To add scripts or bookmarks to your account:

1) In the Librarian Toolbox, click on “Login as a Librarian”.

2) Select the local desk box & choose your library from the list. (If you are staffing one of the public desks, you can also choose Academic/Collaborative in addition to your local desk).

3) On the Acct Administration page (where you usually click Agent Console), click on “Agents” (either the tab or the link).

4) Click on Response Libraries.

5) Click on Launch Response Editor.

6) To add a script, click on the Text tab. Click on your named folder to highlight it, and then on “New Response” to create a new script directly in your personal folder. Type the name of your script at the top (such as “My Greeting”), and then replace the text at the bottom with the actual text you want the script to say (such as “Welcome to Ask a Librarian. I am pleased to help you with your question today.”).

You may also create folders for categorizing your scripts. To do this, click on your named personal folder and then on “New Folder”. Name the folder (such as My Goodbyes). With that folder selected, click on “New Response” to add a script into that folder. To create another main folder, click on your personal top-level folder, and then on “New Folder”, etc.

7) To add a Web site bookmark, click on the URLs tab. Click on your named folder to highlight it, and then on “New Response” to save a new Web address directly in your personal folder. Type the name of the URL at the top (such as “CNN”). At the bottom, follow the “http://” prompt with the remainder of the full URL of the Web site (for example, “http://www.cnn.com”).

Creating folders in your URLs tab is especially helpful because it allows you to categorize your bookmarks from a high number of categories and subcategories. For example, a Sciences folder could contain Biology and Physics subfolders with various Web sites in each. Adding folders in URLs is the same as for scripts. Just click on your main folder and then on “New Folder” to create a category, giving it a name (such as “News Sites”). With that folder selected, click on “New Response” to add a bookmark to that category. To create another main bookmarks folder, click on your personal top-level folder, and then on “New Folder”, etc.

8 ) Click on “Save All” when done.

What happens now? The next time you enter the Agent Console, folders showing your display name will be sitting right alongside our trusty Account Default folders under both the Text (scripts) tab and URLs (bookmarks) tab. These personal folders will contain your own private scripts and bookmarks – no one else will see them, and you can modify or delete any of them at any time by following the steps you used to create them. Once back inside the Console, being able to double-click your private scripts or bookmarks – for viewing, modifying, or sending to the patron – will make your customer service that much more personalized.

TGIF Tips

Ask a Librarian
TGIF Tips
January 16, 2009
Issue 10

Before you ScreenShare:

1) Establish a good, solid rapport or comfort level with your patron. This is always important, but even more so when introducing ScreenSharing as an available option. Some things to keep in mind when building this rapport:

• Is your patron comfortable with new technologies? (A relative may have placed him/her into chat and walked away.)
• Are your patron’s needs and interests suitable to or appropriate for the ScreenSharing process? Information literacy needs are widely varied, even with similar questions. Does your patron want only the answer, or would the patron be interested in a demonstration or guided instruction on some resource?
• When sending pre-ScreenShare scripts (as explained in the next step) to your patrons, remember that some patrons may only be skimming your messages, so ensure that your patron does understand what the ScreenSharing process entails.

2) In the ScreenSharing folder, under the Text tab in the top left corner, select and send script #1, which briefly introduces the process to your patron and asks if they would like to try it.

3) When the patron says “yes,” send script #2, which tells them what to do. There are only 2 steps for the patron: click the “Share My Screen” button, and then click the resulting “Run” button. That’s it – that’s all that’s needed to begin the ScreenSharing process.

4) You may wish to send script #4, which suggests that the patron close browser windows and other programs before beginning the process.

5) All you have to do, as the librarian, is to click on the ScreenSharing tab in the lower right corner of the Agent Console. Don’t click inside the space itself; just click on the tab to make that space prominent. That space will automatically transform to show your patron’s desktop.

After ScreenSharing begins:

1) In the gold bar located above the ScreenShare area, change the Cobrowse State – which tells you how much control you have – to “Keyboard/Mouse/Pointer.” Because the Cobrowse State defaults to “Screen” (meaning your control is limited to viewing their screen), you must manually change this each time you begin ScreenSharing.

2) You may wish to send script #3, which alerts the patron that you will be moving the mouse for a while and encourages them to sit back and relax while you do so. This prevents cursor tug-of-war, which results from both staff and patron simultaneously moving the mouse.

