University offers online chat options

Published

Students who have questions about services at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette can use online chat to get answers. Online chat technology is available in three areas: Edith Garland Dupré Library, the Academic Success Center and the IT Help Desk.

Librarians are available online, and via text message, during the library’s hours:
•  7:30 a.m. until midnight, Mondays through Thursdays;
•  7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays;
•  10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and
•  2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

“There’s a chat widget on the library’s main page and on its ‘Ask a Librarian’ page. We also have a dedicated phone number for text messages, which are routed through the chat service,” explained Emily Deal, the University’s distance learning and virtual services librarian. The number for texting is (337) 205-7558.

“Sometimes we get text messages from students who are inside the library, and that’s great. If that’s how students want to communicate with us, we’re happy to respond,” she added.

The Academic Success Center provides academic support, including free tutoring, for UL Lafayette students. Its online chat service for academic questions is available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Additional hours will also be available for tutoring. Once the semester is under way, those hours will be posted on the center’s website, studentsuccess.louisiana.edu. Students can go online via ULink and select the “Tutoring” tab to find a list of courses for which tutoring is available.

UL Lafayette’s Office of Information Technology also uses online chat during business hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 7:30 to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. David Savoie, the IT Help Desk manager, said his staff typically responds to technical questions, but also fields general questions as well. “If someone asks about academic registration, for example, we’ll direct them to the appropriate web page to help answer their question,” he said. The IT Help Desk conducts about 15 to 20 chats per day.