LibChat: Chat: What to Say

When you have a conversation in a virtual environment, it is extremely important to respond in a timely fashion.  This does not mean you must feel pressured to find their answer any faster than normal.  It does mean that you should be sure to update the patron about what you are doing so they know that you are indeed still working.  Tell them to give you a moment to search or ask them to hold on for a minute while you check something. This sort of  updating is also good because it gives you a chance to show the patron how you are finding the information they need, so that they might be able to mimic the process themselves next time they have such a question.

You will be receiving questions via chat and text message, and these mediums sometimes encourage patrons to use different language styles.  Words may be shortened or abbreviated and capitalization and punctuation rules are often ignored. Chastising or correcting language mistakes is inappropriate and contradicts the welcoming, informal conversational environment.

If the patron is using abbreviations and poor grammar, should you do so too?  In general, use your best judgment and employ the language style that will make yourself and your patron most comfortable within the conversation.  Be professional and friendly.

Sometimes reference interactions online can seem entirely dominated by our responses.  To avoid this and encourage two-way communication, try breaking up your responses into shorter one or two-sentence pieces.  Making your responses step-by-step directions will make it easier for the patron to follow them.  If you haven’t heard a response from the patron in a while (3 minutes is a general rule of thumb), feel free to ask them if they are still following or if they have any questions before you give the next direction.  

When you are in the chat conversation, try your best to be friendly, helpful, kind, professional, and polite. In an online environment, you must choose your words carefully so that these attitudes are displayed in your words.  Sarcasm or patronizing behavior can be catastrophic in this kind of environment.

Even if you are unable to really help with their question, you want to do everything possible to leave every patron feeling like you went above and beyond when trying to help.

The patron will know that you are an IC worker or librarian, but otherwise you do not need to reveal your identity.  Likewise, we allow patrons to have the same option and chat anonymously with us.  They may give you their names voluntarily, and if they do, treat it just as you would a question asked in person. 

It is generally acceptable to ask if the patron is a Butler student, faculty, staff, alumni, or community patron.  This will let you know what resources you may recommend for use; for example, it’s a good idea to double-check and make sure that the patron will be able to access a research database before you recommend it for use.  Remember that if the patron does not have a Butler log-in, you can still help them by using Google, government website, or their public library resources.

It is also generally acceptable to ask for the patron’s email address if their question requires a follow-up response.  Be sure to let the patron know that we will be using the email address to contact them directly in regard to their inquiry.  If they do not wish to disclose this information, you could instead give them the contact information of the librarian that they should contact on their own for additional help.

Though sometimes it’s hard to discern, boundaries need to be set so all librarians know when a request is beyond the scope and purpose of the chat reference service.  Chat reference isn’t meant to:

• Serve as a forum where students can be inappropriate. (See Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior)
• Serve as a paper-editing service.  Refer them to ARC’s services.
• Serve as a personal conversation forum.
• This service is meant for academic or learning-related purposes.  If a patron simply wants to share life stories or other personal information, try and politely end the conversation.  If necessary, refer them to another service that may offer those types of services (counseling hotline, for example).
• Have the librarians give their opinions or make decisions for students.
• It is our job to connect students to information resources and help them evaluate and know how to use resources.  It is NOT our job to make decisions for them.  This is a tricky judgment call at times, and the patron may even specifically ask for your opinion.  Try not to give your opinion unless you have sound support for your reasoning, and always be sure that the patron understands that you are expressing a personal opinion.  

Sometimes patrons start chat conversations with a simple “hello”, and sometimes they jump right into their question.  Either way, it’s a good idea for you to start the conversation with a salutation.  Just saying hello is good because you can respond quickly and let the patron know that you truly are available and ready to respond.  

It is often a good idea to send a link to your patron when you are directing them to a new resource.  You can copy and paste a website into your response window and send it to the patron.  This ensures that you are both on the same page and looking at the same window.  Once you’ve sent a link, always be sure to ask whether the link worked for them and they were able to access the page before you continue on with your next direction.

Shortening links can be necessary when replying in a virtual environment.  http://bit.ly/ is a good link shortening website.  Simply enter in a long website link and Bit.ly will bring it down in length for you!

