Ask a Librarian banner with logo, Florida's Statewide Virtual Reference Service. Chat, Email, and Text.

Introducing Threaded History!

May 3, 2011 | , , ,


Attention, texters!!
We are thrilled to announce a new threading feature in Ask a Librarian Texting which displays the most recent text interactions with a user’s phone number! Recent interactions between Ask a Librarian staff and the user are color-coded and even appear in the preview, and make it super-easy for you to determine the flow of help. We are certain that this will help all of us in better determining the needs of Ask a Librarian users in their moments of need to provide the excellent reference help and customer service they know and love.

Login to the Librarian Toolbox now to view the demo!

AaL Comes to FLA

May 2, 2011 |

Please join us for this year’s Ask a Librarian Annual User Forum at the

Florida Library Association 2011 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

  Thursday, May 5, 2011

1:15 – 2:15 pm

Conference Room: Volusia/Cape Canaveral

We’ll recognize our Exemplary Reference Award winners, and give you an exciting recap of the past year in Ask a Librarian. You’ll get the inside scoop on the incredible Instant Invite tool and hear about a brand new texting development that will make you jump for joy.

The first 20 attendees to give Beth or Traci a high-five get a nifty Ask a Librarian drawstring bag, so be there or be square!  

your help needed – upcoming shifts

Apr 29, 2011 | ,

Your help is needed for the following Ask a Librarian shifts! Please consider taking one of the following to help your peers:

Sun., May 1, 2-3 pm (collaborative)

Thurs., May 5, 5-6, 6-7, and 7-8 pm (collaborative)

Fri., May 6, 1-2 and 3-4 pm (collaborative)

Sat., May 14, 1a-12p (collaborative)

Tues., May 17, 7-8 pm (collaborative)

Please check your schedules and let me know (avett@tblc.org) if you can help out with a one-time or ongoing shift.

Ask a Librarian Mentoring Program

Apr 15, 2011 | ,

Attention, staff:

Have you attended training, but just haven’t had much opportunity to practice or staff the desk?

Are you trying to staff… but still feel a little like a fish out of water?

Would you like someone to help you apply your knowledge and skills to the exciting world of virtual reference?

Since its debut in 2009, the Ask a Librarian Mentoring Program has helped others just like you.  From live, one-on-one guidance during actual patron chats to anytime-emails of reassurance or feedback and support, your mentor will work with you to meet your individual goals in chat reference on Ask a Librarian.

Who is an Ask a Librarian Mentor?

Ask a Librarian Mentors are librarians, just like you, who have experience working with real patrons in live chat through Ask a Librarian. Your mentor is there to share his or her knowledge, experiences, and wisdom in conducting chat reference and using the Ask a Librarian InstantService software. Your mentor’s foremost goal is to help you – to encourage your comfort, growth, and achievement in a warm, supportive environment.  Who can beat that?!

What will I learn?

Your mentor will help you to navigate successfully through the InstantService software (such as pushing nifty Web pages to patrons), to feel more comfortable utilizing online resources that help you – and your patron – during chats, tips on building and maintaining patron rapport from their own personal experiences, and more.

How does it work?

We’ll find you your very own ‘seasoned pro’.  Your Ask a Librarian Mentor will work with you to establish a plan of action that best fits your needs and schedule.  Some mentors even prefer to work evenings and/or weekends – so chances are great that we can find someone whose availability matches yours.  From emails and phone calls to practice sessions and real-time assistance during actual patron chats, your mentor is there to help you succeed!

Where do I start?

Interested?  Fill out this form to become a mentee:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PXvDmojyoBFJ3iGvcUEnXg_3d_3d  or email me for more information.  What do you have to lose, but maybe a little anxiety or fluttering stomach?  Virtual reference experience builds your professional growth and your experience portfolio, so take advantage of your peers’ generosity and increase your skill & comfort levels in Ask a Librarian.