3) Keep the patron involved by sending frequent messages or updates throughout the ScreenSharing process. This keeps them feeling oriented as you move about, and they still feel like an active part of the interaction. If you are demonstrating, let them know what you will do a few steps at a time. For example, “Now we will go into Biography Resource Center and look for photographs of Person X.” That way, your messages are frequent yet not so frequent that they interrupt the patron’s view of the demonstration after every single screen change.

4) Remember, when you send a message to your patron, their chat window will pop up over everything else. This is a good thing!

5) When you push a page (or work on an existing page) on the patron’s desktop, consider un-maximizing (not minimizing) that screen so that the patron can still see a small portion of the chat window beneath the active page. This comes in especially handy when dealing with those patrons who may be less technologically savvy.

6) In teaching situations, consider having the patron input some text or complete some steps so that the process is even more interactive. For example, you can bring the patron to the advanced search page, and suggest to them a specific search string and set of limiting options.

7) Instead of typing in a new web address on the patron’s existing Web pages, PUSH A PAGE to that patron’s desktop, and VOILA – a page opens right up for you! This way, you are typing a little less on your patron’s desktop (so less delay), you won’t accidentally type in the chat page, and you don’t risk changing a Web page that the patron intended to keep open.

8 ) Is the patron’s screen resolution different from yours, or just plain awkward? Right above the ScreenSharing panel, there is a globe icon –- just click on that globe icon, and then LiveLook, to view the patron’s desktop in a separate browser window.

To ScreenShare or not to ScreenShare? Remember, ScreenSharing is an optional resource designed to be helpful in occasional situations – in most cases, pushing Web pages will be so effective that you will not need to consider it. Consider partnering with a coworker for practice, or joining the statewide monitored practice sessions every Tuesday from 9-10 am here. ]]> http://www.tblc.org/askalibrarianblog/2009/01/16/634/feed/ 0 http://www.tblc.org/askalibrarianblog/2008/12/17/tgif-tips-121208-issue-9/ http://www.tblc.org/askalibrarianblog/2008/12/17/tgif-tips-121208-issue-9/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:39:35 +0000 Traci http://www.tblc.org/askalibrarianblog/?p=596 As many of you know, Ask a Librarian is funded as part of the Florida Electronic Library (FEL).  Both Ask a Librarian and the Florida Electronic Library share a common goal of providing reference and information services to residents of Florida.  Through the FEL, Florida patrons have access to a number of electronic resources, including magazine & newspaper articles, almanacs, encyclopedias, books, and more – just by having a public library card.  What does this mean to you?  This means that you can visit the Florida Electronic Library Website and enter the patron’s card number from any public library in Florida to gain instant access to a number of electronic resources, including several Gale databases.  Knowing that you & your patrons (as Florida residents) have access to these resources is essential, and will prove especially helpful in assisting those patrons whose access to proprietary databases is otherwise limited. 

To give you a brief idea of the information available, a few non-subscription-based FEL resources are noted below.  However, there are many more where these came from, so please visit the Florida Electronic Library Website to familiarize yourself with the wealth of information at your fingertips.  Also, you can view a complete list of FEL’s licensed databases here.

Homework Resources at the FEL (non-proprietary)
Florida Facts for Kids
This portion of Florida’s Division of Historical Resources web site offers age-appropriate information on Florida – a great homework helper.

PALMM Literature for Children
Search and browse more than 2,600 digitized children’s books from Florida universities.  This open-web resource includes books from the 17th through the 20th centuries.

SUNLINK
SUNLINK is Florida’s electronic catalog of K-12 public school media center holdings.  Freely accessible on the open Web, SUNLINK promotes the sharing of resources among Florida’s public schools by providing availability information on items and by using an established interlibrary loan process for use by teachers and students.  You can search for materials that correlate with your patron’s specific Reading Program (such as Accelerated Reader or Reading Counts), Interest Level (such as K-3), and Lexile range.

Florida Resources at the FEL (non-proprietary)
Florida Heritage 
Florida’s Division of Historical Resources web site offers a vast amount of information, but the Florida Facts page is an especially helpful ready reference source. 