Do not leave the chat conversation before trying (to the best of your abilities) to answer the patron’s questions.  Also, do not leave without either making sure that the patron has first left, or without letting the patron know that you are leaving. 

If a chat question comes in just as your shift is ending or you must leave for a prior commitment, please tell the patron that you apologize but are unable to answer their question at this time.  Also be sure to let them know their other options for seeking help from the library. 

Many times a patron will end the conversation for you by leaving the chat or saying thanks.  When this happens, tell the patron “You’re welcome.” Or “Thanks for asking your librarian.”  Once they have left the chat, you may close your response window. 

Sometimes you may encounter questions that you cannot answer satisfactorily.  This may happen because chat is not an appropriate medium for their particular question.  Sometimes questions would be best answered in person; this is especially true with in-depth research questions or when a patron is just starting on a big research project.  If you feel this is the case, ask the patron if such an arrangement could be made and either schedule an in-person reference meeting or give them the contact information of another librarian that can help them with the question.  Sometimes you may face patrons whose questions will never be answered satisfactorily, either due to the nature of the question or of the patron.  When this happens, use your best judgment and at an appropriate point simply tell the patron that you’re unsure what else you can do to help. Find a way to make them understand that you have done all you can and end the conversation as politely as possible.  

Dealing with Rude or Unsatisfied Patrons

Unfortunately, there may be times when a patron is unhappy with the service you provide for them through chat reference.  This can happen due to an inappropriate request, unrealistic expectations, miscommunication, unsatisfactory time delay in responses, or for several other reasons. 

When a patron is unhappy with your responses, in most cases it’s good to try and soothe them and apologize.  If necessary, tell them that their request is against our policy and you must follow the policy set in place.  Try and see if there is anything more that you can do to help, including referring them to another librarian.  If there is realistically nothing more that you can do to appease the patron, try and end the conversation as politely as possible.

You also may deal with patrons that are just downright rude at times.  Try your best to be polite and continue on with the conversation.  If you feel that their rudeness crosses a line, follow the steps listed in the Inappropriate Behavior section of this guide.

Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior

Though it is normally quite rare, there have been instances when patrons have used the chat reference service inappropriately.  This includes foul, suggestive, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate inquiries or comments.  When a patron is deemed inappropriate by a librarian, the librarian should follow these steps:

• Warn the patron that his/her behavior is inappropriate and will not be tolerated.
• If the patron apologizes, you may decide if you are comfortable continuing the conversation.  If not, continue the steps below.
• Do not explain to the patron why you feel the conversation is inappropriate.  Simply say that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and if they persist, the conversation will be terminated.
• Tell the patron that you are going to disconnect the session.
• EMAIL THE TRANSCRIPT to yourself so that you have a copy of what was said. 
• Disconnect the session by closing the response box.
• Report the inappropriate behavior to all other library staff members via email so they can be warned and aware of the situation and unified in response.

Don’t be anxious about facing questions you don’t know the answer to.  Answering reference questions is a crap shoot and you never know what you’re going to get! Know that your information-savvy skills already put you a step ahead and just try your best.

Here are some steps that can help you when answering online or in-person reference questions:

1.  CLARIFY their question.  This is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.  Many times the patron comes to you asking the wrong question.  They ask for an article when what they really need is a good resource.  They ask if they’re allowed to print when they really need technical support.  By asking them a few clarifying questions, you can get to the root of what they really need and better satisfy their request.  The questions below are great for clarifying a question:

• Are we starting from scratch or have you done some research already?  Where have you looking, what have you found, and why aren’t you happy with it?
• What TYPE of information would be most useful?  Online or print? Website, article, book?
• What TIME RESTRICTIONS are you under?  Do we have half an hour or a few days?
• Ask about their project or assignment requirements.

2.   GOOGLE (or a similar search engine) can be your best friend.  If you don’t know anything about their topic, google it to get a little background information. Many times, a simple google search can answer a question by itself too.

3.  Work together and ask the patron to choose the next step.  When you have two or three ideas of where the information they seek can be found, ask the patron what source they’d prefer to check first.  Letting them direct the process and walking side-by-side with them can be a great way to introduce them to the trial-and-error aspects of the research process.