Where each day brings a surprising fact, a fun activity, or an Ask a Librarian award … and a chance to brag about our incredible services!

There are times when I finish a session. I am proud! I will admit this- I feel I really helped a user at their moment of need on a tricky topic, a user gushed at my reference skills…Its happened! I swear…. Anyway, I am sure many of have had similar experiences. I often see user comments like, “You are a lifesaver!”, “I have a 4.0 because of AAL thanks”, “you have been so helpful.” I also see incredible demonstrations of reference on a regular basis. Many of you have sessions that truly exemplify what I believe AAL is all about….extraordinary reference, a true experience connecting with a real person when a user needed it most at their point of need and using teachable moments to help the user in the future.

Monthly, the Quality Assurance Workgroup rewards sessions they find that truly stand out but there are A LOT of sessions every month and we cannot read every one. So, take a moment! Nominate your Exemplary session.

There are two ways to nominate a session.
1- At the end of a session, use the categories to mark the session – “Nominate me for an exemplary reference award.” It’s just that simple.
2- In the toolbox, use the nomination form. You will need the Incident Number for the session you are nominating here. Right now, the QA group is accepting nominations for sessions taking place from Jan 1 until present.

Don’t be shy! Let us know about work your proud of. Each month we do award a $20 gift card to the top detailed chat. At our annual user forum, we have an award ceremony for the year’s winners… still not sure you want to nominate yourself.   When you win, your library and you are associated with extraordinary reference to everyone on the AskRef list!

Today’s challenge – nominate yourself or a coworker for an Exemplary Reference Award. There is no separate award for this challenge- the possibility of a monthly exemplary reference award is the reward!