Plus, I used the "chat" feature in Facebook to catch up with a friend last weekend. That was a much more natural use of IM than choosing a software provider, downloading the software, trying to find people online at the same time that I am, and then trying to come up with something to say to them.
Of course, my father would love it if I began using Google chat. He and my sister keep in touch that way. And I can see the advantages. But it's just not convenient for the way I integrate technology in my life at this point.
I do think IM has professional applications. For example, my husband works for a company where a significant number of people work from home. They use IM constantly to keep in touch--the way I talk to the person in the next cubicle or wander to a supervisor's office.
And I work in a library spread over four floors. So I can see using IM to get quick answers from people working on another floor. But email is just as convenient. And we're all already on the same email system. The only benefit IM offers is that I'd know whether the person I need is online, and thus whether I could expect an immediate answer, without having to check the daily schedule. Adding IM and getting everyone to use it is more work then checking the schedule. So I see possibilities, but no benefit given my current, specific situation.
I do think that offering reference service via IM has potential. I also think it requires using an aggregator, though. Who wants five IM windows open while also answering questions via the phone and in person? Unless IM reference becomes an off-the-floor task. (Though I'd still want an aggregator.) The question is, do we have the staff hours to do it? Like everyone else, given the economy we're already doing more with less.
IM brings home to me the reminder that sometimes great technology exists, and is very useful--but in the right situation. The question we have to remember to ask is whether the technology will help us accomplish what we need to do in a more timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
