Libraries should use IM because it is the the preferred method of communication for the populations libraries are striving to serve. The Pew report states "4 in ten online American IM."Also for the teens IMing has almost totally displaced email. Virtual reference services are a way to reach library users .Using IM can save the consumer precious time.
IM is different then traditional communication in number of ways such as: (1) IM is not limited to computers you can IM on a PDA or cell phone,(2) you have real time conversations with multiple friends,(3) you can add a webcam/live video to your IM converstion. According to a September 2004 study "How American Use Instant Messaging" by the Pew Internet and American Life Project 53 million adults send instant messages on a daily basis. The millennial generation has grown up using IM. Libraries need to embrace this technology keeping in mind the fact that a large portion of the popualtion choose to get their news, health information, banking, and shopping in this digital format.
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