My history with e-mail started years ago when my supervisor at the Department of Corrections insisted that the staff use e-mail every day. He made sure we did, too, by sending a message early in the morning and watching for a reply. If he didn't get a response within an hour or so, he'd follow up with a personal visit. "Haven't you checked your e-mail yet?' That was annoying at the time, but effective. What seemed like an interruption in the work day then has become an essential tool although overhwhelming at times. It was worth reading the tips for managing e-mail as a good reminder of how to make a familiar tool work for you.
I don't use IM personally, but I've had a little experience with IM reference. Its popularity, ease of access, and speed make it an appealing tool for the delivery of reference services. From the staff side, it seems far easier than the 'Cadillac' web chat software from vendors like Tutor.com. That software, while robust and full-featured, requires staff to learn extensive protocols for communication, file-sharing, and pushing web pages to customers' desktops. It's a fairly steep learning curve. IM seems easier.
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