The folks down at La Junta High in La Junta, Colorado have decided to take advantage of some prime screen real estate on their library’s public access computers by embedding a Meebo chat widget right onto the desktop. Check it out!

When a student sits down to get online, the first thing they see is that chat widget, which allows them to ask a question of the librarian. This can help them get started in their research, or can make it easier for them to ask a question when they get stuck.  It may seem odd to a lot of us to put a chat widget on a computer that sits less than 20 yards from a librarian, but a lot of younger users are so used to online communication that using a widget like this is often easier than finding the nerve to talk to An Authority Figure.

Ruth Taylor, the Library/Media Aide at the school, decided to reach beyond her comfort zone to get the chat widget project rolling when she realized that as a librarian she couldn’t afford to lag far behind her students when it came to technology. She wrote to tell me that learning the language of technology was the hardest piece in figuring out how to do what she wanted, but that the process was definitely rewarding! Even better,  it gave her a little knowledge and confidence when it came to other tech projects.  Here’s how she put it:

And another project came along regarding widgets, and I knew what that was!  So, my advice would be to jump in and at least try a few things and try not to get totally frustrated, because when the job is done and successful you can give a great big “Yes!”

Congratulations, Ruth!

There’s a quick screencast on this page showing you how you too can embed a chat widget on your library’s public access computer desktops.

Are there any other great “YES!” moment stories out there? How have you reached beyond your comfort zone to provide better service to your users?  Share your stories in the comments below!