Florida Memory Project
Easy to navigate and fun to browse, the Florida Memory Project contains documents, photographs, and a variety of other media taken from the Florida Collection of the State Library of Florida.  This would be a great place for those patrons needing primary sources on Florida history. 

Florida on Florida
Florida On Florida is a catalog of digital materials held by Florida museums and historical societies.  It includes various items such as manuscripts, maps, photographs, and postcards, and all record-attached descriptions are completely full-text searchable.

Password-embedded Gale Links
Did you know that the Agent Console contains password-embedded links to the Gale databases subscribed to by the Florida Electronic Library?  This means that you can view and push the basic search pages, and sometimes more, without ever having to enter a library card number.  In fact, in resources such as Academic OneFile, Gale Virtual Reference Library, and LitFinder, you can use the BOOKMARK feature [top, left hand corner under the database title] to create a URL that the patron will be able to open on their end.  The BOOKMARK feature allows you to push both results lists and individual articles to the patron that will display consistently and without need for authentication.  Check out all the available links in the Gale Resources folder under the URLs tab.     

Important Schedule Reminders

• Because the Academic Desk is closed during the month of December, all those scheduled to cover Academic during December should log in to the Collaborative Desk instead.  The Academic Desk will reopen on January 5.
• Ask a Librarian will be closed from Tuesday, December 23 thru Sunday, January 4.

Ask a Librarian Monitored Practice Sessions 

Please join your colleagues in the Practice/Training Room every Tuesday from 9 – 10 am for statewide monitored practice.  To join the practice session as a librarian, please log in to the toolbox, click on the “Practice/Training” link on the left, and follow the instructions to login as a librarian or patron.  Feel free to pick up any patrons that come into the training room.

Happy holidays!
Traci

To refer a transcript to email for follow-up by a local library, just follow these steps: 

1.  Present the follow-up option to the patron and confirm contact information.

2.  When the chat is finished, click on “Dismiss” rather than “End”, which allows you to add notes.

3.  Click on the post-it note icon, or double-click in the Customer Details box, to add such details as email address and/or phone number.

4.  Click on the ”Click here to send email” link in the Customer Details form, or click the “Create New Email” option under the ‘Mail Sent’ tab in the upper left corner. 

5.  Under the “KnowledgeBase” tab & sub-tab, look up the library and copy the site coordinator’s email address.  (This is an interim step and will change.)

6.  Add the email address and a subject (subject example - ”Email follow-up for live chat session”) and click OK.

7.  Add message to email and click “Send”.

Voila!  The patron will receive the local, in-depth assistance they need, and you will have provided yet another patron with impeccable service.  (Remember – never underestimate the value of a referral or follow-up in reference.)

Ready, Set, Available!

Don’t forget to set your status to available when you are ready to take patrons in the Agent Console.  Just click on the status box arrow in the lower right corner of the Agent Console.  Keep in mind that this status doesn’t change when you have a patron, so the other librarians staffing will still show “available” even when they’re actively involved in a patron chat.  Feel free to use the Agent Room (for group chat) or the private messaging feature to communicate with your Ask a Libarian coworkers on workflow.

Promotional Materials

Feeling enthusiastic about the Ask a Librarian virtual reference service?  You can order free promotional materials such as posters, bookmarks, and even cool lanyards to hold those name badges – a great way to get staff and patrons “in the know” on Ask a Librarian.  Just log in to the Ask a Librarian toolbox at http://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/login.asp and click on the “Promotional Materials” link on the left.

New Ask a Librarian Workshops 

New full-day Ask a Librarian have been added to the training schedule.  The areas currently scheduled are:  Tampa, Fort Pierce, and West Palm Beach.  Although the full-day training is only required for those new to Ask a Librarian, it is also great for those who haven’t staffed in a while, don’t staff often, or just want more in-depth, in-person training on the new software.  Also, don’t forget our new feature-specific workshops as well – we’re offering classes on such individual features as screensharing, email within the agent console, and viewing & retrieving statistics in the InstantService software.  Register at http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php to reserve your seat(s) today.

TGIF Tips

October 3, 2008

Issue 1

Welcome to the new Ask a Librarian software, InstantService, which went live at 10 a.m. on October 1, 2008! We are now at the end of launch week for InstantService, and staff and patron response has been thus far very positive.

Some notables about the new software:

Agent Room feature allows for group chat
Now, in addition to sending instant messages to others staffing the desk, you can also partake in open group discussion with your peers in the Agent Room.

