I've been using instant messaging for a year and a half, primarily with my co-workers. Since I work four hours a week at the reference desk, I also have been on the receiving end of some of the chat reference questions that come in through the Meebo Me widget that appears on the Ask a Librarian page.
I believe offering chat reference is a great way to expand the reach of the reference desk to folks who might not otherwise use our services. I think what makes it especially effective is the fact that a link to the page containing the Meebo Me widget appears on many State of Nebraska web pages, so people who are searching for state government information have a quick and easy reminder that we are available to help. When they click on the link and see that they can just type a question in the Meebo Me widget box and don't even have to identify themselves, I think that makes it even more likely that they will ask their question.
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