Daytona Beach/Deltona location change

Due to library renovations, the Ask a Librarian workshop in Volusia County will take place at the Daytona Beach location below rather than Deltona.

Ask a Librarian Workshop @ Volusia County Public Library

Wed., May 27, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Library Support Center

1290 Indian Lake Rd.

Daytona Beach, FL 32124

** To register for this class, or a class in Gainesville, Miami, or Tampa, please visit http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php. **

The primary purpose of the full-day workshop is to introduce the software to those who have never used it, or have had limited opportunity to become familiar with it. However, it is *also* perfect if you’ve already received training but wish to feel better about your skill or comfort levels within Ask a Librarian. 

I look forward to seeing you there!

Gainesville, Deltona, Miami, Tampa workshops – sign up now!

Space is still available in the following full-day Ask a Librarian workshops:

Gainesville – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ Santa Fe Community College – Wed., Apr. 15, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Miami – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ Miami Dade Public Library – Tues., Apr. 21, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Tampa – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ TBLC – Mon., Apr. 27, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Deltona – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ Volusia County Public Library – Wed., May 27, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

** Please visit http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php to register today. **

Also, monitored practice sessions are held each Tuesday morning from 9-10 am EST in the InstantService Training Room. Just visit http://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/training.asp and follow the instructions to login as a practice librarian or patron. You can enter & leave at any time, and I will be there in case you have questions or need a practice partner.

Miami & Tampa workshops and monitored practice

These full-day Ask a Librarian workshops were scheduled recently:

Miami – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ Miami Dade Public Library
North Dade Regional Branch
Tuesday, Apr. 21, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Tampa – Ask a Librarian Workshop @ TBLC
Monday, Apr. 27, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

If you are interested in attending a workshop in your own area, please let me know!

Also, monitored practice sessions are held each Tuesday morning from 9-10 am EST in the InstantService Training Room. Just visit http://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/training.asp and follow the instructions to login as a practice librarian or patron. You can enter & leave at any time, and I will be there in case you have questions or need a practice partner.

Ask a Librarian Workshops Available

Here is a list of Ask a Librarian workshops currently available for registration:

Local (In-Person) Training – all of these are full-day trainings:

Estero, FL – Lee County Public Library –  Wed., Feb. 11, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC) — Tues., Feb. 24, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Maitland, FL – Central Florida Library Cooperative (CFLC) — Mon., Mar. 02, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Online Training – for those previously trained on Ask a Librarian:

Ask a Librarian 2-hour Online Workshop — Thurs., Feb. 19, 2 – 4 pm

Email: Online Ask a Librarian Workshop — Tues., Mar. 17, 2 – 3 pm

For more details on the above classes or to register, please visit http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php.  

TGIF Tips – 11/07/08, Issue 6

One of the wonderful aspects of Ask a Librarian is the collaborative nature of the service, which allows the handful of librarians actively staffing the desk to help patrons from across the state of Florida.  Because of this collaborative nature, patrons sometimes need referrals to their local libraries in order to satisfy a library- or branch-specific question whose answer can’t be culled from the catalog or looking at the patron’s available account information.  One process that may be helpful in such situations is referring that patron’s chat transcript to his or her local library via email so that local staff can follow-up.  

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.

New Online Training & Monitored Practice Sessions

Two new online training sessions on the new Ask a Librarian software have been added.  These 2 hour sessions are designed for those already covering (or previously trained on) Ask a Librarian.  The online sessions will take place on Thursday, October 23, from 2-4 pm and on Friday, October 24, from 9:30-11:30 am.  Space is limited, so please visit http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php and sign up as soon as possible.

Also, there will be two monitored practice sessions for all staff to freely explore the software in the safety of a monitored practice environment.  (You do not need to register for these.)  The monitored practice sessions will be on these dates: 

• Thurs., Oct. 23, 9-11 am
• Tues., Oct. 28, 9-11 am

To join the statewide practice as a librarian, please log in to the toolbox at http://info.askalibrarian.org/toolbox/login.asp, log in with your personal info, check the local desk option only (not academic or collaborative) & select “Training Room” from the local desk’s pull-down menu options.  Feel free to pick up any patrons that come into the training room.  To join as a pretend patron, please log in to the toolbox (link above), click on the “Practice/Training” link on the left, and click “Practice as a Patron”.  (You will not be asked for a patron name or question.)  Please log on and join your colleagues across the state to practice using the new software and sharpen your skills.  I will be in the training room, too, in case you have any questions, need a practice partner, or would like assistance.