FLA Conference 2012: AaL Meet & Greet
Last Chance Webinars in Ask a Librarian
My Virtual Community: Reaching out to your Local Patrons through the Local Desk
Monday, April 30, 2012 (registration closing soon!)
10-11 am ET
Gale, eBooks, & You: The New Interface of the Gale Virtual Reference Library
Thursday, May 17, 2012
2-3 pm ET
High Anxiety: Increasing your Comfort Level on the Statewide Desk
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
10-11 am ET
E-Gov and the Get Help Florida Website
Monday, June 11, 2012
2-3 pm ET
Time is ticking for these upcoming webinars, so why risk it? Register today!
Ask a Librarian Technical Support
Matt Smith, technical assistant for Ask a Librarian, will be available to answer any technical support questions you may have. For an technical issues, including Oracle, Java, browser, or any other technical trouble shooting, please contact Matt Smith directly at help@askalibrarian.org or smithmm@tblc.org. Matt will be able to assist you with any technical questions you may have.
You can also access the Technical Support page on the toolbox website at anytime http://info.
Gale, eBooks, and You… Register Today!
Don’t miss out! Sign up now to reserve your space in this timely webinar on nonfiction ebooks in the new GVRL interface.
Gale, eBooks, & You: The New Interface of the Gale Virtual Reference Library
Thursday, May 17, 2-3 pm ET
With electronic reference books from Gale and their publishing partners, you can help your patrons instantly access nonfiction eBooks (with any Internet-connected device) through the Gale Virtual Reference Library. The GVRL is one of many incredible resources available through the Florida Electronic Library… but there’s a new interface in town!
Learn about the Gale Virtual Reference Library and how to utilize its new interface to best help your library patrons in this webinar taught by Julie Pepera of Gale-Cengage.
Write your elected officials during National Library Week 2012!
Please write to your elected officials during 2012 National Library Week to let them know how important libraries are to you and your community. Tell them about how much your community, your state, needs its libraries! Support your state’s libraries now by sending your elected officials a message from your state library association’s take action page: http://capwiz.com/ala/fl
Libraries continue to be busier than ever helping families, students, seniors, etc., during these tough times. But as we know, public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries are still struggling to maintain budgets, staff, and resources to serve the needs of their communities. Your state government provides much needed funding for libraries to provide public access to the Internet to everyone, critical databases for individuals and small businesses, homework help, and much more.
If you want to, include in your message a personal story about how your library makes a positive difference in your life!
Please share this message with your friends, family, and colleagues, and ask them to take this opportunity to support libraries in your state!
Thanks for taking the time to support libraries, not only during National Library Week, but all year long!
*A message from Michael Dowling, ALA Chapter Relations Office Director*
Webinar: High Anxiety: Increasing your Comfort Level on the Statewide Desk
High Anxiety: Increasing your Comfort Level on the Statewide Desk
May Session: Wed., May 30, 2012, 10-11 am ET
August Session: Wed., Aug. 22, 2012, 10-11 am ET
- Does the idea of answering statewide chat questions make you feel hesitant and uncomfortable?
- Do you feel a little like a fish out of water when you’re scheduled to cover the Collaborative or Academic Desk for your library?
If you feel anxiety while waiting to help statewide chat patrons, you are not alone. Even the most capable and confident of librarians can feel a reduced sense of comfort when answering collaborative chat questions. You bring a lot to the table. This webinar will offer the perspective you need to lasso the comfort you that you have in-house and draw that into the virtual reference environment.
Chat, Text, and Email Statistics – March 2012
The following statistics are now available for the month of March 2012:
October 2011 Exemplary Reference Awards
The Quality Assurance Workgroup is happy to award the following transcripts for the October 2011 Exemplary Reference Awards. Transcripts were awarded in three categories: Best Brief Chat, Best Detailed Chat, and Best Teaching Chat.
The three winning transcripts are at: https://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/october-2011-exemplary-reference-transcripts/
Show your statewide colleagues that you value the customer service they provide to your patrons and students with a nomination. You can nominate yourself or your co-workers sessions in the Ask a Librarian Toolbox at: https://info.askalibrarian.org/ or when closing a live chat session.
A huge thanks to everyone for all their hard work on Ask a Librarian – without each of you, Ask a Librarian would not be a success.
Brief Exemplary Chat:
Brian Walton, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System
Gave complete and accurate info, good rapport; I like the way he referred the caller to our own resources. So many people don’t know what we have online!
Detailed Exemplary Chat:
Adam Larose, Florida State University
I love the patron comment that Adam had been “ridiculously helpful.” He certainly was!
Teaching Exemplary Chat:
Jennifer Gregor, St. Petersburg College
Jennifer did a great job with giving very specific instructions on how to access information on Youth Gangs and she kept checking to make certain her patron was following along and able to access the information. Although sometimes it’s more expedient to send articles to a patron, I like it when the librarian makes the patron log in and follow along-and is patient to boot.
Congratulations to our winners!
Each month we receive numerous nominations for fantastic reference. Here are the other nominees:
Brief Chat:
Bronwyn, AAL Staff
Christa S, Jacksonville PL
Jessica B, Jacksonville Public Library
Amy M, Santa Rosa County
Susan S,Hodges University
James P Miami Dade Public Library System
Marsha M,Tampa Hillsborough
Tom M,Citrus County
Zach E,Everglades University
Amanda S,Everglades University
Kaya vB,USF St. Petersburg
Jaime G,Ask a Librarian Staff
Kaya vB,USF St. Petersburg
Detailed Chat:
Sally S., Goldstein FSU
Bronwyn,AAL Staff
Lindsey W,Florida Keys Community College
Dan,Indian River State College
Amanda S,Everglades University
Carlos F,Miami Dade College
Yossi G,Everglades University
Susan S,Hodges University
Jonathan D,Maitland Library
Christine B,Florida Gateway College
Teaching Chat:
Lindsey W., Florida Keys Community College
Nola, UCF
Catherine K, Valencia College
Jaime G,Ask a Librarian Staff
Amanda S,Everglades University
Diana R,Ask a Librarian Staff
Mindy R,Palm Beach County
Kaya vB,USF St. Petersburg
Christine B,Florida Gateway College
Richard L,NOVA
Susan S,Hodges University
Kathleen C,Tallahassee CC
Juan L,Ana G. Mendez University
Susan W,FIU