Thing 7

The use to web 2.0 technologies in the workplace has been in the news this week. Make it Stop! Crushed by Too Many Emails was a story on Morning Edition about the deluge of email at the work place.

Escape is but one solution and not one with much ROI (it's the acronym of the day, return on investment). According to the radio story, some companies have turned to instant messaging as a way of communicating while others have instituted "no email Fridays" where workers are encouraged to phone colleagues or better yet, walk down the hall and talk face to face.

IM has is place for quick things, though for more important things, I prefer email. I can keep the messages as well as search for errant ones. A topic on conversation today at the reference desk was the possibility of using text messaging here and how that could impact how we staff the reference desk. The idea represents change, which rarely goes over well in this department, but much of the professional literature reports that IM is being used and used well. As the occasional visitor, it's always interesting to see how new things are introduced and potentially, implemented.

In my other life, I am adjunct faculty at a university in Wisconsin. Part of my duties are to provide library (aka bibliographic) instruction for their students in Minnesota. About two years ago, the unnamed university started a "live chat with a librarian" feature. Each time I demonstrate it, the reaction is the same. The adult students in the class are thrilled that there is someone at the other end to help them with their research projects and they are also a little surprised that the software is so easy to use. Of course, they also puzzle about what sort of person would be willing to help with such things, but I reassure them that librarians are people too and at that moment, point out the library hours, noting they close on Friday and Saturdays at 5 pm, because librarians have social lives, too!

Photo courtesy Linda M.