What a month!

Records were broken everywhere.  Ask a Librarian assisted 6,788 users through email and chat.    An 86% increase in chat sessions (5,517 total) from last October and a 13% increase in email (1,271 total).

The increases were seen across the board compared with last September, we had an:

• 59% increase of use through the Academic Desk
• 32% increase of use through the Collaborative Desk
• Many individual libraries have seen their numbers more than double including:
  Edison Community College
  Florida State College At Jacksonville
  Northwest Florida State College
  Nova Southeastern University
  Palm Beach Community College
  St Johns County Public Library System
  St Petersburg College
  St Petersburg Public Library System
  Tallahassee Community College
  University Of Florida
  Valencia Community College

Here are the individual reports:

AAL Summary Statistics Report (october 09)
Chat By Entry Point Oct09
Email By Entry Point October09
Usage by County (user reported zipcode) October09

Some ideas for your promoting include -

- Posting the flyer in your library
- Talk to your teens about it- maybe help create a space and time for them to work on the video
- Place a link to the Director’s Chair on your web site.  (logos are here )
- Post to your teen blog about the contest

Need a post?! Steal ours (feel free to edit this to work for you) -

Calling all Florida high school students!

Make your directorial debut with The Director’s Chair Contest

What is The Director’s Chair?
The Director’s Chair is a video contest for Florida high school students. Create a 30-second video promoting Ask a Librarian for the chance to win a digital video camera, a digital camera or 8GB MP3 player.

So…what exactly IS Ask a Librarian?
It’s a free online service that allows you to chat with a Florida librarian for instant help with homework, papers and general questions. (Want to learn more? Click here.)

Now that you know what Ask a Librarian is, go out and make a creative and entertaining 30-second video that tells the world just how wonderful Ask a Librarian is. Just load it to The Director’s Chair group on Vimeo by January 24, 2010, and the grand prize could be yours.

Be funny! Be serious! Do a spoof! Do a dramedy! Do whatever you want! Just be creative and have fun.

Click here for more information about the contest, including Vimeo submission instructions, prizes, official contest rules, release forms and more.

What are you planning to do?

Jennifer Kepple, Ft Walton Beach Public Library will receive a gift card to Amazon.com for her Exemplary Detailed Chat and all three winners will receive a certificate at a presentation at this next year’s annual Florida Library Association Conference.

Detailed Brief Chat
Charlyn Hill, Citrus County Library.
Charlyn gets exactly what the patron needs very quickly and educates them about a familiar website which is sure to help them with their future work. Thank you Charlyn!

Detailed Exemplary Chat
Jennifer Kepple, Ft Walton Beach Public Library.
Jennifer tackles some really tricky topics (time zones and air pressure conversions) with patience, humor, and persistence. This is one you read and think, as my Quaker Grandfather would have put it, “Better thee, than me.”

Teaching Exemplary Chat
Lora Glass, Niceville Public.
Lora conducted a nice teaching chat with a new (and confused) college student attending Miami-Dade College. The student was trying to find full text articles in their library’s resource databases. Lora G walked the student through the mechanics of doing a search and additionally helped the student narrow down their subject topic. The student was very grateful for Lora’s assistance and expertise.

Selecting the top transcript in each category can often be a hard process with so many terrific sessions to choose from. Below are the other people who were nominated this month by themselves, co-workers or the quality assurance workgroup.

Detailed Brief Chat

• Kristin Corbin, Suwannee River Regional Library
• Jamie Goldman, Ask a Librarian Intern
• Sandra Lee Hawes, St. Leo University
• Jodie Nehrt, Jacksonville Public Library
• Jorge Perez, St. Petersburg College
• Meredith Semones, University of Central Florida
• Susan Smith, Hodges University
• Anne Robert, Jacksonville Public Library
• Deirdre Tolia, Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library
• Isabel Toolsie, Palm Beach County Library System
• Ken Venet, Barry University
• Riva Wharton, Hodges University
• Lori Yeager, Osceola County Library System

Detailed Exemplary Chat

• Tatiana Alvarez, St. Petersburg Public Library
• Kathleen Coleman, Tallahassee Community College
• Kristin Corbin, Suwannee River Regional Library
• Chris Culp, Alachua County Library District
• Catherine Hodges, Florida State College at Jacksonville
• Rachel Mulvihill, University of Central Florida
• Warren French, Orange County Library System
• Carlos Pedemonte, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
• Laura Ramirez, Nova Southeastern University
• Sheila Small, St Lucie County Library System
• Greg Sidberry, Nova Southeastern University
• Susan Smith, Hodges University
• Katie Tyler, Winter Park Public Library

Teaching Exemplary Chat

• Neil Linger, Broward College
• Kristen Faulkner, Polk College
• Renee Patterson, Ask a Librarian Intern
• Kimberly Reycraft, Florida Gulf Coast University Library
• Elaine Sabol, Indian River State College
• Susan Smith, Hodges University
• Judi Tidwell, Broward College

Don’t forget to nominate your or your co-workers sessions in the Ask a Librarian Toolbox at: http://info.askalibrarian.org or when closing a live chat session.

Congratulations to all those nominated this month.

The page features a slideshow, a customized portal for each library as well as a ‘what are people asking’ feature showing recently asked questions.

The survey is at:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XfdnIaHxHz6_2bHl8Ljuj94w_3d_3d

What is The Director’s Chair?
The Director’s Chair is a video contest for Florida high school students.
Create a 30-second video promoting Ask a Librarian for a chance to win some great prizes.

