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Update on the Asknow! Instant Messaging trial

Since November 2006, the Asknow! chat reference service has been trialling Instant Messaging. This trial has now been extended to continue throughout April and May, allowing us to provide service continuity while further evaluating the service model and software capabilities.

The trial has had an overwhelmingly positive response from users, who enjoy the convenience of having immediate access to a librarian by including Asknow! in their buddy list. As a ‘presence’ technology, IM allows users to see when the librarian is online, and to ask questions quickly and easily.

Comments from users have included the following:

  • I preferred IM cause it was a lot more convenient than opening the website as i have windows msger open most of the time and it’s easy to click on asknow as a contact. very good and a lot easier to access the info
  • You have very high quality librarians; well the one that helped me was very helpful and obliging. It put my mind at ease for my assignment research to know that someone was there to help me out and the info they managed to obtain was extremely useful. A very good service.
  • You guys are cool :D

The range of inquiries we have received to date has been varied:

  • can u please help me find info on education in australia prior to 1914
  • how did peter brook use improvisation in his work?
  • I need to know if, in HSC assignment for standard English, are quotes from novels, plays etc counted in the word count.
  • what is the main feast day of the Coptic Rite?
  • is there any alternative option to access internet inside the library, excluding wireless.
  • I’m doing a group oral presentation on 'sleep deprivation in year 12 students’—i guess i need sum general sleep info.
  • I'd like to know the adaptations of the pied butcherbird ... how this adaptation helps the organism to survive and reproduce

The service is currently operating from 11 am to 1 pm, Monday to Friday. In April, a number of state libraries, along with the National Library of New Zealand, will join the National Library to staff the service.

Why not try out the IM service? If you’d like to IM with a librarian, just add one of our screen names to your buddy list:

AskNow IMs

To find out more about the IM trial, read the article published in the previous (February 2007) issue of Gateways, here.

Or contact Kate Davis:

  • Email: kdavis@nla.gov.au
  • IM: MSN: k8atwork@hotmail.com;
  • Google Talk: davis.kate@gmail.com

Kate Davis
Information Services
National Library of Australia