Yes that it is me today. Sometimes I really feel life in library land is closer to life in the buisness world than we care to admit to ourselves. Somedays I really think Peter Gibbons (main character in the 1999 movie Office Space) and I work for the same bosses.

Finally, our library director has decided (under much arm twisting) to enter into the HealthSci Reference Chat that other OhioLINK medical school libraries are participating in. I should be very happy about this...but I am fearful.

Main reasons I am fearful:
1. I know that the HealthSci chat did not have as much action as was anticipated. I fear that if this is the case this year my director will wonder why it is worth keeping one her librarians off of the reference desk to do chat when that librarian could be better "used" by serving "our patrons."

2. I fear that it will be a huge success and our director will be asked to contribute more librarians or librarian hours to this endeavor, which means that means less librarians on our reference desk for "our patrons."


I do hope this is not only successful but also successful within our library. Not only with the amount of people using the chat but also with the staffing issue. I know all libraries have their sacred cows. Ours just happens to be the absolute rule that "Thou must have 2 people on the reference desk at all times." I hope that doing this chat will not cause problems regarding the reference desk decree, because that would surely cause the chat a premature death in our library.

So here are my questions to you all out there in library land who work with chat ref.
1. Do you have somebody dedicated to chat ref? If so what else do they do? If not how do you handle rotation of the chat ref duty and how do you keep it from impinging on your library's sacred cows or general work duties?

2. Have you noticed that chat ref is getting more and more use as it is available at your library? Or has it just had moderate use and is something that your library could "take it or leave it"?

3. As more and more people jump to online resources as the first line attack when answering an informaiton need, do you see people using chat ref more? Or do you think the just use Google and if they can't find it there, then it can't be found anywhere (in their minds).

I would like to any and all your thoughts.