IM and VR at our library seems like a great idea. This may appeal to teenagers and also people who are unable to get to the library in person. It is wonderful when the public library can become more user friendly and accessible to a widening range of people. My concerns are how to staff this position; will we have the resources to properly staff the VR role in the beginning when IM reference is getting off the ground and the response may be limited? Can we create a job position for Virtual Librarians?
My first hand experience in our library has seen the IM person sitting and waiting for a question to come up while other staff are busy trying to cover for this shortage. At other times the IM staff member is inundated with questions and cannot respond fast enough. It seems the location of where this staff member is working is crucial so that they can be able to easily access information in the library. Or perhaps a cubicle can be created with ready reference materials close at hand. I suppose all this will depend on the demand for Virtual Librarians.
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