Ask a Librarian Day Recap
Ask a Librarian Day was a huge success! And as you know, is launching our WOMM campaign.
Want to see the highlights – check out https://info.askalibrarian.org/aal_day.asp
If you have not sent me your picture or event information, please send them to me as soon as possible.
Ask a Librarian Day Recap!
What a success! Yesterday, Ask a Librarian assisted 331 users in one day. This is a 35% increase from our normal Tuesday average of 244 sessions. Yesterday was Ask a Librarian Day and librarians from across the state wore Ask a Librarian t-shirts and pins, created displays, baked some yummy treats and overall- spread the message! Ask a Librarian is: • Live help you’re not in our library, visit askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website). • You can use Ask a Librarian for free. • Ask a Librarian is a website where you can go to get your questions answered by a real librarian.
• Ask a Librarian is open until midnight ET Sunday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday. • If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat, you can always email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. I am currently gathering stories, pictures and baked goods () from yesterday! If you have not already, please send them to me as soon as possible. I will post everything I receive! Remember, the k
ey to the success is the talking about the service to your co-workers and users. Please keep this up! The idea behind AAL Day is – WOMM. WOMM is Word of Mouth Marketing. We are going to continue trying to encourage you to use WOMM at your library especially through the month of March. Next week, we will be kicking off a month of WOMM related activities to help keep AAL in the forefront so get ready for awards, challenges and some fun facts about the service.
Today is Ask a Librarian Day!
How are you celebrating and getting the word out?
* Jacksonville Public Library made the newspaper – (check out Advisory Committee Member & SMS Taskforce Member – Michael Shell)
* Sarasota County created posters – see the series by clicking on the poster.
* Palm Beach County School District wrote a blog entry
* The State Library of Florida has Ask a Librarian as their current status on Facebook
* Alachua County has Ask a Librarian as the main ad on their front page
Remember the goal is to spread the word about the service. There are 5 main points everyone should know:
• If you ever need help when you’re not in our library, visit askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website).
• You can use Ask a Librarian for free.
• Ask a Librarian is a website where you can go to get your questions answered by a real librarian.
• Ask a Librarian is open until midnight ET Sunday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday.
• If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat, you can always email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
Send us your pictures and stories!!
Don’t forget! TOMORROW IS ASK A LIBRARIAN DAY!!!!
Don’t forget! TOMORROW IS ASK A LIBRARIAN DAY!!!!
Get your t-shirts on, your buttons on and your cameras out! Tomorrow is Ask a Librarian Day.
Ask a Librarian is a day of focused marketing on Ask a Librarian within your library! Ask Promote the service to both your customers and to other staff members who might not be aware of the great service.
Every person (from part-time student assistants to your director) should be able to talk about the service.
There are 5 main points everyone should know:
• If you ever need help when you’re not in our library, visit askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website).
• You can use Ask a Librarian for free.
• Ask a Librarian is a website where you can go to get your questions answered by a real librarian.
• Ask a Librarian is open until midnight ET Sunday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday.
• If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat, you can always email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
How can you promote Ask a Librarian Day in your library? Here are some ideas from last year and new ones from Traci and I:
• Dust off your Ask a Librarian t-shirt from last year and wear it around the library and town.
• Create a booth or display within the library
• Hold a raffle for students around the service
• Handout bookmarks at checkout
• Bake! Ask a Librarian Staff decorated cupcakes to raise awareness of the service…. Your co-workers will appreciate every word…err..bite!
• Most importantly, Talk about it! Share positive stories from your time on the desk and let your user’s know the service is available.
Let us know what you are planning and please send up pictures and status reports as Ask a Librarian Day unfolds at your library!!
