Widget. Making Chat Widgets Work for Online Reference. Linda Bedwell Reference & Instruction Librarian Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia (lbedwell@dal.ca). Internet Librarian 2009. Novanet Live Help. image: http://www.oddessey2000.com/uploads/2009/

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Making Chat Widgets Work for Online Reference

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  1. Here a Widget, There a Widget Making Chat Widgets Work for Online Reference Linda Bedwell Reference & Instruction Librarian Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia (lbedwell@dal.ca) Internet Librarian 2009

  2. Novanet Live Help image: http://www.oddessey2000.com/uploads/2009/ August/frustrated.jpg * Source: AAU 2008-09 Preliminary Enrolments, plus NSCC self-reporting consists of 10 post-secondary institutions *serving 41,914 FTE students up until 2008, operated on a licensed VR platform Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  3. Winter 2008 Pilot Project Chat widgets & IM, in tandem with VR software Pidgin as our back-end Open-source stats database (UNLV) Wiki Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  4. Pilot Project Results - Winter 08 compared with Winter 07 • 44% increase in total questions • 55% received by IM Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  5. Pilot Project Results - Patron Preferences Source: Bedwell, L., Rodrigues, D., Duggan, L., & Orlov, S.. (2008). IM a Librarian: Extending Virtual Reference Services through Instant Messaging and Chat Widgets. Partnership : the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 3(2), 1-17. Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  6. Post-trialStrategic & Ubiquitous Placement of Widgets Library contact pages Database “Ask a Librarian” links Subject guides OPAC Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  7. Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  8. Results of Strategic and Ubiquitous Placement • Pandemonium! (unexpected busy-ness) • Technical issues • OPAC widget status going “offline” • Solutions • Drop the IM accounts (no questions) • Dynamic icon for OPAC Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  9. Live Help Icons Live Help dynamic icon, 2008-09 – online image Live Help dynamic icon, 2008-09 – offline image Live Help static icon, prior to 2008 Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  10. Comparison of Stats - Fall 2008 & Fall 2007 WOW! A five-fold increase! Total Sessions Total Service Hours Avg/Hour Fall 2007 340 674 0.50 Fall 2008 1,885 722 2.61 Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  11. More important than stats & graphs • Appreciative students • More faculty and students got the help they needed (extra 1,545 in Fall 08) • Better library experience (student engagement) • Improved scholastic achievement (immeasurable) Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  12. Update • Winter 2009 – formally supported service • Fall 2009 – switch to LibraryH3lp • WorldCat Local integration • Increasing presence elsewhere • online courses (BLS) • library home pages • link resolver results menu Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  13. Looking Back, BCW (Before Chat Widgets) * Source: College Students’ Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, OCLC, 2005 Onerous log-in forms Lacklustre response to VR OCLC, 2005 – only 2% of college students used online reference service as a primary source of help* Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009

  14. Tips Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009 Place chat widgets at point of need Be aware of online environment of widget placement Experiment. Share results. Share failures. Refresh Meebo accounts by logging in to native interface Separate accounts for tracking purposes Free is great, for-small-fee might be even better

  15. Linda Bedwell • Reference & Instruction Librarian • Dalhousie University • Halifax, Nova Scotia • (lbedwell@dal.ca) Making Chat Widgets Work L.Bedwell Internet Librarian 2009 Thanks!

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