"My job is to help you do your job better. As I mentioned at yesterday's liaison meeting, I'd like to propose a "listening tour" where I would make myself available for face to face meetings with you and your providers at a time, place, and arrangement that will be most convenient and beneficial for you.
This is an opportunity for you and your librarians to ask questions- anything from troubleshooting to AskUsNow! mission to higher virtual reference vision questions- ANYTHING that is on your minds. The goal here is to make sure that the folks on the front lines feel connected to the project, feel comfortable with their part in it, and have an opportunity to be heard. I want to know how I can help you and your librarians succeed.
I know everyone is very busy and it is hard to get people in the same room at the same time. This is all going to be very informal and structured however you and your librarians decide will be best for you. If you already have a meeting planned and you'd like be to be an agenda item, I'd be more than happy to be.
My only request is that you keep in mind I'd like to visit folks that are close together around the same time, especially if you're far away from the Balto county area. :-)"
Scheduled Dates
No dates currently scheduled. Please contact Julie to schedule your listening tour!
Already participated? Have more questions? Contact Julie!
Action Items
from Villa Julie
Contact QP re standardizing script titles and making sure there's basic scripts there- like a hello, goodbye, etc.
can we add scripts to the 24/7 wiki or to the bottom of the policy pages? so we can see them in full without having to scroll through the little list while in chat?
Remind QP re cooperative policy pages - should be a baseline of information there
make sure "how to interact with kids and teens" gets into the Refresher Training for Spring 2008
Reference Resources: send out information about the 24/7 reference coop wiki or create a Maryland one
look into what to do in follow-up mode when a customer isn't from the library they came in from but we don't know an alternate library
talk to QP re getting "points" for non-scheduled monitored global hours
from Baltimore County Public Library
QP suggestions:
Would love Broadcast IM- or some other way to let folks know whats happening right now- current MD weirdness in the policy page… a badge that could auto-update like twitter?
“ding” for customer alerting them to librarian message or “customer/librarian is typing” feature
Send out how-to on Flash Chat Settings for Pop-up notifications [link to QP help explaination, screen shot coming]
Is there a list of chat-based helplines/hotlines for those in crisis?
Send out email about giving status update (and other info) to lib you’re transferring customer to
Look into a better solution for handling PIN information requests. More informative policy pages? Cooperative wide solution.
White Marsh is still having monitoring (bandwidth?) issues. Monitor with them on Monday, January 28th from 6-9.
It’s frustrating to spend time with a customer only to have them come back in and ask the same question again. It wastes librarian effort. Are there suggestions for dealing with these customers?
from Harford Community College
What's new in the land of QP software developments?
send Qwidget preview documents to all of AUN
What do I do if I don't think I can answer a question? Pick it up- sometimes we're only doing triage to figure out the next steps for the customer.
some dummy lib cards not working? Email all to verify cards are valid.
verify which hours are academic only
Our mission is to answer questions. This can go against the academic mission of teaching. Look for the teaching moments. Ask "would you like me to show you how I found that" when sending answers. A
For QP
would love for cobrowsing to work- hard to dive into those academic teaching moments without it
from Anne Arundel County Public Library
If a customer doesn't have access, or can't get to, a database and doesn't have email- how are we supposed to get them the information?
find temporary email program
How many libraries have dummy library cards?
list here
What's up in the land of QP software developments?
send Qwidget info out
would love for cobrowsing to work
can we get a spell checker?
Interested in "Math for Librarians"
QP backup staff are sending things to shared follow-up that could have avoided being passed along if they had gone the extra step to finish up with the customer. Sending it along to a local librarian only makes the point between question and answer longer with now more librarians having to look at the question and finish up on it.
from Anne Arundel Community College
Is there a better way to help customers who need circ information?
increase standardization on what customers can do through library websites
local im service versus state-wide, nation-wide chat service
Some hours aren't very busy
Julie is working on schedule analysis to better allocate staff
Individual Institutions have recourse for rude customers face to face- what can we do when they're on chat?
In chat, the first thing to do is to take them seriously- always. If they're fooling around and you don't "rise to the occasion" they will know you aren't one to be messed with and they will find something else to occupy their time.
If they do cross that line and use foul language, threats, etc you should call them on their behavior (so they know we don't tolerate it) and give them a second chance. When they blow their second chance they've solved your problem- you can end the session.
Make sure First Warning message quotes the Policy of Mutual Respect
Make sure people are aware of procedure for unsavory customers (first warning script, second chance, etc)
Put PofMR above the fold on the viewport/welcome screen
is more visible with the revamped askusnow.info and viewport pages
Please let Julie know about sessions that may need further research. Sometimes we can find out who these kids are through IPs or at least see trends with questions/emails/etc.
For QP
Is there a way to have some sort of rss feeding scroll thing in the Chat Monitor so that people will be aware of *emergency-like* events like repeat unsavory customers or a tech glitch?
Can we combine script push boxes to get more room to type regular messages? Can we send non-URL scripts directly from the left text box instead of having to push it over to the right and then up to the customer?
Talk to School Media Specialists, MEMO (?), etc about AskUsNow! and Academic Integrity. May help curb the abuse.
Try to figure out AACC's message / timeout glitch
Talk to QP, again, with more information
Providers can send a welcome message that addresses that they might get timed out
putting it out there, right up front, will set up expectations, help curb escalated customer frustration, and ease the librarians mind
may help to get more emails so that follow-up can be done
message should look like, "Hi! Welcome to Maryland AskUsNow! My name is [name]. Please give me a moment to look over your question. Also, it seems as if we've been having some technical issues today- if you could provide your email in case we get disconnected we can make sure to follow-up with you via email. Thanks!!"
*Are we really helping people? Academic librarians are such because they teach people paths and like certain types of questions. Is it the best use of their time to be answering non-academic questions or dealing with unsavory customers with time on their hands? This deals with the mission- answer questions? give path? both? AskUsNow!'s mission is to answer questions- but we always look for that teaching moment ("According to [source] the answer is [answer]. Would you like me to show you how I got that answer?") Is it better to have a local librarian IM service for circ and local help and a national / statewide service for other things? Local librarians know their students, customers- they know the nuances of backgrounds and information and homework being assigned because they've spoken to the community and to teachers and know whats going on. Is VR as it stands today REALLY helping people get access to the best help possible for *their* individual question? Are we perpetuating the negative library/librarian stereotype by allowing *our* customers to be helped by the potentially not as knowledgeable/friendly *other*?
from Washington / Allegany Counties
Dealing with "unsavory" customers / customers who don't want to do their homework
Is there a better way to deal with circ / library acct questions?
better information on websites / policy pages
this is a broader question for VRS- IM versus Chat?
Where can we add our own scripts?
My QuestionPoint > Ask > Settings > My Scripts / My URL Scripts
note: The default order is alphabetically
Are there resources we should be using for pictures?
please DO NOT send a google images results page. you can use that to find images, but please send them the site with the image on it NOT the results page. Assume they did that themselves.
What do we do if we see librarians not picking up their customers
Let your liaison or Julie know
We're reinventing the wheel each time we get a question
something to think about on a more VRS-wide scale
County specific informational resources should be included in policy page
Is there a knowledge base?
Yes. You can access it from the MyQuestionPoint screen halfway down the left-hand navigation bar- you have to be logged in to access it.
There is a Maryland AskUsNow! kb that isn't added to by more than a few libraries and a QuestionPoint-wide kb that is more widely added to (not by Maryland).
The KB may be of use while answering in follow-up mode
from University of Maryland, College Park
How do you handle an inappropriate patron?
In chat, the first thing to do is to take them seriously- always. If they're fooling around and you don't "rise to the occasion" they will know you aren't one to be messed with and they will find something else to occupy their time.
If they do cross that line and use foul language, threats, etc you should call them on their behavior (so they know we don't tolerate it) but also give them a second chance. When they blow their second chance you can end the session.
Please let Julie know about sessions that may need further research. Sometimes we can find out who these kids are through IPs or at least see trends with questions/emails/etc.
How do you make and/or customize scripts?
Logged in to QuestionPoint as your non-admin, provider log in goSelect Service Drop Down Menu (top right) > ASK > Settings > My Scripts or My URL Scripts to add or change your own scripts. Institution Scripts are scripts for your library. Shared Scripts are those for all of AskUsNow!
Can we or how can we prevent school children from accessing the academic queue for colleges/universities? How can we steer these users to the public queue?
Anyone who clicks a university on askusnow.info or clicks on the AskUsNow! link on a university’s website can access the service, being noted as coming from that school.
We *could* use barcode authentication (BCA) to curb customers coming in under the “wrong” library but other statewide services who have implemented BCA, saw their stats drop like a stone. AskUsNow! is not at the demand point where we need to limit usage.
it was suggested that the language on the askusnow.info page be changed to clearly designate that k-12 students should enter through the public library queue.
What PR is being conducted to ensure that media specialists know how students are using this service and have them help us avoid ‘question bombing’ the queue?
Where appropriate, what work is being done to direct students to ask their media specialist for help versus using the AskUsNow! Service?
None. We want all students, residents, etc of Maryland to know about and use AskUsNow!. If a customer coming in through AskUsNow! can best be served
What can we do about scheduling summer hours? How will this effect our agreement with the consortium? Can we cut down on the amount of time we participate in this service over the summer and adjust it so that it’s more realistic?
Your coverage hours can be tweaked during the summer- especially if you’re an academic library. Julie would need as much notice that you’re planning on doing this as you can give her. Be mindful that Maryland Hours are easier to change than Coop Hours as lessening the Coop Coverage may have an effect on our pricing model.
Who do we pick up when?
Here’s the priority if 3 customers of different locales come in at the same time: Local customers first. Maryland customers second. Coop customers third. Beyond that, you should pick up customers as they come in; First come, First served. QuestionPoint does give you the ability to see the question before picking up the customer but we ask you not to let that impede your decision on whether or not to pick up a customer (or wait a few seconds in the hopes that someone else will get them). If you’re uncomfortable with how well you could do on a topic, let it be a learning opportunity for you and the customer. If after trying you simply aren’t the best person to help them, at least you’ve tried, and you can now give them some other options- like subject specialists through QP, local librarians, etc. For more on Tackling Tough Questions- see http://www5.oclc.org/questionpoint/Tips_For_Tackling_Tough_Questions.pdf
Are there any attempts to include other academic libraries in MD into AskUsNow!?
Yes! We are always trying to bring in more academic libraries as partners! If you know one that’s interested, please have them contact us!
What is the status regarding co-browsing?
Currently, It doesn’t work. At the request of the QP Advisory Board and QP Users Council (groups on which both Joe and Julie sit), Cobrowsing development was ceased in favor of things like the Qwidget, Queue Management, and Overall better Librarian-side infrastructure. Now that those things have been looked at / implemented, Cowbrowsing is back on the table.
With all the different firewalls / browsers / Oss, etc out there, it is very hard to develop a non-downloadable tool that allows for cowbrowsing. But is it being looked into.
Statistics? How can we see how many questions UM librarians are answering per hour?
For the list of reports you have available to you, check out My QuestionPoint ? Reports (tab next to “home” on upper left under the QP logo).
For hourly stats on your institution click “Institution Report.” Select your Time Frame and select Chat under “generate report for.” The Monthly will give you a breakdown by hour / month for the year to date. The Daily will give you (for the specific month you chose) the hourly/day of week. Liaisons have access to a Hourly breakdown by librarian.
In chat, sometimes messages aren't going through. There isn't a pattern to this. Julie checked settings and stations- all were okay. Connection very slow. Active sessions wouldn't close despite proper steps being taken. QuestionPoint should be in contact with Marcia now to fix.
The red/yellow/green status markers next to your customers name in the My Active tab let you know what QuestionPoint thinks your customer's connection is like- If it's green, you're still connected to them and them to you. If it's yellow, they may have navigated away and could come back. If your customer is red, they're gone. If yellow, you can send messages like, "It seems we may have lost our connection…" When red, the "patron is no longer connected" message will appear. Julie will double check on the lag time for that message.
Susan reported her countdown/timeout clock sometimes doesn't stop when chat starts- Julie has to look into this.
Google (like books.google.com) is blocked by Howard County elementary and middle schools. Who else is it blocked by? Might employers be blocking sites?
QuestionPoint is looking into keyword searching for the December Install. Julie is unsure if this is in chat or in MyQuestionPoint. This development could lead to being able to search (or to see) all sessions from the person you're currently chatting with. This would provide a deeper context we don't get now. Julie will check to see where QP is planning the keyword search to live in December.
For QP> Can we get the transcript, or a link to the transcript in our survey alerts?
Is it possible to schedule providers on the half hour mark? Everyone's coming or going at the top of the hour.
The flier and the Viewport page (the page you see when you're waiting for a librarian/entering your question) are too wordy for people/kids to read the notices and disclaimers. If anyone has suggestions on how to make these better, please let Julie know.
For QP> The "send" button is too close to the "end session" button in Flash Chat. If the buttons can't be changed/moved- can we implement an override feature where there's a xx second recovery so we can get our customers back if we accidentally hit the end button?
For QP> Is there a way to make all the tools still available to us even if we're not with a current customer? (Like in the old system where the tools were there when you turned the service on, not just when a customer came in).
Can branches @ SLRC provide AskUsNow!? There are people trained on AskUsNow! that aren't at "providing locations" across the state- how do we change this model?
What is the status of VoIP? Phase 2 Planning was the initiative within AskUsNow! to look into Voice Over IP (VoIP) to make the service accessible for customers who use screen readers. One of the issues that the P2P committee ran into was that if you used a screen reader, the screen reader would read you the screen while you were chatting with a librarian. The Tower of Babble was a less than ideal model. Phase 2 Planning was put on hold indefinitely when QuestionPoint came out with an accessible interface in 2007.
What's going on with the Spanish queue for Maryland and/or the cooperative? Originally, the Spanish queue was a soft sell while the coop got the librarian backing to be able to support it 24/7. They are planning to push it forward with more force soon. More Spanish coverage is needed. Anyone interested in providing Spanish service (even if you don't currently provide AskUsNow!) should contact Julie.
Here are the Spanish scripts that have been worked up. They are *not* in the Shared Scripts list, but can be added to your own list of scripts by going to My QuestionPoint > Ask > Settings > My Scripts
Disconnected:
¡Le agradezco por haber utilizado el servicio Maryland AskUsNow! Si usted tiene otras preguntas, favor de comunicarnos otra vez. Al terminar la sesión, una copia entera aparecerá en su pantalla (monitor), incluyendo los enlaces vivos al Web. Si usted nos proveo una dirección de correo electrónico, va a recibir una copia en un momento. Ahora puede seguir y hacer clic en el botón “End Session”. Al despedirme le pido que responda a la encuesta
Welcome:
(PLEASE NOTE this one uses a personal name- make sure it's yours and not Joe's!)
¡Hola! Me llamo Joe. Soy un bibliotecario en la Biblioteca Pública del Condado de Baltimore en Maryland con el servicio AskUsNow! Estoy leyendo su pregunta y lo ayudaré a usted pronto.
Goodbye:
¡Le agradezco por haber utilizado el servicio Maryland AskUsNow! Si usted tiene otras preguntas, favor de comunicarnos otra vez. Al terminar la sesión, una copia entera aparecerá en su pantalla (monitor), incluyendo los enlaces vivos al Web. Si usted nos proveo una dirección de correo electrónico, va a recibir una copia en un momento. Ahora puede seguir y hacer clic en el botón “End Session”. Al despedirme le pido que responda a la encuesta.
Goodbye / follow-up:
Le mandaremos una respuesta por correo electrónico. Si Ud. necesita más ayuda, avísenos después de recibir el correo. ¡Adiós y gracias por usar los servicios de Maryland AskUsNow! y QuestionPoint!
Spanish not so good:
Siento no poder hablar bien el español. Le agradezco por su paciencia. Trataré de ayudarle lo mejor que pueda.
Reference Resources: send out information about the 
White Marsh is still having monitoring (bandwidth?) issues. Monitor with them on Monday, January 28th from 6-9.
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