Series 2: Lesson 8 Challenge

OPTION 1 (where you get to be imaginative!):

Imagine two situations where you are interacting with someone via Skype, Google Hangouts, or a Mondopad.

• Situation 1:  You are having a virtual meeting with a colleague at a nearby branch; discussing a potential collaborative program between the two branches.

Our teen patrons want to have a video game tournament with teens from our nearest neighboring branch, utilizing the network capabilities of their gaming systems to remotely compete with teens at the other branch. 

1. One major benefit of having this meeting online is that nobody has to drive an hour to get to the other branch and back. Travel time really increases the impact of an off-site meeting on one's day.

2. Connectivity was an issue for this meeting. My video feed (of my colleague) froze more than once, and some audio was garbled. It was a little hard to figure out what had been missed by both sides. Additionally, my colleague was at her desk in an open staff area, so her coworkers often made comments or said hello as they were walking by and noticed a face on her computer. 

3. I would meet online again if necessary, but would prefer a face-to-face meeting. Maybe Skype would work better than Google Hangouts. 

4. I might meet with other coworkers online, if our schedules were constrained and there was no possible hands-on component to the discussion (like learning to use a tool or system). 

5. Both kinds of meetings can be good - it's just a matter of identifying the objectives of the meeting and the barriers and deciding which one to use. 

• Situation 2: You are conducting a virtual reference interview with a patron; this is your first time meeting this patron, so you have no background information about their interests or likes.

The patron in question is visiting family during the summer vacation and would like to get help accessing the library's digital resources remotely. She has internet access and is comfortable using her iPad to download apps and browse the internet, as well as to Skype with faraway friends and family.

1. This patron would not be able to get to the library, since she is visiting family out of state, so this meeting certainly increases the level of help we can offer. Because she is familiar with Skype, that eliminates the major tech know-how barrier to virtual reference service. 

2. Overall, this interaction went smoothly. I was able to use Skype's screensharing capability to demonstrate how to find SAPL's digital resources and how to access and download material. 

3./4. Although the meeting went well, I don't think this patron will need a second session. Similar sessions with other patrons could be a good idea, though. 

5. In this case, an in-person meeting wouldn't have been possible. I beleive this served just as well, though I generally prefer in-person meetings.