By Hannah on June 24, 2025
Gather 'round for another exciting edition of Tales From the Co-Op! If you haven't caught up with the latest in this series, be sure to check out our May exchanges.
Have you had trouble keeping up with incoming questions while your library is understaffed? Would you like to offer patrons a chat reference service during the library's off hours? Springshare's 24/7 Chat Cooperative could be the solution you've been looking for!
This adaptable service provides subscribers access to a global network of MLS-degreed librarians, ready to answer your patrons' burning questions – day or night! With rigorous quality control in place, rest assured that every chat receives excellent answers from a knowledgeable professional. In turn, library users are delighted to receive a quick response with personalized attention and the ability to save chat transcripts for future reference. One patron commented that it was "So nice to talk to a real human. So very kind and helpful."
Get a behind-the-scenes look at real-life Co-Op chat exchanges in the conversations below. We went ahead and removed any personally identifiable information and replaced names with pseudonyms for patrons and librarians.
Spotlight on Librarian Excellence
Information is everywhere, making librarians' research skills more essential than ever! In this chat, Liv Librarian was able to help Pauline narrow down search results to identify two studies that were relevant to their thesis.
April 17, 2025 | 2:10 pm
Pauline Patron: Hi Liv, I am hoping to find two different studies or articles about communication tactics between service workers, especially in fast-paced environments.
Liv Librarian: What class is this for Pauline? I'd like to check for a research guide that might be helpful.
Pauline Patron: It's for a small group communications class; we did some field notes – I focused on Chipotle employees. But I'm trying to show evidence that you need great communication skills for a stressful work environment.
Liv Librarian: Ok can you look more generally for that topic, or do you need to focus on service/restaurant workers?
Pauline Patron: Yes, more specific to restaurant/service workers.
Liv Librarian: OK let me try some searches in your library.
Liv Librarian: You might also try searching in a Communication database – those are listed here: *Link removed for privacy*
Liv Librarian: Here's what I found so far – I used these keywords: communication AND (restaurant employee OR service employee): *Link removed for privacy*
Liv Librarian: You might want to use the filters on the left-hand side of the screen to sort to a resource type: such as books or articles, what is available online, by date, and more.
Liv Librarian: I already filtered to articles that are available online, but you might look under the Subject filter – that could help to narrow them down.
Pauline Patron: Oh! The second link you sent is absolutely perfect!
Pauline Patron: It can basically be any source type, so this is great.
Liv Librarian: OK great! Is this enough to get you started, or can I help with anything else?
Pauline Patron: This is perfect! I don't need anything else. Thank you so much for your help!
Liv Librarian: You're welcome, have a good night!
FAQ-tastic Interactions
Chat Co-Op librarians are well-versed in LibAnswers FAQs, making it super simple to share any institution's policies at the drop of a hat!
April 13, 2025 | 5:11 pm
Pablo Patron: I only have a public library card, can I still come and study!?
Layla Librarian: Hi, Pablo! It sounds like you are asking if you can use the library as a visitor – is that correct?
Pablo Patron: Yes
Layla Librarian: Okay. One moment while I check the library's access policies. 😊
Pablo Patron: Okay
Layla Librarian: Thank you for your patience!
Layla Librarian: I found information on visiting here: *Link removed for privacy*
Layla Librarian: It does look like the libraries are open to the public, minus the exceptions listed there.
Pablo Patron: Okay thank you 😊
Layla Librarian: You are most welcome!
Curious Queries
We love a unique or challenging question! This patron's question was leading to dead ends, until Louie Librarian gave them some new leads to follow.
March 2, 2025 | 7:54 pm
Prince Patron: I am looking for a column titled "Old Songs That Men Have Sung" in Adventure Magazine printed by Robert Winslow Gordon in 1925. According to Wikipedia, on an article about The House of the Rising Sun, this is the first printed version of the lyrics of this song. Could you help me to find this column so that I can find the original lyrics? Thank you. It would be ideal if I could access this column digitally.
Louie Librarian: Hi Prince! We can check your library's catalog to see if they have that. One moment, please. 🙂
Louie Librarian: Okay, I'm not seeing that publication at your library, but let's see what else we can find.
Louie Librarian: I just did a title search of the column name: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Old+Songs+That+Men+Have+Sung%22
Louie Librarian: This looks promising: Robert Winslow Gordon papers, 1840-1961
Louie Librarian: As does this: Robert W. Gordon collection
Louie Librarian: They both look to be physical special collections held by the LOC and University of Oregon.
Louie Librarian: We might not be able to get them digitally immediately, but it is possible to reach out to them to see if they are able to support your research with electronic scans of specific items.
Prince Patron: Oh I see. How might I go about doing that?
Louie Librarian: I'd start with the UOO. You can reach out to the Special Collection library via email: *email removed*
Louie Librarian: They will be familiar with the collection, and able to help you determine what they have that may be of interest.
Louie Librarian: For the Library of Congress, they provide this:
Louie Librarian: "The Robert Winslow Gordon papers are open to research. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact"
Louie Librarian: You can contact them as well. 😊
Prince Patron: Oh wow! Thank you! And if that doesn't work, how would I make use of the link you sent from the Library of Congress? Because I have already emailed them asking about this, they are just taking forever.
Louie Librarian: Yeah, that’s partially why I recommended starting with the UOO Library first.
Louie Librarian: I imagine the Library of Congress is being impacted by the current governmental changes, so that may affect response times.
Prince Patron: Yeah, that makes sense.
Prince Patron: Thank you for your help. Have a wonderful evening, Louie.
Louie Librarian: You are most welcome! Good luck with your research and do chat again if you need more support – we're here 24/7 and always happy to help. 😀
Contact us for more information about the 24/7 Global Chat Cooperative so you can get started offering round-the-clock support today!