Instant Messaging

This is one area of technology I have experience with, so I wish I could say this part was easy. Well, most of it was, but the directions, again, were less-than-helpful. Anyway, I guess if I want to comment on that, I should post elsewhere. This page is supposed to be about how this technology could be helpful in a library envirnoment.
From what I understand, we already have access to IM at FVRL, but I don't know how much it is used. I'm not sure if it's available to patrons to Tel Info or if that's email only.
I can see the Rooms feature of Meebo being useful to librarians or other "communities," but don't know about the value of leaving the room open continually unless people have decided to be available continually.
I compare it with my bank that has an online chat feature. It was a good idea and has been helpful once or twice, but the other times, the person who was supposed to be manning the help line wasn't there...and they didn't bother to say they weren't there. No one answered my question, I just got messages every moment or two saying that someone would be right there. Ten or fifteen minutes into it, I gave up. From what I've heard about how the IM feature has been used here, I think that's happened here, too. If both parties are glued to their seats, IM can be helpful. (I HAVE IM'd IT from time to time with computer problems from the branches, and that helped...but IT types are the most likely to be close to computers when you need them, too.
IOW (see, I've learned SOME new technology!) I'm ambivalent, as usual. It could work but it still seems like more work than it's worth. I'll probably wait til the tech gurus work out the bugs, then try again.