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Ask a Librarian:

Florida's Statewide Collaborative Live Virtual Reference Service

History

Ask a Librarian began as a partnership between the College Center for Library Automation (CCLA) and the Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC). Ask a Librarian was funded initially in 2002-2003 with LSTA funds as a pilot project of the Florida Electronic Library.

The service was activated on July 28, 2003. The initial 40 participating libraries were activated on the service over July, August, September, and October of 2003. A formal announcement and unveiling of Ask a Librarian occurred on December 2, 2003 at the press conference to announce the Florida Electronic Library.

Project Status

Ask a Librarian currently has 101 participating libraries.

As of July 1, 2008, Ask a Librarian participants have logged over 94,000 live virtual reference sessions and over 42,000 e-mail questions.

Ask a Librarian is an official service of the Florida Electronic Library.

Ask a Librarian has an Advisory Committee and a Quality Assurance Workgroup.

The Service

The service provides all of Florida's citizens with live virtual reference services via local library customized web sites from 10 am to Midnight Sunday through Thursday, and from 10 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday.

Participating libraries may also utilize the software to provide local live virtual reference services to their patrons.

An e-mail form is available to patrons 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. All e-mail is answered by the local library.

The service consists of two primary features:

  1. Live chat service that is used to provide reference statewide and to local patrons. The software features live chat and co-browsing capabilities, which allow you to share a web window with your user or push web pages to your user's window.
  2. E-mail management system

Benefits of Participation

  • Extending hours of service, sharing staffing hours
  • The software is web-based, so there's nothing to install
  • There is no cost to participate.The software license is covered by an LSTA grant
  • Live virtual reference services are provided to your students from 10 am to Midnight Sunday through Thursday, and from 10 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday
  • We provide a full day of training on the software at your location
  • We provide promotional materials such as posters, pencils, bookmarks, etc.
  • We provide a customized page for each library that provides access to the live reference, e-mail reference, searchable knowledge base, and other local resources
  • A local copy of the software is available for you to use to serve your patrons whenever you wish

What are the requirements for my library to participate?

  • Provide staff to the statewide desk (hours requested will depend upon your library's size)
  • Submit a partnership agreement form
  • Promote the service locally
  • Provide a Site Coordinator