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Academic libraries providing chat reference services have a range of options for where and how library users can engage with chat providers. These entry points can be static or proactively invite users into the service. The study compares the URLs from which users entered chat reference at three large public research libraries in the United States. The URLs show where users were when they sought assistance with library tasks. This exploratory investigation is important for extending knowledge of user help-seeking behavior and how chat service configuration may impact use. Data are variables related to chat interactions (n = 19,839) at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and University of New Mexico (UNM) in three semesters 2019–20. Findings show users originated most chats from either the library website or discovery layer; chat initiations from other resources are minimal; chat traffic increased at all three during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a general decline in recent years in academic libraries’ reference desk statistics, research indicates that library users continue to have complex research questions but are largely unaware that librarians are waiting and ready to assist them. The challenge for librarians is to connect with users at their point of need. At Bowling Green State University, we are making a move in this direction with proactive (pop-up) chat widgets embedded within our library Web pages, catalog, and databases. Since implementation, the number of chat reference questions received has more than doubled, helping us reach additional users from on-and off-campus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To determine if undergraduate student information desk assistants were effectively staffing the library's chat reference service, librarians at Bowling Green State University embarked on a chat transcript analysis project, comparing the performance of librarians to student assistants. Although student desk assistants generally did not perform as well as librarians, it was concluded that with a renewed emphasis on continual oversight and training, students were a very viable option for staffing a chat reference service. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]