No more chimes & pop-up patron alerts while you’re actively involved in a chat!
The software knows you are in a chat and will not alert you until your session has ended. You can still view the chat queue, but you will not be battered with sounds, pop-up windows, and cursor tugs-of-war resulting from incoming patron alerts.

Chat typing indicators for patron and staff
Now, when you type, patrons will see “Librarian is typing,” and when the patron types, your keyboard icon will become animated. Among other things, these indicators will help extend patience for both patrons and staff.

Pushing Web pages is an easy, smooth, & immediate process
No more flickering screens and wondering if your patron even knows you sent him something. Even those whose settings block the pushed window from opening automatically can always click on the live link that will be right there in the chat transcript.

ScreenShare feature allows for increased interactivity and demonstration abilities
Increased control allows for more in-depth goals, such as those involving information literacy. However, please remember that with increased power comes a need for increased sensitivity on your part!

Please continue to let us know your questions, comments, and experiences using the new software.

Password Power

Be sure to write down those passwords!

One of the primary issues we’ve had so far during this fun week has been staff forgetting their login passwords, so please be sure to write them down in a safe place.

Do you have a generic password but long for something more personal, more memorable? You can always change your password in the Account Administration page. To do this, simply log in as usual, and when you get to the Account Administration page (the same page where you click on Agent Console), click on the “Agents” tab. You can then click on Information to edit your password.

Remember that the password is picky, picky: in addition to letters, it needs a number and a special character (such as #) and must be at least 8 characters long.

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For technical problems, email the Ask a Librarian Help Desk at askalibrarian@tblc.org.

If you need assistance with software practice, scheduling, or anything else, please call Traci Avet at 800-622-8252, ext. 223 or email at avett@tblc.org. If you need emergency assistance and Traci is unavailable, please press zero and ask for assistance.

On Tuesday, September 4th, all academic libraries should check the “academic desk” option when logging in between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM Monday to Friday. The check box to log in to the academic desk will not be available until Tuesday. When you are staffing the academic desk do not check the box for collaborative, only academic.

Collaborative desk staff will still check the collaborative desk option, as they currently do. Academic libraries staffing outside of the academic desk hours will also check the collaborative desk option.

Libraries staffing local desks outside of their collaborative or academic desk hours will check their library’s name when logging in.

We have some answers to frequently asked questions here:
http://www.tblc.org/askalibrarianblog/2007/08/15/academic-desk-kicks-off-september-4th/

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

You might also want to include your library’s Ask a Librarian URL. I left it out so you could promote your library page.

aaldemouser1.swf

Please let me know if you need something different, or a different format, and I can work on producing it.

Please join in and practice your skills in a low-stress environment with your colleagues. I will be online from 9-11 and Michelle Oleson will be online from 1-3 as a librarian and/or patron to help facilitate the practice.

Just go to this site http://www.askalibrarian.org/info/training.asp and log in as a librarian or take a turn asking questions as a patron.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

I will be online throughout the day as a librarian and/or patron to help facilitate the practice.
Just go to this site http://www.askalibrarian.org/info/training.asp and log in as a librarian or take a turn asking questions as a patron.

I look forward to seeing you online!

Our current version of Docutek VRLplus allows a user to connect with us first in chat mode only. We can then choose to initiate co-browsing or not, depending on the session. When the user logs in we have information about what operating system and browser they are using, however there are more requirements for successful co-browsing including security settings and how java is set-up on their computer. The software doesn’t test these items until we try to configure co-browsing, which will either be successful or not. It is important to note that there is nothing “wrong” with the co-browser in these cases. The co-browse configuration should be seen as a test of the user’s system to see if they are capable of co-browsing. If they are not, then the co-browser will go to classic mode and you can continue the session in classic. We are working with Docutek to make this process a little more transparent so that the user and librarian will have more information about the co-browse configuration process and we will know which users will be capable of co-browsing in pro mode or in classic.

You can also make use of this script to communicate with your patron if their computer fails the co-browse configuration process:

“I’m sorry but it looks like your browser is not able to be configured for co-browsing. We can continue our session without the co-browse function.”

The script is saved in the scripted replies under, “Co-browsing won’t config”

Please let me know if you have any questions or technical problems.