It's time for another exciting edition of Tales From the Co-Op! If you missed the most recent post in this series, be sure to catch up with the January Exchanges.
Our affordable 24/7 Chat Cooperative ensures your patrons have round-the-clock access to expert MLS-degreed librarians. 2024 was our biggest year yet; we chatted with patrons all over the world, at all hours of the day, and provided more support than ever before!
Although it's called the 24/7 Chat Co-Op, we know not every library is in need of 24/7/365 coverage. You pick which days and hours you'd like the Co-Op to cover, and we provide flexible pricing based on your institution's needs. There are countless ways to customize how you use this service, including optional staff co-op contribution, customized cascading fallback widgets, post-chat follow-up tickets, and more! With over 1,500 participating librarians, we are proud to offer our chat service in English and Spanish!
We love shining a light on the incredible work our chat librarians do every day, so enjoy this sample of real-life chat transcripts below! To protect privacy, we remove all personally identifiable information from these exchanges and use creative pseudonyms for both patrons and librarians. We expect to expand our program in 2025—request information about joining today!
Spotlight on Librarian Excellence
Sometimes our chat librarians get to provide good old-fashioned readers' advisory which is always a fun treat! Take a look at how Liz Librarian directs the chat to provide Patty Patron with the perfect surreal story to help her drift off to sleep!
September 19, 2024 | 12:42 pm
Patty Patron: Hello! I’m looking for books to help me fall asleep
Liz Librarian: Hi Patty! Are you looking for audiobooks to listen to, or books to read?
Patty Patron: Books to read.
Liz Librarian: And can you tell me a bit more about what kind of books you like to read.
Patty Patron: I like to read lots of different kinds of books. I’m probably looking for fiction, though. A story.
Liz Librarian: Ok, so a calm fiction story?
Patty Patron: Yes. Not so calm that it's boring and I fall asleep instantly. But not so exciting that I can't put it down and stay up for hours.
Liz Librarian: Ok, give me a few minutes to look around and see what I can find!
Liz Librarian: If you can tell me any books you read and liked that would be great too, it would give me some ideas of what kind of fiction you like
Patty Patron: Right. I was trying to remember the name of a great one... that sounded like you were reading a dream, because it was about a city where unrealistic things happened. Like a girl worked in a thrift story or pawn shop. She never ages, just got stuck as a 19-year-old.
Patty Patron: I would read 1 chapter of that, which was perfect and already felt like I was falling into a dream. It was very satisfying.
Patty Patron: I forget the name of that genre or style
Liz Librarian: I found a few lists I'm going to send over (and I have a few personal suggestions I'll send after as well)
Liz Librarian: https://www.anangsha.me/comfort-books-that-help-me-relax-and-put-me-to-sleep/
Liz Librarian: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/02/20/comfort-reads
Liz Librarian: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2023/nov/26/comfort-reading-10-great-books-to-snuggle-up-with-on-a-cold-day
Liz Librarian: And I would try The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, & The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl.
Patty Patron: Ok just finished glancing through those lists - ooh, the titles sound interesting, would you say any of them are...surreal?
Liz Librarian: Addie LaRue and The Midnight Library are surreal.
Liz Librarian: I would also try Haruki Murakami; his books are very dreamlike and surreal with beautiful writing.
Liz Librarian: My favorites are Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.
Liz Librarian: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles has a lot of dreamy elements.
Patty Patron: Oh right, I forgot about Murakami. I think I've read Sputnik Sweetheart before. I'll start with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or The Midnight Library.
Liz Librarian: Ok great! I hope you enjoy them!
Patty Patron: Thank you!
FAQ-tastic Interactions
With the Co-Op, your library is always open! So, if a patron is up at 3:00 am, concerned about their borrowed equipment that needs to be returned, they won't need to stress for long! Our chat librarians can use your LibAnswers FAQs to ensure patrons receive accurate information straight from the source.
December 11, 2024 | 3:37 am
Parker Patron: How do I return a Chromebook?
Lee Librarian: Okay, here's the page with info on returning: *Link to Institution's FAQ*
Lee Librarian: Please read that page for the full info, but here's an excerpt:
“If you are returning a Chromebook or laptop: You do not need to return the Chromebook or laptop in the original box, as it may not fit in the return box.
The Chromebook or laptop will not be damaged by dropping it in the return box. There is a safety mechanism in the return box to prevent damage. Please return the charging cable with the laptop."
Parker Patron: Thanksss!
Lee Librarian: You're welcome. Anything else you want to ask for now?
Parker Patron: That’s all I needed, thanks again!
*Link to institution's FAQ removed for privacy
Curious Queries
There's nothing librarians love more than solving problems! This chat involves some clever dot-connecting and phone-a-friend techniques that left the patron giving feedback that it was "Amazing, way past expectations. Thank you so much for making this service available to students!!!!!!"
November 9, 2024 | 8:07 pm
Linh Librarian: Hi Penny! How can I help you?
Penny Patron: Are you up for a movie challenge? We are trying to find the title of a movie we watched in the late 90's or early 2000's. My google-fu is failing us.
Penny Patron: It was in French. In the beginning of the movie a man is hit by a cd thrown out of a car on the highway. He might be working on the side of the road cleaning up trash or something. His ear is sliced off by the cd and falls into the toll basket on the highway. But, he can still hear through it. His ear ends up traveling all over and he is trying to find it.
Linh Librarian: And the movie was made in the late 90s or early 2000s?
Penny Patron: I think so. That's when we watched it, but I think we watched on an international movies cable channel, so it may have been a little earlier.
Penny Patron: I don't think it would have been earlier than the 80's
Linh Librarian: If it is a CD that cut it off, it's probably 90s or so, that's when CDs were really becoming more popular.
Linh Librarian: Hm, ok. Give me a few minutes to look around to see if I can come up with anything.
Linh Librarian: And the movie is in French?
Penny Patron: Yes, in French.
Linh Librarian: I'm still looking around! Just wanted to check in.
Penny Patron: It's a tough one! I did find it one time, but, of course, can't find it again. Thanks for helping!
Linh Librarian: I've got some of the other librarians looking around as well!
Penny Patron: Thanks!
Linh Librarian: Was it more of a comedy, like a dark comedy?
Penny Patron: Yes
Linh Librarian: Ok, thanks! I was looking through this list of 1990s French movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1990s_French_films
Linh Librarian: Wanted to pass it along to maybe jog your memory
Penny Patron: I'll take a look
Linh Librarian: And here's some French black comedy movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:French_black_comedy_films
Penny Patron: We'll work our way through those lists, thanks.
Linh Librarian: Ah, was this it?? https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=23725.html
Penny Patron: YES! You are the best! Thank you!
Linh Librarian: Here's the English listing: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215223/
Linh Librarian: It was one of the other librarians so I can't take full credit, but phew!
Penny Patron: I appreciate it! Have a good night
Linh Librarian: You too!
Contact us for more information about the 24/7 Global Chat Cooperative!