Through June 10, Knight Library is testing Ask Us, an instant message service that will allow students, faculty and staff to get real-time answers to library-related questions from their residence hall, home or office computers.
“It’s a new service for us, but many academic and public libraries across the country already have services like this,” Barbara Jenkins, Knight Library’s head of reference and research services, said. She
described the service as an effort
to increase students’ efficiency
and productivity.
“We just want to make it easier for people to check in with the library … with any questions from A to Z,” Jenkins said.
Ask Us, which requires the Internet Explorer Web browser, is available from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and can be accessed by clicking the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of any library Web site. Jenkins said the service’s hours may extend if the service continues past the pilot phase.
— Eva Sylwester