AskAway Blog

Tips for working smoothly with patrons who come and go

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

As we continue to adjust to new workflows in LibraryH3lp, and as the service became increasingly busy this fall, there have been several questions about how to work with patrons who come and go from the chat.

There are 3 new FAQs available that address different types of patron behaviour and provide tips and best practices for providing the best possible experience for AskAway visitors.

Sending a Swamped call

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

If you've ever wondered how to send out a swamped call, then this is the blog post for you! Learn when and how to send out a swamped call, what happens when you send one out, and what to do if you see a swamped message.

LibraryH3lp Tips and Tricks: September Edition

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

Based on excellent feedback received in training sessions and in the recent survey on LibraryH3lp support needs, there have been several updates made to documentation and tools to help you work with patrons more seamlessly.

Below, you'll find a list of all recent updates and some reminders. Thanks to everyone who shared feedback! If you have any questions or if there's anything you'd like to see added to the FAQs, please let us know.

Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

Are you working with a student who has a question about how to cite Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers?

The formal APA and MLA style guides do not currently have a format for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, so NorQuest College Library has developed citation styles for APA and MLA reference lists and in-text citations.

The list of Recommended Citation Guides and Websites from AskAway's Citation Best Practices has been updated to include links to these NorQuest College Library guides.

Alone or Short-Staffed on your Shift? How to Request Help

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

When you're working on AskAway, there should always be at least one other person on shift with you. If you find yourself alone or short-staffed, your colleagues and the Admin Centre are here to help. Below, you'll find the steps you can follow to request help as well as strategies to manage calls while you wait for help to arrive.

Update on the Chat Monitor Redesign

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

On your shifts, you're encouraged to use the new QuestionPoint chat monitor. Before taking it live, please check out the recent blog post Going Live with the New Chat Monitor for short demo videos and important information about what's changed and how to stay consistent with AskAway practices and procedures.

Read on to learn the latest on the chat monitor redesign including recent enhancements, when access to the current chat monitor will end, and a workaround for hopping out of the queues.

Snapshot from the North American Virtual Reference Conference 2019

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

Missed out on the North American Virtual Reference conference? Recordings from all sessions are now available in the conference Archives.

Our AskAway colleague Ean Henninger, from SFU Library, presented at the conference and has shared a snapshot from the round of lightning talks Communication Strategies and Best Practices.

Going Live with the New Chat Monitor

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

You're invited to use the new QuestionPoint chat monitor on your AskAway shifts. The new interface and the current (aka old) interface will operate in parallel for at least 2 weeks before access to the current version ends.

***Before taking the new chat monitor live, see below for important information about what's changed and how to stay consistent with AskAway practices and procedures.

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