Thing 7

There is a lot to cover under this topic.

My library uses the Outlook program for email and calendaring functions. We have set up shared calendars to schedule things like rooms and equipment. We also have shared contacts and distribution lists. We communicate so much that some days I cannot get through all my mail and just read a few sentences of some of the longer messages. So in some ways, email is very efficient, but in others, it has hampered productivity.

Our library does online or chat reference through QuestionPoint, an OCLC program. For that reason, we have never explored other ways of doing it. Instant messaging would probably not give us the transcripts we have of each session or the statistics.

I have used text messaging on my phone once at a concert. However, our campus has the ability to send text messages to our phones in case of an emergency. I have yet to set that up, but intend to do so soon. I also took a class at one time where the professor required us all to install Yahoo Instant Messenger and to use it at least once to send him a text message. It was a good way to communicate with him because I could see when he was logged in and then I could expect an immediate reply.

I have attended Minitex webinars in the past. It sure beats driving for a couple of hours to attend a workshop that can be done in one hour, so I think they are just great.