Jody writes: "Check out Morris Library's instant messaging reference software [1]. It has all of the major features of commercial library chat software except for co-browsing/escorting. So far, it has had no technical difficulties and is lightning quick, even through a dialup. It uses the web browser as a client, making it very accessible, user-friendly, and customizable. Let us know what you think!" Between this and rakim [2] it seems the niche is taking shape well.
Links:
[1] http://www.lib.siu.edu/chat/
[2] http://styro.lib.muohio.edu/rakim/