E-Mail is Dead

E-Mail is Dead?? News to me. Libraries and library professionals are using instant messaging (IM) as a reference tool, for in-house communication, and professional networking and contacts.
It is a point of service tool that is being used by our users. Aaron Schmidt and Michael Stevens, presenters at Computers in Libraries 2005, provided stats such as; 20% of Americans use IM, that is 80,000,000 connected. There are on average 7 BILLION messages sent every day.
Count the IM windows the average student has open over a search screen and MS Word. On average I would venture a guess of 2-4. IM may become a favored point of service tool for communication and reference service. I don't think it can or should replace our cobrowse VR interface or sharing/teaching tools like BlackBoard, but it is something to consider. It is what the students use!