Submitted by admin-boss on
Managing the patron queue can be difficult, particularly as AskAway gets busier. We're all committed to providing the best patron experience possible and sometimes this means holding back a moment when a new question arrives to ensure it's picked up by the librarian best suited to answer that question. Here's some tips compiled by Myfanwy Postgate, one of our BC ELN AskAway librarians...
10 Tips for Picking Up Patrons
Submitted by admin-boss on
AskWA, the Washington State virtual reference service, offers Ref22 online sessions on a variety of topics of interest to virtual reference librarians. The latest session was on Mastering The Reference Interview.
From the AskWA coordinator:
Thanks to everyone who attended our awesome Ref22 session this morning on mastering the reference interview. Christa Werle from Sno-Isle Libraries handled the session very well, and we had a fun and interactive group of participants.
Submitted by admin-boss on
We're getting into the busy part of the term and we're seeing shifts with 20-30 questions per hour. Here's a few strategies to help ease the burden on AskAway service providers and stressed patrons during this time of year...
1. Log into Campfire! In Campfire you're able to quickly communicate with all your AskAway colleagues online.
2. Swamped Scripts. Pick up patrons as quickly as you can, preferably before 60 seconds have passed, and use the swamped scripts to manage patron expectations and queue flow.
Submitted by admin-boss on
Do you work end of the day AskAway shifts? Then you know how frustrating it can be wrapping up your chats while also juggling incoming after-hours questions. Now you don't have to!
QuestionPoint has added the ability to deselect the active Queue and still continue with existing chats at closing time. This allows librarians to finish up with current questions without the added pressure of sending out the Closed scripts to new patrons arriving after hours.
Submitted by admin-boss on
Just a heads up that the BCIT web site which includes the Library is undergoing a face-lift. As of Saturday it will look substantially different. None of the actual content has changed, however, just the look of the main page and the navigation.
Submitted by admin-boss on
Colleagues:
Starting with this week, we are teaching approximately 1,800 engineering students in a few major classes- Engineering Cases (APSC 150), Engineering Communication (APSC 176) and Technical Communication (APSC 201) .
If you get those students coming to you, please help them by starting with our SciEng homepage - http://scieng.library.ubc.ca where you will see links to the appropriate course pages – APSC 150, 201, 176 and 262
Please refer any questions you may have with these folks my way.
Many thanks,
Submitted by admin-boss on
There have been a number of reports of QuestionPoint bugs since the last software install on September 19th. These include:
1) The inability to see how many calls other librarians are handling via the "All" tab in the chat monitor.
2) The address bar doesn't appear when the Policies link is clicked in the chat monitor.
3) Patrons have been reporting difficulty typing in the Qwidget box.
The first two items will be resolved in the next QP install, happening tomorrow AM (September 28).
Submitted by admin-boss on
Have you ever wondered exactly what the AskAway session looks like from the patron side? Perhaps wondered what options are available for making the session more user-friendly or accessible? Check out the new How-it-Works tutorial for patrons with step-by-step help, key screenshots & "more" hover tips!
Submitted by admin-boss on
From Liz Ball at UVic:
Hi Colleagues:
RE CHEM 101 Labs:
There are 900 students trying to complete their first CHEM 101 Lab. There is a CHEM 101 Web page at http://web.uvic.ca/~chem101/. Lots of answers to questions students maybe asking at the Library Help Desk are found on this web page.
If students want help in writing up their Lab, they should be sent to the Chemistry Drop in Centre on the 2nd floor of Elliot (30 hours a week) .
Submitted by admin-boss on
On September 10, BC ELN hosted an online refresher session for AskAwayers from participating libraries. We tested our knowledge of AskAway functions (do you know the difference between a Qwidget and a full screen interface?) and discussed a handful of brand new transcripts.
You can watch the hour-long screen cast at http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/index.php?page=refresh.
It's a great refresher for anyone who has used AskAway in the past, and you are guaranteed to learn something new!
- Kat
BC ELN