AskAway Updates

In this post, find out about recent updates to the list of Recommended Citation Guides and Websites.

In this post, find out about recent updates to the Recommended Citation Guides and Websites. Many thanks to Elizabeth Fernandes (Liaison Librarian at University Canada West), Shannon Moist (Head of Reference Services at Douglas College) and Tina Bebbington (Humanities Librarian at the University of Victoria) for their work on this update!

Changes to the AskAway chat box are coming! We will soon upgrade to the next generation chat box, which comes with new features and special attention to visual accessibility. As the next generation chat box is rolling out, there are new features and functions we’d like to bring to your attention!

In case you missed it, catch up on the Summer 2022 issue of the AskAway newsletter.

There are three new tags that you can now apply to your AskAway chat sessions in LibraryH3lp: Copyright, Course Reserves, and Open Education. These tags were recommended by AskAway participants and will help the service and libraries better understand student needs in these areas. The Interlibrary Loan tag has also been updated to include (ILL) so that it is faster to bring up in the drop-down list by typing ILL.

We're pleased to share that FAQs for service providers have been refreshed!

Previously, these FAQs were spread out in two places, with some available on the AskAway website FAQs page and others available on the Service Provider FAQs site. Initially, this was to support the transition to LibraryH3lp but having this information available in two places made it difficult to know where to look for answers and less efficient to maintain.

Now, you can find all of your FAQs in one convenient place: the Service Provider FAQs site, linked from the AskAway website FAQs page and the homepage.

AskAway has guidelines in place to help you respond to patrons who are abusing the service with prank calls, inappropriate language, or rude behaviour. They're designed to provide you with the tools you need to communicate clearly with the patron, give them an opportunity to change their behaviour, and if needed, to end the session.

In addition to these guidelines, here are some general tips to respond to inappropriate and prank chats based on feedback and input from service providers.

Regular AskAway hours resume today January 17th. In this post, you'll find information about an update to LibraryH3lp as well as important reminders heading into this term.

In case you missed it, catch up on the December 2021 issue of the AskAway newsletter.

In case you missed it, catch up on the Fall 2021 issue of the AskAway newsletter.