Who staffs this service?
Our service is staffed by a librarian and part-time staff. We work at the Reference Desk located near the Circulation Desk at the Bossier Central Library Branch, where we provide assistance in person and over the phone. Since this is a new service for us, there may, on occasion, be slight delays in responding to your chat or IM request, but we make every effort to provide fast service to all persons.
How does eReference work?
You can contact us any time you have a research or library-related question, either online with chat, on your home phone, or just by coming to our reference desk. Also be sure to check out our research page pages for links to databases that can provide quick answers to common questions.
Who can use eReference?
Chat and email reference are primarily intended for the patrons of Bossier Parish Libraries.
Do you save the transcripts?
We regularly purge our archives of all old transcripts, though we do review them for evaluation and research purposes.
Who is IM and how does it work?
IM stands for "Instant Message," refers to software like AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), which can be used to have a live conversation with a librarian. To contact us, visit our eReference page and send us an email.
If you are using this service from home and already have AOL IM installed on your home computer, just send us a message using our Screen Name: askbplref.
No IM software?
That's okay. You don't need any IM installed on your computer eReference to work. However, if you prefer not to use this service, feel free to email, call, or come by.
Having trouble getting Chat service to work?
Pop-up blockers must be turned off to use the main chat service. Consult a library staff member or computer lab assistant for assistance in turning off pop-up blockers.