1. IM at GSU
COMO 2006
Sarah Steiner

2. Getting Started
The impending expiration of GSU’s QuestionPoint contract led to the exploration of other options
IM met with mixed librarian opinions, but all felt it was worth investigating
Service launched February 1, 2006
AIM, MSN and Yahoo! via Gaim

3. Staff Buy-In In order to create buy in I:
…included advocates and skeptics on the planning committee.
…spoke individually with all the librarians who would be staffing the service and addressed their concerns.
The service was shortly adopted by the Access Services (Circulation) Department

4. Staffing 25 people cover the service Day vs Night shifts:
During the day we staff in one hour shifts from our desks
At night IM is staffed from the reference desk
Dealing with shift changes has been the biggest problem with staffing.

5. Getting the Word Out Website banner Business cards
Flyers all around campus
Mention in BI classes
Ad in student paper

6. Student Response Steady, but not earth shattering
Students have been very complimentary, and there has been very little abuse of the service

7. IM vs QP Both are highly useful and draw a different crowd.
QP is essential for individuals who don’t have IM accounts and need assistance from the webpage.
IM is preferred by students who use IM regularly.
QP still gets more traffic, but IM gets many repeat customers.