Sample chat
From the Fall 2014 Newsletter
Got a quick question? Get a quick response! The Lloyd Sealy Library launched a new chat reference service this semester. We offer patrons real-time, one-on-one interactions with librarians through our website, accessible anywhere with an internet connection.
In the first two months of chat reference, we had 111 questions from the John Jay community, mostly students. Questions ranged from “How do I look up court cases?” to “I need a book on Reserve” to “Where would I find empirical research articles?” We responded in under 1 minute to 73% of chat questions, and under 2 minutes for 87%. Now that’s service!
Chat reference is always staffed by John Jay librarians, unlike many other library chat services—so you always know there’s a John Jay expert on the other end. We use LibraryH3lp software, which is well-supported across browsers and operating systems.
We offer chat reference Mon–Thurs, 11am–5pm, during the busiest times of the day in the library building and on the library website. Chat is part of the suite of communication channels we offer the John Jay community, alongside email, phone, text (SMS), and, of course, the Reference Desk on the upper floor of the Library.
Robin Davis