Support Florida Libraries! – online submission tool

Apr 13, 2011 |

Have you tried FLA’s automated contact tool yet?  It allows you to voice your support of Florida’s libraries with just a few clicks.  Just enter your contact information and choose from email or print delivery. You can use the fully-crafted default message as-is, or you can modify it to add your own positive messages for a more personal perspective.

http://capwiz.com/ala/fl/home/

I chose to modify my message a bit, and it still only took me maybe 2-3 minutes total for the whole process. When you click “Send Message”, your message is automatically distributed to the following people:

Rick Scott (R-FL), Governor

Jennifer Carroll (R-FL), Lt. Governor

Your State Upper Chamber Representatives

Your State Lower Chamber Representatives

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, Secretary

Denise Grimsley, Representative, Committee Chair

Mike Haridopolis, Senate President, Senate President

Mike Horner, Representative, Committee Chair

Don Gaetz, Senator, Committee Chair

Dean Cannon, Speaker, Speaker of the House

Have a great day,

Traci

Hot Topics: Customer Service Excellence, or How to Win an Exemplary Reference Award

Mar 30, 2011 | , , ,



Please register now for our upcoming webinar:  

Hot Topics: Customer Service Excellence, or How to Win an Exemplary Reference Award

Mon., June 6, 2011 – 1:30 – 3:00 pm ET

Each month, the Quality Assurance Workgroup presents awards in 3 areas – Brief, Detailed, and Teaching chats – based on outstanding virtual reference customer service in Ask a Librarian. In this workshop, Susan Livingston of South Florida Community College, who has won four Exemplary Reference Awards, will provide the tips and tricks she has developed to provide superior customer service. Pat Barbier, co-chair of the Quality Assurance Workgroup, will provide valuable tips and insights from the Quality Assurance Workgroup perspective.  Let Susan and Pat give you all the tools you need to provide customer service excellence and secure your next Exemplary Reference Award.  Register today!

March Madness Month – Wed., March 30

Mar 30, 2011 | , , ,

** Note: If you didn’t receive this in its more attractive email format earlier today, please email Traci at avett@tblc.org .

 

March Madness Month

 

A month of surprising facts, informative highlights, and fun activities… all for the chance to brag about our incredible services!

When Ask a Librarian Day (February 22) was over this year, we didn’t want your enthusiasm and focus to stop there – we wanted to continue the increased promotion with our second annual March Madness Month. Like last year, we used the month of March to promote awareness of Ask a Librarian through interesting tidbits, tips on customer service in virtual reference, marketing suggestions, and fun service-oriented challenges to heighten enthusiasm & interest and encourage active participation among all member libraries.

The primary aim of this month’s campaign was to encourage you who staff Ask a Librarian to think about Ask a Librarian in different ways. We wanted to bring you out of the box a bit to reenergize your support of the incredible service available to all Florida residents. We know that increased motivation means increased Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM) to your own colleagues and library users, and we were thrilled to see some of those ideas put to creative use! Thinking more about the benefits of Ask a Librarian makes it so much easier for you to share those observations and experiences with others.

And we must say… you did a fantastic job. We enjoyed spotlighting your own experiences and ideas for everyone statewide to see – in your own words – not only as a real marketing success story, but also because your own words reach out to your peers in a way that germinates enthusiasm like wildfire.

Thank you for sharing your observations and experiences with us, and please keep spreading the word! 

To view blog posts, visit the Ask a Librarian blog at http://www.askalibrarian.org/blog. To view photos of Ask a Librarian Day and March Madness Month, visit the Ask a Librarian Flickr page at http://www.flickr.org/askalibrarian.   

Ask a Librarian Day 2011, Alachua County Library District poster display

   

“For Ask a Librarian Day, Jenny Diaz and Sylvia Ashwell put together a display using Ask a Librarian promotional materials including posters, Ask a Librarian business cards, and lanyards. We used a three panel blue feltboard for the display.  We wanted this to be a display that people could use in that they could take the Ask a Librarian items from the display. We placed this feltboard in the main lobby at Alachua County Library District Headquarters so that patrons could see it as they walked in. Extra promotional materials were placed in the lobby on the circulation desk and throughout the main floor of the library for people to use. This display received many positive comments from patrons and staff alike.  Lesly Galiana and Jennifer Kinser in the Youth Services department also created a bulletin board and promoted the service to our younger patrons and their parents.  Many patrons were excited to learn that they could chat with a librarian online or communicate with them via text, even when the library was closed.”

 

 

Lisa Finch, Alachua County Library District

 

Hey, don’t stop now!

 

You’ve done far too incredible a job not to keep on going.

Keep sharing the following talking points with everyone you meet:

  • If you ever need help when you’re not in our library, visit www.askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website).
  •  Ask a Librarian is a website where you can go to get your questions answered by a real librarian.
  •  Ask a Librarian is open for live chat and texting until midnight ET Sunday through Thursday, and until 5 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday.
  •  You can use Ask a Librarian for free.
  •  If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat or texting, you can always email your question, and your library’s staff will get back to you within 24 hours.