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

Last Chance Webinars in Ask a Librarian!
E-Gov and the Get Help Florida Website
Monday, June 11, 2012 (registration closing soon!)
2-3 pm ET
Ask a Librarian Email Workshop
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
2:30-3:30 pm ET
Florida Digital Newspaper Library
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
10:30-11:30 am ET
Site Coordinator Drupal Workshop
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
2-3 pm ET
Time is ticking for these upcoming webinars, so why risk it? Register today!
AAL Superstar Award
Each month, the Ask a Librarian team will pick an outstanding member that has shown exceptional participation in the program. We see how hard you are working to make this statewide program work, and we want to acknowledge your commitment to the program. Many of you continuously step up in tough times, whether it is picking up an extra shift or helping a colleague on the statewide desk when others are busy. We see how you market AAL to your patrons and students to promote the program. This shows a commendable effort on your part to help AAL provide exemplary service month after month. We will announce an AAL Superstar at the beginning of each month. We will also highlight the winner’s accomplishments and dedication on the Ask a Librarian Blog and Facebook page. Once we announce the winner, we will send them the awesome AAL Superstar Plaque to display in their library. When the next winner is announced, the previous winner will help us celebrate the new winner by either passing the plaque onto them via the statewide delivery program, or sending it back to us at TBLC.
June AAL Superstar Award
Our first winner is Lena Phelps, Chair of Library Services at South Florida Community College. 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! Don’t forget to send us a picture with the plaque, your hard work never goes unnoticed and we want your colleagues to see it!
Chat, Text, and Email Statistics – May 2012
Usage Summary
| Top entry by chat
Training
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Live Chat
| Local Stats by Entry Point | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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. |
Congratulations to Diana Rojas!
Get in the Know! Project Compass Workforce Recovery 2012
Information from Project Compass Florida:
There are more than 2 million small businesses in the state of Florida. They represent 98.9 percent of all employers and employ 42.3 percent of the private sector workforce.
Libraries are playing a leading role in developing the workforce of the 21st century. Project Compass is a nationwide effort to support public libraries as they strive to meet the urgent and growing needs of the unemployed and underemployed. This program will help public library staff increase their knowledge of available resources and handle the service needs of unemployed and job-seeking patrons. In an economy where more must be done with less, this program will also address how libraries can utilize existing resources and partnerships.
The goal of Project Compass is to support the workforce recovery efforts of libraries, particularly in counties with high unemployment. The program will introduce library staff to programs and services which they can deliver to job-seekers in their communities. Project Compass is brought to Florida public libraries by the Division of Library and Information Services, in conjunction with WebJunction/OCLC, as part of a grant funded by the Institute of Museum of Library Services.
Please check out the June 2012 Project Compass newsletter, which highlights some of the resources available to libraries to help develop and sustain small businesses in our communities.