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Many libraries are currently establishing electronic reference services to provide optimal assistance for their patrons. Online tutorials, FAQ lists, e-mail forms and live chats provide help during information seeking and retrieval, yet all of these services show particular disadvantages: both online tutorials and live chats are labour-intensive for the libraries, FAQs force patrons to detect their questions within a set of existing categories of answers, and E-Mail reference demands for the patrons’ patience. A chatbot is a virtual character who can both understand and answer questions in natural language using a knowledge base accessible 24/7. A chatbot is therefore an up-to-date addition to the existing reference services and supports information literacy. The implementation of a chatbot involves aspects of computational linguistics, graphic design, communication and psychology. The article profiles these aspects, illustrating them with experiences made during a chatbot project at the State and University Library of Hamburg.