Librarians statewide celebrated Ask a Librarian Day
Are you having trouble finding out, who invented the stethoscope? Do you want to know, who owns the apartment building on 49th street? Are you sitting at your computer frustrated trying to figure out where to start on your big research project? Live expert help is just a click away with Ask a Librarian. Ask a Librarian (www.askalibrarian.org) is FREE online service for all Floridians.
With Ask a Librarian, you are connected to a librarian who will answer your question right when you need assistance most. It’s easy to use, just go to www.askalibrarian.org and ask your question, a Florida librarian will assist you. Ask a Librarian is a collaborative program by libraries throughout Florida and will provide you with accurate answers utilizing your state and local resources.
"Ask a Librarian is a tremendous resource for students and anyone with a research need. It makes expert librarians available to any Florida resident. Ask a question and within minutes an actual person is helping you. It’s a great feeling to connect with a skilled supportive person and know you are not lost amid a million search results" according to Ask a Librarian Manager, Diana Silveira.
Librarians all over Florida celebrated Ask a Librarian Day on Feb. 23 to bring awareness to the free online reference service that connects Floridians with librarians for help with homework or general questions. Librarians at over 106 libraries around Florida will wore “Askalibrarian.org” t-shirts and pins and promoted the valuable service with library customers. They informed people about Ask a Librarian’s benefits so that everyone can take full advantage of this user-friendly service.
Events at specific libraries included:
- Jacksonville Public Library made the newspaper - (check out Advisory Committee Member & SMS Taskforce Member – Michael Shell)
- Sarasota County created posters
- Palm Beach County School District wrote a blog entry
- Alachua County has Ask a Librarian as the main ad on their front page and had a large display at their library
- St Johns County, University of Central Florida and The State Library of Florida had an ad for Ask a Librarian as their status
- Florida Keys Community College held a raffle quiz for students to fill out for a chance to win one of three prize packages. The answers to all questions can be found in the FAQ section at www.askalibrarian.org
- Hodges University had cake and cookies decorated with Ask a Librarian for facility
- Indian River State College kicked off a Roving Reference service
- Parkland Public Library dressed the chairs at their reference desk
- Northwest Regional Library System placed an article about Ask a Librarian in their March 2010 Newsletter
Ask a Librarian is available live from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 24/7 for email assistance. Visit www.askalibrarian.org for more information or to ask a librarian a question.
Ask a Librarian is managed by the Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC), and is funded as part of the Florida Electronic Library (www.flelibrary.org) by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.