Google killed Meebo: many libraries scrambled to replace this tool as their virtual reference engine

Competition in the virtual reference market got really hot this past summer. Recent developments in virtual reference offerings suggest the market is much more dynamic than most of us would have imagined a short time ago. With Google’s acquisition of Meebo and its subsequent decision to shut down the chat widget service, many libraries scrambled to replace this tool as their virtual reference engine.

In any case, libraries and individual librarians have been using Meebo since at least 2007 to provide free virtual reference services, so Meebo’s demise sent them scurrying for a replacement. The good news was that other significant changes in the virtual reference marketplace were taking place, providing reference librarians with plenty of options. 

Read the detailed article by William Breitbach from
http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/oct12/Breitbach--Your-Guide-to-Meebo-Options.shtml