Description
The reference librarians at the Minnesota State Law Library help staff a live chat service for Legal Services State Support (through LawHelpMN.org). We cover several chat shifts each week, providing our law librarian expertise to public patrons seeking help with legal and social issues. Most people using the service are trying to navigate legal and/or social services problems alone as they cannot afford to hire an attorney. They come to the chat service for help with legal questions, to find the correct forms to use for a legal matter, for other resources to use to help answer legal questions, and assistance navigating various social services programs/requirements. The anonymity of chat allows people to be very honest with the problem they are facing and the help they need (more than email, phone, and live interactions). We may find ourselves in the position of helping people in the midst of an emergency related to domestic abuse, child custody, housing or other matters. At times, it may be better for us to advise patrons to contact the police first and worry about the legal issue later in order to be safe. When dealing with patrons in distress online, it can be tricky to understand what the patron is really asking or needs. It can also be challenging to keep the patron online while looking for additional information to help them. This panel presentation/discussion will include information on shortcuts and “canned chats” we use to help us quickly respond to our patrons. We will also discuss tips and practices for dealing with patrons in distress. We will share some of the resources we routinely use with patrons seeking legal information and referrals.
Start Date
16-3-2017 10:30 AM
End Date
16-3-2017 11:30 AM
Live Chat: Librarians Using Simple Technology to Provide Access to Justice (Social and Legal) to Patrons in Distress
The reference librarians at the Minnesota State Law Library help staff a live chat service for Legal Services State Support (through LawHelpMN.org). We cover several chat shifts each week, providing our law librarian expertise to public patrons seeking help with legal and social issues. Most people using the service are trying to navigate legal and/or social services problems alone as they cannot afford to hire an attorney. They come to the chat service for help with legal questions, to find the correct forms to use for a legal matter, for other resources to use to help answer legal questions, and assistance navigating various social services programs/requirements. The anonymity of chat allows people to be very honest with the problem they are facing and the help they need (more than email, phone, and live interactions). We may find ourselves in the position of helping people in the midst of an emergency related to domestic abuse, child custody, housing or other matters. At times, it may be better for us to advise patrons to contact the police first and worry about the legal issue later in order to be safe. When dealing with patrons in distress online, it can be tricky to understand what the patron is really asking or needs. It can also be challenging to keep the patron online while looking for additional information to help them. This panel presentation/discussion will include information on shortcuts and “canned chats” we use to help us quickly respond to our patrons. We will also discuss tips and practices for dealing with patrons in distress. We will share some of the resources we routinely use with patrons seeking legal information and referrals.