Thing 7 - Web 2.0 Communication Tools

1. E-mail.
Many times e-mail is a time drain for me. I enjoyed the productivity hints and will "try" to implement at least one of them this fall. But I have to confess, I am hooked!

2. IM
We use IM at the Reference Desk and we debated long and hard about its use and what hours to offer it. Use has increased each year. I use GoogleChat at home with my kids. But it has not become a regular part of my work day yet. I find I still much prefer walking to a colleague's office to talk face-to-face than to IMing.

3. Text Messaging
Although I see that text messaging is the way the college students prefer to communicate, I don't see it as a critical service to what I do in the library. Last year I ran into "issues" with a student text-messaging while I was presenting to a class. In fact, one of the faculty members on campus is not going to permit students to have their cell phones on (or in sight?) during class. We'll have to have some discussions about that in connection with our library classes.

4. Web Conferencing
I've attended a number of Minitex Webinars that were good. I think the most useful webinars that we've hosted in our library have been the ones dealing with library training. While a number of us watch together, we can ask questions of the leader and help each other understand, rather than trying to figure out in isolation in your office.