Live help from librarians... 24/7!
As a student or faculty member you've certainly had this experience at least once or twice. It's midnight, you're hard at work doing research for a paper, and not having much luck finding the right resources. Or, you've found that perfect article, and can't figure out whether or not the library has the journal it was published in. The library is closed and there's no one to ask for help.
Don't despair! From the Meriam Library home page, research help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week just a mouse click away. The Click for Live Help button connects you to the 24/7 Reference Service, a nationwide service that enables you to chat online with a librarian any time, day or night. Librarians can help you construct a search strategy, choose a database, find information online, or figure out if the library owns a book you need. If your question involves "local" information (for example, "why can't I renew my books online?") the best answer you may get is a phone number or email address. The service works best for questions involving research strategies, how to find information on a topic, and "does the library have..." questions. So the next time you're stuck trying to think of a keyword to use in a search try chatting with a librarian. Any time!
Contributed by Liz Colson