About the Ask a Librarian Service

Who staffs this service?

The Library's Ask a Librarian service is staffed by faculty librarians. We work from the Reference Services Desk in Concordia College's Carl B. Ylvisaker Library where we answer questions in person, through instant messaging, and over the phone.

How does the service work?

Contact us with your library-related questions using instant messaging, your home or cell phone, e-mail, or visit us in person at the Library's Reference Desk.

Do you save transcripts?

We regularly purge the archives of all old reference interview transcripts, though we may review them from time to time as a way to evaluate our own performance and assess the service. See our privacy policy for more details.

What is Instant Messaging (IM) and how does it work?

IM refers to software such as AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ or others. These programs enable live conversations (chats) over the computer. To contact a Concordia librarian using IM, send a message from your IM software to our screen name askccref. We have accounts on AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger, all using the screen name askccref.

What if I don't have IM software?

If you currently do not have IM software, we suggest using a Web-based service called Meebo. This site allows you to create a screen name and to chat without downloading software.

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students