statewide Ask a Librarian holiday closing schedule
Just a friendly reminder of the statewide Ask a Librarian closing schedule for December and January:
• Wednesday, December 21 (closing at 5 pm)
• Thursday, December 22 thru Monday, January 2 (Collaborative Desk closed – service reopens on Tuesday, January 3)
• Monday, January 16 (closed)
Note: These closings are for the statewide service, so your library is still free to staff local desk hours during those days.
As in previous years, the Academic Desk will remain closed throughout the month of December and the first week of January to accommodate library closings and availability. During this time, all staff normally scheduled to cover Academic should continue to check the Collaborative Desk box (rather than Academic) when logging in for their scheduled shifts.
Happy Holidays to our fantastic member libraries from all of us at TBLC!
Hot Topics: OverDrive E-Books & Audiobooks Webinar Series
Introducing two new Hot Topics webinars on OverDrive… register for both today!
Hot Topics: E-Books! Putting OverDrive E-Books onto eReaders: A Guide For Library Staff
Wed., Jan. 11, 2012, 2-3 pm ET
Hot Topics: Audiobooks! Putting OverDrive Audiobooks onto Portable Players: A Guide For Library Staff
Wed., Jan. 18, 2012, 2-3 pm ET
OverDrive audiobooks & ebooks are popular with library patrons. But many of them have a hard time putting it all together: finding available e-books or audiobooks on the digital download site and then transferring them to their PC, e-reader, or listening devices. With information presented by TBLC’s own resident genius & System Administrator Al Carlson, these two webinars will equip public service staff of all library types with the skills they need to assist patrons at any stage of the process.
Topics include:
- Finding immediately available audiobooks (Hot Topics: Audiobooks!) or e-books (Hot Topics: E-Books!) on an OverDrive site, installing Adobe Digital Editions and creating an Adobe identity.
- Downloading audiobooks (Hot Topics: Audiobooks!) or e-books (Hot Topics: E-Books!) to a PC, and transferring (sideloading) them to e-readers/listening devices.
- Direct downloads to smart phones, iPads, and other web-enabled devices.
Register for both webinars today!
Seeking Synchronicity Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference (OCLC research report webinar) and AaL facilitated discussion
OCLC Research in partnership with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey pulled over five years of virtual reference research into a summary with specific and actionable suggestions in Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference.
Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference
an OCLC research report webinar
DATE: January 31, 2012
TIME: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm (EST)
LOCATION: OCLC’s Online Classroom
and
an Ask a Librarian facilitated conversation
DATE: February 1, 2012
TIME: 10:00 am – 11:00 am (EST)
LOCATION: TBLC’s Online Classroom
On January 31, 2012 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. (EST), co-authors Lynn Silipigni Connaway (OCLC Research) and Marie L Radford (Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) will review the report’s findings and address topics such as:
· The exaggerated death of ready reference
· The importance of query clarification in Virtual Reference
· Boosting accuracy and building better relationships in Virtual Reference
· Learning from Virtual Reference transcripts
· Convenience as a “hook” to draw users to Virtual Reference
· Generational differences in how people perceive reference interactions and determine success
· The need for more and improved marketing of Virtual Reference
For more information about the Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference report click here.
To register with OCLC for the January 31st webinar click here.
After this OCLC-sponsored webinar, participants are invited to return on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. when Ask-a-Librarian staff facilitates a continuing discussion among Florida librarians. For more information about the discussion session and to register click here.
Chat, Text, Email Statistics – November 2011
The following statistics are now available for the month of November 2011:
Space is still available for our Hot Topics: Gale (FEL) Resource webinar!
Space is still available!
Hot Topics: Gale (FEL) Resource Tips and Tricks in Ask a Librarian
Tues., Dec. 6, 2-3 pm ET
Have you been utilizing the Gale resource (FEL) links in the Ask a Librarian agent console? How about some tips and tricks for navigating through the databases and making your search strategies even more efficient?
Julie Pepera from Gale Cengage will cover the Gale resources available to you through the Florida Electronic Library. This session has been specially designed for the Ask A Librarian group to focus on using tools in the Gale resources to streamline chat reference questions. A variety of different subject areas and assisting patrons and students from different backgrounds will be discussed.
Click here to register today!
Academic Desk closings & schedule reminder – Collaborative-only starts tomorrow!
As in previous years, the Academic Desk will be closed throughout the month of December and the first week of January to accommodate library closings and availability. This means that beginning on Thursday, December 1st, all staff normally scheduled to cover Academic during this time should check the Collaborative Desk box rather than the Academic Desk box when logging in for their scheduled shifts. Also, here are the remaining statewide Ask a Librarian closing dates (Collaborative and Academic Desks) in the December thru January schedule: • Wednesday, December 21 (closing at 5 pm) • Thursday, December 22 thru Monday, January 2 (closed – service reopens on Tuesday, January 3) • Monday, January 16 (closed) Note: These closings are for the statewide service, so your library is still free to staff local desk hours during those days. Have a great week!
Holiday Closings
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Ask a Librarian will close at 5 pm Wed., Nov. 23, and remain closed on Thurs., Nov. 24 and Fri., Nov. 25. We will reopen on Sat., Nov. 26.
Also, as in previous years, the Academic Desk will be closed throughout the month of December and the first week of January to accommodate library availability and closings. This means that all staff normally scheduled to cover Academic during this time will log into the Collaborative Desk instead for their scheduled shifts.
Here are the remaining statewide Ask a Librarian closing dates (Collaborative and Academic Desks) in the November thru January schedule:
• Wednesday, November 23 (closing at 5 pm)
• Thursday, November 24 thru Friday, November 25 (closed)
• Wednesday, December 21 (closing at 5 pm)
• Thursday, December 22 thru Monday, January 2 (closed – service reopens on Tuesday, January 3)
• Monday, January 16 (closed)
• Thursday, December 23 thru Monday, January 3 (closed)
• Monday, January 17 (closed)
Happy Holidays from all of us here at TBLC!
Register now for our Hot Topics: Gale Resources (FEL) Webinar!
Hot Topics: Gale (FEL) Resource Tips and Tricks in Ask a Librarian
Tues., Dec. 6, 2-3 pm ET
Have you been utilizing the Gale resource (FEL) links in the Ask a Librarian agent console? How about some tips and tricks for navigating through the databases and making your search strategies even more efficient?
Julie Pepera from Gale Cengage will cover the Gale resources available to you through the Florida Electronic Library. This session has been specially designed for the Ask A Librarian group to focus on using tools in the Gale resources to streamline chat reference questions. A variety of different subject areas and assisting patrons and students from different backgrounds will be discussed.