AskAway Blog

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.

Test Driving the New Chat Monitor

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

QuestionPoint has released its redesigned chat monitor. The new redesigned interface and the current interface will operate in parallel for at least 2 weeks before access to the current version ends.

***Please continue to use the current (aka old) chat monitor for your scheduled AskAway shifts for the time being***

Next week, we'll follow-up with more information about the subtle changes in workflow and the features available in the redesigned interface before taking it live.

Referring Students to WriteAway

Submitted by Cristen Polley on

WriteAway is a BC post-secondary collaborative online writing tutoring service. Undergraduate students at participating institutions can submit draft papers to WriteAway online and receive feedback and strategies to improve their writing from qualified tutors. WriteAway can be a nice complement to AskAway, as students who prefer online services or who are working off-campus can take advantage of online writing support.

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