Thing 7

As a part-time reference assistant, I haven't yet gotten any emails from patrons but the regular librarians do use it to communicate amongst themselves. However, in my last job email was the predominant form of communication so I quickly found it necessary to implement some of the productivity tips that Merlin Mann mentioned, such as limiting my checking email to 4-6 times a day rather than constantly. That made it easier for me to employ templates for responding to routine questions and some issues did solve themselves without my intervention. Folders helped a lot in organizing correspondence, especially from regular contacts.

My first experience with IM reference was terrifying because I hadn't used it before. I felt the sender wanted an instant response and because I was learning both reference and IM on the fly, I didn't respond as quickly as I would have liked. Now that I've set up a Yahoo messaging account and goofed around a bit, the process seems a lot less intimidating.

Unfortunately I don't have a cell or mobile device so I didn't try texting.

I viewed an archived Minitex webinar about Business Source Premier. It was a helpful orientation to the databases nd I will feel more confident using it and suggesting it to our business/management students. I was surprised that there was so little response or feedback from webinar participants; the opportunity for interactivity doesn't always mean that folks will avail themselves of it. I will continue to check the OPAL and Minitex archives and register for upcoming live webinars to build my skills.