Who Uses Academic-Library Chat Services—and Who Avoids Them?

p strongAcademic-library chat reaches useful student segments, but a visible minority dislikes chatbots strongly enough that libraries still need clear human alternatives./strong/p p Primary Research Group found that 13.3% of surveyed students said they could not stand chatbots in general. Students from rural backgrounds were the most likely to express intense dislike. Attitudes and use also varied in less obvious ways: politically conservative and middle-of-the-road students were more likely than left-leaning students to use chatbots./p p Use of staffed online help followed different patterns. Psychology majors were the most likely to have used an Ask-a-Librarian service, and students working full or part time were much more likely to use it than students who were not employed. For a student balancing work and classes, asynchronous or after-hours access may be part of the service's core value./p p Libraries should not evaluate chat only by total sessions. They need to know whether students are locating articles, resolving citation questions, navigating the website or simply checking hours&mdashand where conversations fail. A visible handoff to a person, realistic response expectations and transcript review can improve both automated and staffed services./p p The strongest design offers choice. Chat should reduce friction for students who value speed without becoming the only doorway for users who need context, trust or a human conversation./p p  /p