Bonnie Shucha of WisBlawg has written a practical article on offering Instant Messaging reference at libraries that's well worth a read: IM a Librarian: Establishing a Virtual Reference Service with Little Cost or Technical Skill. Meebo, Plugoo and Trillian are all tools that are covered in enough depth to help anyone get started.
Web-based (download-free) IM is becoming more widespread. The ever-with-it "i want to" blog rounded up 12 web based Instant Messenger services.
Plus, just for fun, Meebo has jazzed itself up with more emoticons. (My favorite is the rapper: 
What's yours?)
You might have read in Online Update that more SCLS libraries are signing up for IM screen names. A few more are still testing the waters, curious about how this might work, or would start if only they had answers to a few common questions.
For those folks, there's a good old fashioned email discussion list. If you're a library staff member who wants to or just lurk and follow the conversation, please feel free to join. You might also want to check out Getting started with IM service at your library on the SCLS web page.
Starting Sept. 1, some staff at SCLS Admin are embarking on the adventure of using instant messaging to communicate both in the office and with member libraries. (You can get our screen names from the directory, and more background from Online Update.)
IM is becoming as common - if not more so - than email, so it makes sense to think about being available this way. More libraries are using IM for on-the-fly reference, as well (see "IM me" from LJ, 4/1/2005). The Libsuccess Wiki has a list of libraries using online reference, like Alexandrian Public Library in Mount Vernon, IN and St Charles Public LIbrary in IL.
There are some drawbacks, which I'll just touch on. For example, in our technology situation, it's best to use the web-based, rather than the downloadable client, versions of IM services, because updating the "free" software costs too much in staff time. Fortunately the web-based services (MSN, Yahoo! and AIM Express) are easy to use and fairly reliable.
At our office we've been using Meebo, which lets us monitor our IMs on 3 services at once. It's web-based, and even has "widgets" that let people IM you without an account. However, it's far from perfect. Sometimes the little "boop" that lets you know you have a message doesn't work, and sometimes the MeeboMe widgets don't function at all.
So please bear with us as we work out the kinks in this new endeavor, and share your IM stories, too!