A press release is here- http://askalibrarian.org/blog/?p=227
2008-2009 Annual Report Available
The Ask a Librarian Annual Report is now available for download. Ask a Librarian 2008-2009 Annual Report
Ask a Librarian Day – February 23rd! Celebrate at Your Library
Ask a Librarian Day is just under a week away. On Tuesday, February 23rd, we are promoting Ask a Librarian in a serious way! To prepare for AAL Day: We sent out a press release for the event, read the release here. Also, you should of received buttons from us to wear (if you have not, please let me know, we have a few left). Ask a Librarian Day is a day to focus on Ask a Librarian within your library. Promote the service to both your customers and to other staff members who might not be aware of the great service. Every person (from part-time student assistants to your director) should be able to talk about the service. There are 5 main points everyone should know: • If you ever need help when you’re not in our library, visit askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website). • You can use Ask a Librarian for free. • Ask a Librarian is a website where you can go to get your questions answered by a real librarian. • Ask a Librarian is open until midnight ET Sunday through Thursday and until 5 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday. • If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat, you can always email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. How can you promote Ask a Librarian Day in your library? Here are some ideas from last year and new ones from Traci and I: • Dust off your Ask a Librarian t-shirt from last year and wear it around the library and town. • Create a booth or display within the library • Hold a raffle for students around the service • Handout bookmarks at checkout • Bake! Ask a Librarian Staff decorated cupcakes to raise awareness of the service…. Your co-workers will appreciate every word…err..bite! • Refresh and put out Ask a Librarian Marketing Materials everywhere you can inside and outside of the library. (order more here) • Most importantly, Talk about it! Share positive stories from your time on the desk and let your user’s know the service is available. Let us know what you are planning and please send up pictures and status reports as Ask a Librarian Day unfolds at your library!! We have pictures from last year at – https://info.askalibrarian.org/aal_day2009.asp!
Ask a Librarian Day Press Release
News Release For Immediate Release Contact: Diana Silveira (813)622-8252 ext 234 Librarians statewide to celebrate Ask a Librarian Day Are you having trouble finding out, who invented the stethoscope? Do you want to know, who owns the apartment building on 49th street? Are you sitting at your computer frustrated trying to figure out where to start on your big research project? Live expert help is just a click away with Ask a Librarian. Ask a Librarian (www.askalibrarian.org) is FREE online service for all Floridians. With Ask a Librarian, you are connected to a librarian who will answer your question right when you need assistance most. It’s easy to use, just go to www.askalibrarian.org and ask your question, a Florida librarian will assist you. Ask a Librarian is a collaborative program by libraries throughout Florida and will provide you with accurate answers utilizing your state and local resources. “Ask a Librarian is a tremendous resource for students and anyone with a research need. It makes expert librarians available to any Florida resident. Ask a question and within minutes an actual person is helping you. It’s a great feeling to connect with a skilled supportive person and know you are not lost amid a million search results” according to Ask a Librarian Manager, Diana Silveira. Librarians all over Florida will celebrate Ask a Librarian Day on Feb. 23 to bring awareness to the free online reference service that connects Floridians with librarians for help with homework or general questions. Librarians at over 106 libraries around Florida will don “Askalibrarian.org” t-shirts and pins and will talk about the valuable service with library customers. They hope to inform people about Ask a Librarian’s benefits so that everyone can take full advantage of this user-friendly service. Ask a Librarian is available live from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 24/7 for email assistance. Visit www.askalibrarian.org for more information or to ask a librarian a question. Pictures from last year’s event and more information about the service are available at: https://info.askalibrarian.org/aal_day.asp Ask a Librarian is managed by the Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC), and is funded as part of the Florida Electronic Library (www.flelibrary.org) by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. ###
Don’t Forget to Vote for your Favorite PSA in the Director’s Chair!!
Have you voted? The early results show it will be a close one! The videos are running neck and neck for first place so make sure you vote for your favorite PSA today!
Time is running out!!! Please spread the word –
It’s time for the public to choose the winner of The Director’s Chair, a contest in which Florida high school students submitted commercials to promote Ask a Librarian. A panel of judges selected the top five videos from all of the entries, and now the public will choose the winner by voting for their favorite video by Feb. 20, 2010.
Visit www.askalibrarian.org/thedirectorschair to cast your vote for the following videos:
• “The Ask a Librarian Alien” by Jack, Inlet grove High School (Riviera Beach)
• “I Want…Ask a Librarian” by Lauren, Park Vista High School (Lake Worth)
• “Ask a Librarian, Say What?” by Markella, Park Vista High School (Lake Worth)
• “Even Isaac Ask a Librarian!” by Michael, Seminole Ridge Community High School (Loxahatchee)
• “This Book Can Talk” by Shantel, Inlet grove High School (Riviera Beach)