Change to Nominating process for Exemplary Chat Awards!
After much consideration, the QA Workgroup has decided to move in a little different direction with the nominations for the monthly Brief, Detailed, and Teaching Exemplary Awards. This change will encompass both self nominations and nominations from the QA Workgroup.
Basically, starting in August, we will be asking everyone to nominate based on a Best Practice Theme. The theme for August will be Best Customer Service Chat.
Through the past couple of years, it has become harder and harder to pick winners from the nominees. The librarians who staff the service are resourceful and are highly experienced. It shows in the quality of the Chats! And, we have nominated based on the presence of two of the criteria that we have available in Toolbox.
The purpose of the QA Workgroup and Exemplary Chats has been threefold: (1) give recognition to excellent digital reference, (2) provide a bank of chats for teaching, and (3) provide incentives to improve digital reference skills.
With the growth of the AskALibrarian Service over almost 10 years, the staff of the service has grown also in competence and experience. The idea of a theme of a specific Best Practice seems like a natural evolution of that growth!
Here are some of the criteria that will be used in the future:
· Most Enthusiastic Librarian
· Most Exemplary handling of a difficult patron
· Most Exemplary e-gov question
· Most Exemplary t Mobile Reference session
· Great Customer Service
· Most Exemplary Use of Library Materials
· Most Exemplary Use of Non Library Materials
· Most Efficient and Accurate Answer for a Patron at a library Other Than one’s own
· Best Rapport While Keeping it Real with a Patron.
So, we ask you, please keep self-nominating! The response that we’ve gotten in self-nominations has been wonderful. We appreciate your interest and participation!
So now please choose a Chat that matches the Best Practice Theme of the month, “Great Customer Service.” The Quality Assurance Workgroup will be selecting Exemplary Chat winners only from those that display the monthly theme.
Starting in August, we will be looking for “Great Customer Service” for that month in all three categories for Exemplary Chats.
Pat Barbier and Joyce Ward (Co-Chairs of the QA Workgroup)
Don’t forget you can nominate here: https://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/exemplaryreference/nominatetranscript/
Chat, Text, and Email Statistics – June 2012
Usage Summary
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Training
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Live Chat
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WidgetsAsk a Librarian widgets embedded on a web page allow your patrons to chat, text, or email without leaving your website. The Ask a Librarian SmartButton indicates whether chat is being staffed. Choose from the pool of existing designs, or tell us your preferred characteristics and color scheme for a truly customizable user feature. An iframe tag places the AaL hosted widget anywhere on your page, although it’s also possible to use our documentation to place the code on your own hosted page without using an iframe. | Instant InviteInstant Invite is a proactive chat that can be set it up so when a patron arrives on a library page the chat will pop onto the screen. Or if they run a search in the catalog and receive no results, a pop up will ask them if they want to chat with a librarian. Everything about this can be customized. Find out more about Instant Invite. Contact us if you would like to set one up for your library. |
Monday’s Motivational Minute – Diana Rojas
South Florida State College
South Florida Community College (SFCC) has a new name! They are now the South Florida State College! Back in September of 2011, approval was made for the addition of a baccalaureate degree at the college. The college District Board of Trustees was ready to make the name change after that accomplishment! The new name expands the mission of their college! Congrats SFSC!
Are you a Meebo User? Switch to Ask A Librarian!
If you are using Meebo Messenger, the service will be shutting down on July 11th. Are you looking for a replacement to chat with your students or patrons? Then Ask A Librarian is the switch you are looking for. Ask A Librarian can provide you with the same chat availability by embedding a widget on your library website. Ask A Librarian is a free service funded through the Florida Electronic Library: As Florida’s collaborative virtual reference service, Ask A Librarian allows users to connect with librarians via live chat, texting, and email for assistance with reference questions and research. Ask A Librarian is funded under the provisions of the LSTA from the IMLS and administered through the State Library of Florida. The service offers participating libraries FREE collaborative software, a local desk option, and an email management system. We also provide in-depth statistical reports. Widgets and Instant Invite: Widgets, embedded links making interactive chat seamless, and Instant Invite, a proactive chatting service, make Ask A Librarian an integral part of your virtual reference program. Statistics have shown a significant increase in local chat for libraries that use Instant Invites and have a widget embedded on their site. Widgets:
- Option to set up and chat similar to Meebo Messenger
- Customize your widget with your library colors, fonts, and themes
- Availability to embed on multiple website pages including Primo and LibGuides
- Set up to chat or email if a librarian in unavailable
Instant Invite
- Many customization options available
- Enables librarians to proactively invite website visitors to chat with librarians
- Allows you to set up conditional rules for pop-ups based on time, location, and context
Mobile Ask a Librarian: Ask A Librarian is also optimized for use on mobile devices and tablets. Check out this short video to see the mobile version! Get Started:Looking to get started with Ask A Librarian? Please contact Jessica Riggins for more information at rigginsj@tblc.org or 813-622-8252 ext. 226
Is your Library Website Mobile Friendly?
Does your library have a mobile page deployed on their website? If so, you can add an Ask a Librarian link! Ask a Librarian has a mobile friendly site allowing users to easily access their local library to chat, email or text right from their device!
We have designed a mobile friendly image for libraries to use. Please feel free to add this to your site as well. Download the image here.
If you need help or have a question, please email, Jessica Riggins.
Here is a list of custom URL’s for each library’s mobile local portal page:
Library Mobile EZ-URLs List
(more readable URL which redirects to longer portal/local page URL)
June AAL Superstar Award
Our first winner is Lena Phelps, Chair of Library Services at South Florida Community College Library. Lena always goes above and beyond her duties on the statewide desk, jumping on to help her colleagues or picking up extra shifts. Her enthusiasm for the statewide program is very energetic. Her hard work never goes unnoticed on Ask a Librarian! Please help me welcome this month’s winner, Lena Phelps!
Ask a Librarian Texting Webinars
Monday, October 15, 10-11 am ET
![](https://infoask.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cell-phone-texting.jpg)