One of the ways that PSU Library supports students, faculty, and staff is through 24/7 online chat reference. This online service is staffed by folks at PSU Library during typical business hours and into the early evening. After hours, we rely on our partners at Answerland to answer chat questions from Portland State.
Answerland is “Oregon’s online reference service,” administered by the State Library of Oregon. In 2024 alone, Answerland librarians answered 884 questions from PSU users when PSU librarians were unavailable. Often these questions focus on finding the best database or resources for a research topic or finding the full text of articles, and range across other library and research needs. If the backup librarians can’t help the user, they refer them back to the PSU Library for follow-up.
PSU Library has been a significant, active, and consistent partner in the Answerland initiative since its inception in 2003. In addition to referring our users to Answerland after hours, a PSU librarian staffs Answerland virtual reference shifts to support public, school, and academic libraries throughout Oregon and the world.
Answerland is supported by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as well as contributions from volunteers and staff at partner libraries across Oregon and the world. The Answerland service is essential to our ability to provide research help to PSU students, faculty, and staff at all hours, and a crucial service for supporting library users throughout the state and beyond.