The Millar Library chat service has helped build my bibliographies into much more robust collections of sources than I could ever come up with on my own. Though you’re becoming a scholar in your own right, it doesn’t hurt to ask for help in finding the perfect source for your work. I didn’t even know about this feature of the Library website until halfway through my Junior year. Despite it being displayed on the front page of the site, it doesn’t exactly stick out, nor is it immediately apparent just how useful it is. Now that I know about it, I use it every time I have to turn in a bibliography.
To use the chat, click on the “Chat” button in the top right-hand corner of the Millar Library website (Library.pdx.edu). Another window will open. From here, you can ask any question related to your current project that you may have. I’ve used the service to find research papers, books, to check if something is currently available in the library and have it ordered if it’s not, and even to bounce ideas off of the librarian on the other side. Generally, the librarians have a very open mind and can recommend things you may have glanced right by in a simple search.
Even if you’re skilled in finding the perfect sources for your papers, it can be nice to double check with a librarian about anything important you may have missed in your search. Whether it be for your thesis, a final paper in a major class, or a creative project, using the library in any capacity is an underutilized resource that everyone should take advantage of.
