I tired a few local and university libraries and realized that they either did not offer IM-Chat – Ask a Librarian; or used 24/7 outsourced services (grrrrr…..) or were unavailable in the evening hours. So that prompted me to look to the West coast. Stanford U., San Francisco P.L. and San Diego P.L. did not offer what I was seeking but I found Ask a Librarian at University of California at Santa Barbaraa. “Ask a U.C. Librarian” I.M. was active so I entered “Hello.” I received a prompt response from a librarian who identified himself as Joseph. I explained who I was, where I was, and the purpose of my I.M.  I kept my messaging brief. The one question I asked was whether he was a University librarian or an employee of an outsourced service. He stated that he was an University employee,  so I thanked him and said Good Evening.

      The encounter was positive and fast……