Chat with a Librarian 24/7

Chat with a librarian 24/7: get research help -- any time of day or night* -- from a librarian! SU students, faculty, and staff can chat online with a librarian from Seattle University (or a participating Jesuit institution).

* The service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for some holidays (closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and shorter hours on December 24 and 31).

How do I access Chat with a Librarian 24/7?

Click here to chat with a librarian!

You can find this link on our Ask a Librarian page as well.

What is Chat with a Librarian 24/7?

This is a web-based "virtual reference" (VR) service that allows Seattle University students, faculty and staff to get research assistance from a librarian via live online chat. Web pages and online databases, as appropriate, can be viewed while chatting.

Who can use Chat with a Librarian 24/7?

Current Seattle University students, faculty, and staff have access to the full service.

Others, such as alumni, may use the service, but the librarian cannot provide information that is in the licensed databases subscribed to by Seattle University. Librarians may give referrals to local public library collections, public web sites, and other resources if necessary.

Who am I working with when I use Chat with a Librarian 24/7?

This service is a collaborative project provided by about twenty institutions affiliated with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), including Seattle University.

The librarian who will help you depends on the day and time you use the service. Seattle University librarians staff Chat with a Librarian 24/7 about six hours per week. At other times the session may be with a librarian at another Jesuit institution or with a librarian hired to staff evening and holiday hours. All are professional librarians, but Seattle University librarians will know our collections, policies, and services best. If you would like more help from a Seattle University librarian, please contact us directly.

The librarian on duty will answer each question to the best of his/her ability. If the on-duty librarian determines that a question would be better answered by a Seattle University librarian, the question may be referred to us. If a librarian from Seattle University is simultaneously online, the question will be transferred immediately. If not, you'll be given our contact information or we'll be given yours.

What types of questions can I ask in a chat session?

You can ask any type of research or library question in a Chat with a Librarian 24/7 session. Some types of questions are more suitable to discuss in the chat format, such as:

• Finding a book or video by searching the library catalog
• Assistance in selecting and searching appropriate databases
• Basic information about the library and its services
• Help accessing the library resources when you are off campus
• A specific piece of information (examples: a fact, a date, spelling of a name)
• Help verifying citations

You may be referred to other resources or services if chat is not the most appropriate medium for answering your question. If you are beginning a major research project, we'd suggest coming to the Research Assistance Desk in the library or scheduling a Research Consultation with a Seattle University librarian. Similarly, if you have a question about reserving a room in Lemieux Library, paying your library fines, or another specific SU-related question, you might want to contact Lemieux Library directly.

What is the response time? How long does a session last?

Chat with a Librarian 24/7 help is immediate and interactive. If the librarian is already assisting someone when you ask your question, you might experience a short wait before you connect to a librarian. There is no time limit on a session. An average interaction lasts between 10 and 20 minutes.

When is Chat with a Librarian 24/7 available?

Chat with a Librarian 24/7 is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for certain holidays.

It is closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Hours are shortened on December 24th and December 31st.

How will I be able to remember what the librarian shows me?

A transcript of the chat session, including text and URLs of web pages visited, can be e-mailed to you. To receive the transcript, enter your e-mail address into the Session Transcript Email box that pops up after the chat.

How can I get help chat isn't open or if it doesn't work for me?

You can contact Seattle University librarians in person, on the phone, or over e-mail.

What can I do to phrase my question for the best response?

It helps us answer your question if you tell us, as best as you can, exactly what you're trying to find. Also, you can let us know if you have already searched online, in the library catalog, or elsewhere, and what you found.

How does database searching work?

Librarians adhere to the licensing agreements for electronic resources and databases. The librarian on duty will use the databases and electronic resources available at Seattle University and will ask you to log in with a Seattle University ID and password (the same ID as your SU e-mail). The librarian can instruct you in the use of SU-licensed databases, but you will not gain access to databases provided by other AJCU institutions.

What services are not provided?

As with our other information services, Chat with a Librarian 24/7 cannot provide legal, tax, medical, or financial advice.

The service does not include faxing, photocopying, or mailing materials.

What is the privacy policy?

When you use Chat with a Librarian 24/7, you are asked to provide your name, institution affiliation, status (faculty, student, staff, etc.), and e-mail address. Providing your e-mail address allows us to send you a transcript of the session or to send you additional information related to your question. We will disclose your personal information only when it is necessary to answer your request for information. For example, we may refer your question and your personal information to a librarian at another Jesuit institution.

We also collect some information about your computer, such as the browser version you are using, and your IP address. We store session cookies on your machine in order to send you chat messages, web sites and files, but these cookies will dissolve when your session ends.

We keep the transcripts and make them available to supervising librarians for quality control.

What software is necessary?

No special software is needed to use Chat with a Librarian 24/7. Most computers with Internet access and a web browser will work.

If you want to download the optional Windows client, you may do so to get a more full-featured service.

What web browser should I use and what settings are necessary?

Chat with a Librarian 24/7 works best with Internet Explorer on a Windows-based computer, but most web browsers on a PC or a Macintosh should work.

Some newer versions of Internet Explorer that come with Windows XP do not have Microsoft Java Virtual Machine installed. To use our interactive service, you may download the latest version of the software.

Some versions of Netscape will pop up a message advising you to change the Java setting in order to login and chat with a librarian. It also will provide full instructions for the steps to be taken to enable Java or disable it, depending upon the version of Netscape you have.

If you use America Online (AOL), we recommend that after connecting, you use Internet Explorer, Netscape or Firefox instead of the AOL browser.

Pop-up blockers may interfere with some functions of the service.

If you are behind a firewall or internet filter, make sure you are allowing regular http connections to and from Tutor.com.

How do I access Chat with a Librarian 24/7, again?

Click here to chat with a librarian!

You can also find this link on our Ask a Librarian page.

Questions or comments?

If you have questions or comments about Seattle University's Chat with a Librarian 24/7 service, please contact Kristen Shuyler at (206) 296-6225 or shuylerk@seattleu.edu.