CIL2005: Collaboration & IM: Breaking Down Boundaries Collaboration & IM: Breaking Down Boundaries
Michael Stephens
Aaron Schmidt

The notes here are somewhat fragmented because that’s the way it went, you’ll see the topics appear twice so I’ve put the speaker’s initials next to the heading to differentiate.

It’s huge right now: 60% of big businesses will be IM-ing by the end of the year, 53M Americans IM

Multiple competing networks – you may want to use all of the services at the same time

IM – beyond virtual reference, in addition to virtual reference

History at TFML (AS)
Made up a screen name
Made up cards with the screen name
Passed the cards out to kids
Had tons of messages (400 IMs in 6 months)
A few anecdotes:
Personalities are different in IM than in face to face interactions – the shy can come into their own
Newsweek article – autistic woman who couldn’t communicate but could IM, implications for special needs situations
Add local teachers to your buddy list so you can help them find resources, pull items for them.
Find customers where they live.

Ethics (AS)
Privacy – both local and remote, AIM has a new terms of service, Trillian stores your logs by default (good for evaluation, bad for privacy)
Workflow issues

IM at SJCPL (MS)
Replace VR (dropped VR vendor) – the problems of setting up VR, the expense, the number of questions received, trouble manning the system, promoting your library within the community – it’s new to the customers when the customers are already into IM
Collaboration across the library world – community of practice

Training/Adoption
Staff had already finished VR training – so that made it easier
Some librarians really took to it

Ethics for IM (MS)
Use “away” messages
Don’t share confidences
Log chats – but let people know you are doing so (LJ NetConnect 4/1/05 issue)
Set a good example
Use the nuances of IM

Best Practices for IM in the Libraries (AS)
1) make it part of your technology plan
2) promotion/marketing of screen name, services
3) admin should be messaging – set a good example
4) train everyone, encourage everyone
5) put your IM name on your business card

Best Practices for IM Externally (MS)
1) use a multi-network utility Trillian or Gaim
2) use away messages
3) speed over perfection in technology
4) use abbreviations
http://www.web-friend.com/help/lingo/chatslang.html
5) use online sources only if they provide the best answer
6) don’t panic – if you’ve got someone on the phone, someone on IM, someone in person

Implications
Impact on teen and ya services
Internal decision making
IM is…
…fast
…cheap
…easy

co-browsing – jyve? Software



CIL2005|conferences|im

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