So…what exactly IS Ask a Librarian? It’s a free online service that allows you to chat with a Florida librarian for instant help with homework, papers and general questions. (Want to learn more? Click here.)

Now that you know what Ask a Librarian is, go out and make a creative and entertaining 30-second video that tells the world just how
wonderful Ask a Librarian is. Just submit it here between Oct. 1, 2009, and Jan. 24, 2010 (11:59 p.m.), and the grand prize could be yours.

Be funny! Be serious! Do a spoof! Do a dramedy! Do whatever you want! Just be creative and have fun.

The contest details are online at:  http://www.tblc.org/aal/directorschair/

Promotional flyers can be downloaded and printed from:   http://www.tblc.org/aal/directorschair/.  If you want me to mail you copies, please email me.  

Please promote this within your library, on your blogs, MySpace and Facebook pages! Help us get the word out about this exciting contest.

September also saw a lot of training, practicing and working to get the new software– Instant
Service up and running. We trained over 660 people in 44 training sessions online and in-person.

September was a great month and we expect this trend to continue on the new software platform.

A more detailed report is available here:  Summary Report

Email By Entry Point

ChatByEntryPoint

UsagebyReportedZipcode

Great Work Everyone!!!!

Paula Bagwell, a librarian from St. Petersburg College was proposed to on Ask a Librarian!

In her own words,

“My boyfriend of two years, Josh, just proposed to me via AskaLibrarian!!! Today is our two year anniversary (and also the autumnal equinox).

I was covering virtual chat and he signed on and asked me to marry him.  Then I learned he was actually at the Clearwater library and was using a computer in the lab.  He got down on his knee and proposed to me in the middle of the library.  Sue Dillon found a camera and we re-created the scene which I’ve attached.  Then there was a surprise engagement party complete with a  carrot cake in the breakroom!!!”

The actual session,

You have been connected to Paula B (SPC).
Paula B (SPC): Hello, welcome to Ask a Librarian. I am Paula and I will be assisting you today. Please wait a moment while I consider your question…
Josh K: hi sorry internet issues
Paula B (SPC): It’s ok, what can I help you with today?
Josh K: Paula, will you marry me?
Paula B (SPC): Yes!! Wow, I’m freaking out. Are you here?
Josh K: Yes
Josh K: I am at the student computers
Josh K: to your left

Paula has disconnected…

Everyone here at TBLC and Ask a Librarian wishes them the best of luck! Congratulations!!!!!

Detailed Exemplary Chat
Paul Wetmore, Tampa Hillsborough Public Library System. Paul helped a student select materials for a research paper on Latin influence on the English Language. Asked clarifying questions, good rapport. Patron was pleased with the service and remarked “My teacher told us that the most helpful people we will ever know when it comes to education and school work would be a librarian. He is right.”

Teaching Exemplary Chat
Stacy Allsop, Nova Southeastern University.
Stacy gave excellent tips and directions to a student who had a complex research project. Stacy was able to direct the student to a helpful database and then to explain how to use the thesaurus for better search results. Excellent job of hands on teaching of a student in the use of a specialized database! The student was very pleased and Stacy offered to make certain the transcript would be available for the student’s future reference. Pat nomination.

Selecting the top transcript in each category can often be a hard process with so many terrific sessions to choose from. Below are the other people who were nominated this month by themselves, co-workers or the quality assurance workgroup.

Brief Exemplary Chat:
• Laura Baas, State Library of Florida
• Matthew Buckley, Nova Southeastern University
• Bebe Chang, Broward County Library
• Salena Coller, American InterContinental University
• Larry Cooperman, Everglades University
• Jaime Goldman, Ask a Librarian Intern
• Marylou Galvin, Broward County Library
• Cindy Jewett, Keiser University
• Carlos Morejon, Miami-Dade Public Library System
• Carlos Pedemonte, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
• Susan Smith, Hodges University
• Jane Tracey, Orange County Public Library
• Fawn Van Allen, West Palm Beach Public Library
• Peter Washkevich, St. Johns County Public Library
• Laura Welch, Ask a Librarian Intern

Detailed Exemplary Chat:
• Owen Adams, Northwest Florida State College
• Giselle Alonso, Miami-Dade Public Library System
• Cathy B., Goldstein Library (FSU- School of Information)
• Ustadza Ely, Nova Southeastern University
• Jaime Goldman, Ask a Librarian Intern
• Chip Halvorsen, Alachua County Library District
• Carol Maksian, Florida Gulf Coast University Library
• Carlos Pedemonte, Tampa Hillsborough Public Library
• Quiana Vidal, Marion County Public Library System

Teaching Exemplary Chat:
• Matthew Buckley, Nova Southeastern University
• Marylou Galvin, Broward County Library
• Sandra Lee Hawes, Saint Leo University
• Kira Smith, Ask a Librarian Intern
• Debora Stewart, Palm Beach Atlantic University

Don’t forget to nominate your or your co-workers sessions in the Ask a Librarian Toolbox at: http://info.askalibrarian.org or when closing a live chat session.

Congratulations to all those nominated this month.

Please try and get this played at local schools, on your web site and on local TV channels for your school or community.

It is already playing on the Knowledge Network and we hope to place it in a few other venues statewide.

Ask a Librarian – 2009 PSA from Ask aLibrarian on Vimeo.

This video was created by New Jersey’s statewide chat service and customized for Ask a Librarian.