Week 22 - Instant Communication

Instant messaging is currently a significant part of my life. I use skype, facebook chat and msn messenger on a regular basis to communicate with family and friends. I live away from my parents so communication through instant message is regular occurrence in our house if not daily. The ability to chat and see them at the same time makes it feel as if they are never to far away.
My sister and I often have our best conversations on facebook chat even though we live in the same town. My fiance also is a big user of instant communication, as president of his cricket club he uses facebook chat to contact and chat with players, in a space where they already are!

How would they be useful in a library?

Now this is the BIG question. We can all think of many reason (see below) to use instant messaging in libraries to engage with patrons and for staff communication. The problem is justifying these purposes to councils, who only have our best interests at heart, and are worried about exposure to viruses from external sources.

* Instant reference services from the comfort of your own home, regardless of location.
* Staff communication, as an alternative to email and the constant buzzing of ringing phones.