[WEB4LIB] Re: More information on "Talk to a Librarian"

[Lori Bell]

We have received training and are looking into it.  It is now $1000 to set
up and $250 per month per operator seat or per person "working the desk."
They keep very detailed statistics for your benefit, but they also have a
very stringent privacy policy from what I have been able to see.  They
should not be able to use that information for their benefit.  If you
would like an email address I can give you one, or you can go to their
site and click on the live person icon and ask detailed information.  If
the person on duty cannot answer, you leave your email or phone number and
they get right back to you.  I have found them to be very concerned with
service; we had a great training session and when we have called with
questions, have always even gotten a "live person" on the phone.  We
thought about using this as a reference service for "after hours" or for
people who were on the web and could not call with questions because their
phone line was being used on the web.  There are already commercial sites
answering questions typically answered by librarians for a charge. There
is webhelp.com.  There, you can get free service, but you are on a higher
priority if you give them your credit card.  I think each search is 99
cents. There is another service like that called Quick Clue.  We liked
live person because it is on their server, not on ours, and users did not
have to have a special piece of software to use the service.

Lori Bell
Automation/Technology Department
Alliance Library System
845 Brenkman Drive
Pekin, IL 61554
phone:  (309)353-4110
fax:  (309)353-8281
lbell at darkstar.rsa.lib.il.us

On Wed, 29 Mar 2000, Carole Richter wrote:

> Lori,
> I'm very curious about the software you mention. At the site, I found
> information indicating that there is some cost involved in providing the
> service (LivePerson is inexpensive to install and maintain. Clients pay
> only a nominal, one-time setup fee and a low, monthly fee per operator for
> the service. )
> Also, because the service is maintained by a company on a remote server,
> I'm wondering if they are tracking users, names, addresses etc for any kind
> of marketing list availability? Not to sound paranoid...!
> Anyhow, it does look very interesting, but I am wondering if you've used
> it, more about cost, etc.
> 
> 
> At 07:22 AM 3/29/2000 -0800, Lori Bell wrote:
> >With quick click and Live Person (www.liveperson.com) there is no software
> >required on the browser's end.  The operator/librarian can be anywhere and
> >someone using the internet can be anywhere go to that site, pop a window
> >open if they need help.  If no one is on duty, they can leave an e-mail.
> >
> >Lori Bell
> >Automation/Technology Department
> >Alliance Library System
> >845 Brenkman Drive
> >Pekin, IL 61554
> >phone:  (309)353-4110
> >fax:  (309)353-8281
> >lbell at darkstar.rsa.lib.il.us
> >
> >On Wed, 29 Mar 2000, Drew, Bill wrote:
> >
> >> I gotten several queries asking for more information on our "Talk to a
> >> Librarian" service.
> >>  
> >> To begin with, many are wondering how we can ask users to install software
> >> on their computers.  I did a survey of one of our larger laptop program
> >> classes.  Out of the 30 students laptop users sampled, 26 had AOL Instant
> >> Messenger already installed on their computers.
> >>  
> >> Staffing is not a real issue with this service.  It is staffed by whom ever
> >> happens to be on the reference desk.  All of the librarians really like it
> >> (5 full time and 2 part time).  When no one is at the desk (usually during
> >> college breaks) I run it from my laptop in my office.  We also use
> e-mail as
> >> a back up.
> >>  
> >> 
> >> -----
> >> Wilfred (Bill) Drew
> >> Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
> >> SUNY Morrisville College Library
> >> drewwe at morrisville.edu
> >> Home: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe
> >> <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe> 
> >> Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/
> >> <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/> 
> >> Library: http://www.morrisville.edu/library/
> >> <http://www.morrisville.edu/library/> 
> >> Have Laptop -- Will Travel.
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >
> >
> Carole Richter
> Electronic Resources Coordinator
> University of Notre Dame Libraries
> (219)631-8405
> richter.8 at nd.edu
>