ProQuest and EBSCO databases allow administrators to include custom widgets, such as the LibraryH3lp chat box, in their search results. This is an extremely useful way to offer research help to students at point of need.
Ovid allows administrators to include a button in the database.
Other databases may offer similar custom widget options, but these are not currently known to the Admin Centre.
Why should AskAway be included here?
Database searches are among the most common ways for students to access AskAway, amounting at some institutions up to 63% of their total AskAway traffic. A chat box alongside database search results offers students immediate help, when and where they need it most: during searches.
The addition of a chat box in database search results can have significant impact. In 2013, one institution saw 294% more AskAway sessions over 2012 after adding the chat box to their EBSCO search results.
Which type of entry point should I use?
A chat box should be used in search results for all applications, rather than a button or link. Students navigating search results are actively researching, and the chat box is an open invitation to chat directly at point of need. Buttons and links add steps to the process of getting help, and act as barriers.
The chat box should be fully visible and expanded, not hidden behind a collapsed menu.
Where on the page should it go?
Best practice is to include a chat box in all EBSCO and ProQuest database search results. The chat box should be the first or second item in the right or left sidebar.
Examples
EBSCO:
ProQuest:
