TGIF Tips – 5/15/09, Issue 16

This is a very exciting time for everyone. Library schedules are shifting; lurking participants are taking on chat hours. Entire departments are asking to be trained, and we, of course, are happy to oblige. For academic libraries, one semester ends and another begins; and for public libraries, kids being out of school means, among other things, shifts in daytime programming, reference needs, etc.

It’s an exciting time for us, too – those of you who attended the Ask a Librarian User Forum at last week’s Florida Library Association got a glimpse of the many things we will be working on: a beautiful new Web site, text messaging possibilities, and more. And as Ask a Librarian moves forward, we will share with you the many exciting possibilities that await us on our journey, and reevaluate our position along the way to ensure that all of our movement is, indeed, forward.

Because of this, it’s especially important to us to address those questions and concerns that we often receive from those staffing Ask a Librarian. We’ll address a few of those today. And, as always, let us know if you have any questions about the service, the software, or anything in between.

Q) I was scheduled for a shift today, but there were 20 libraries covering the desk with me. Do you really need me there?
A) Yes! We most certainly do. Although several libraries choose to “volunteer” their own time to help on an as-can (or unscheduled) basis, the number of libraries staffing each desk per hour ranges from 2-5, with 3 and 4 being the most common depending on the desk, time of day, and staff availability.

Remember, you must limit your view of Agents listed in order to see who is on each desk! The Agent List defaults to “all” each time you log in, so you must manually click on the arrow and select the appropriate desk (Academic, Collaborative, or various Local Desks) to view who is on that desk. See the difference?

Q) Okay, I get that. But the other desk has more staff – why aren’t they helping with our patrons? We were busy for a few minutes there and no one picked up but us!
A) That’s because you can only see the patrons for those desks you logged in to. If you selected the Academic Desk box when logging in, patrons entering and waiting in the Collaborative Desk queue won’t even appear to you, and vice versa.

In other words, say you are logged in to the Collaborative Desk. If there are 2 patrons in your queue, and no patrons coming through an Academic Desk link, the Academic Desk will see “zero” in the queue until an Academic patron comes in.

Q) It is my turn to answer my library’s emails, but I can’t see them. My coworkers can see them, so what am I doing wrong?
A) This is such a common question. In order to view email, you just have to be logged into your local desk. That’s it! “Logged in” means you must have chosen the local desk box, and then selected your library, when first logging in – either alone or in addition to the Academic or Collaborative Desk. We offer regular workshops on Email in the Agent Console; please contact us for class details or for individual assistance. Don’t forget that emails are waiting patrons!

Q) Why am I seeing a portion of someone else’s chat in my window?
A) We’re getting this question less often, but still pretty regularly. If you’re not in a chat and are seeing portions of what appears to be a chat in the Agent Room (the group chat room), it just means that another staff is either (1) exploring the software, (2) previewing scripts, or (3) clicked on the “Agent Room” tab to make that the prominent screen instead of their active chat screen. That staff just needs to click on the tab for the chat (with the patron’s display name) to get back into the active window, and the messages will then be sent to the patron again.

We are all exploring this software together, so please do send us your questions! Chances are, if you have a question or concern, there are many others staffing the desk with the exact same uncertainty. Just send an email to avett@tblc.org.