Thing 6: IM

on my experience with IM:
Well, having used AIM extensively and regularly in college, I feel I have quite a bit of experience with IM. (It kind of got to be too much, constantly taking any funny quote or activity and planning to turn it into an away message. Oh well - college.)
However, I did sign in to Yahoo!Messenger for the first time. It was incredibly simple since all it requires is our preexisting Yahoo (email) account info. Sadly, our library reference desk is currently offline, and I don't know if anyone I know is on Y!M. But through the website, it looks like a fairly simple and easy to use app. I do wonder if it's any good at having multiple conversations, as that's what often happens in AIM.

on IM communication:
IM is a great form of communication, but only if you and your friends are regularly on computers (though I think you can use IM on iPhones, etc. so it doesn't matter where you are). It's very similar to text messaging, all though I find typing onto a keyboard easier than into my phone. IM is very useful in many cases as it's free and there are no worries about charges for texts or talking on the phone.

on IM reference:
I think that IM is a great option for reference (provided the library is open and/or online). Many people don't want to talk to us to ask us questions. Having worked in a bookstore with a focus on customer service, it was always amusing when people would ask if there was a computer or someplace they could look up their answer, rather than just asking the bookseller their question. Corporate statistics claimed that something like 80% of customers would not talk to the booksellers (thus we needed to be incredibly helpful and take initiative). I think the library is similar to bookstores in the customer service aspect - and some people might be more likely to ask through a computer than talk to a real live person.
Also, BPL had a service which connected patrons to remote librarians for general reference 24/7 along with the option of IMing their reference librarians during business hours. That seems like a great idea (if people know about it and want to use it).