Presented at ALA, Chicago, 6/30/13. VCU Libraries expanded our chat reference service in the spring of 2013, by adding in a text messaging option, and making it available whenever the library is open (24 hours a day, 5 days a week, and weekend hours). We included staff in the circulation department as well as librarians and staff in our research and instruction department, and we promoted this service to our patrons inside the building. We also chose to not restrict the type of questions we would answer. Result? Success!

1. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
24 hour in-house
text service
How our secret ingredients led to
success

2. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
Chat reference
• Implemented in-house chat reference
service in July 2012
• Staffed by librarians and paraprofessionals
in Research and Instructional Services
• Platform: LibraryH3lp
• Typical hours (M-T 11-10, F 11-6, Sun 6-10)
• Pretty successful

3. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
Y not txt 2?
• Texting is wildly popular with college
students
• Same staffing, hours and platform as for our
chat service
• January and February usage stats: average
under 1 text message a day :-(
• Why not expand? It shouldn't be too difficult
(famous last words?)

4. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
One secret ingredient
Staff in Circulation and Information
Services
• Have plenty of experience answering patron
questions
• Complex research questions could be
directed to librarians
• What's there to lose? (again, famous last
words)

5. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
Secret ingredient #2
Promotional strategy
• No restrictions on the kind of questions
which could be asked and answered
• Advertised as a service for patrons inside
the library as well as outside
• PR campaign-apalooza

6. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
Success! Look at our #s
• Started 24-hour text March 11, 2013
• 1400% increase
• Now average over 6 questions per day
• Worth it? Definitely -- 67% of questions are
sent outside our (more restricted) chat hours

7. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries

8. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries

9. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries

10. #ALA13 #ALAFeast #VCULibraries
kthxbai :o)
Teresa Doherty
mtdohert@vcu.edu
&
Bettina Peacemaker
bjpeacemaker@vcu.edu