Submitted by admin-boss on
We've reached the busy peak of this term - on average we're handling 130 - 160 calls per day, 10-20 per hour. Our busiest hour so far was Tuesday Nov 3 from 2-3 PM when 27 calls came in!
As we get busier, things get stressful for our patrons and for us. Here's some coping strategies:
Rules of Engagement for Patrons
Submitted by admin-boss on
Is there a great guide or learning object that you have discovered when helping AskAway patrons?
Think others should know about it?
Enter it into the ALPS LINK Learning Object Sharing contest and you will be eligible to win prizes!
This is a great opportunity to share knowledge of the many wonderful learning objects out there. As AskAwayers helping patrons from many different institutions, we are particularly likely to come across new learning objects, and this is a great way to spread the word.
Submitted by admin-boss on
Just a reminder that we can only help AskAway patrons with the resources that THEY have access to at their own library. Even though you may have access to different resources at your library, it is important to direct patrons to resources that they will be able to use after their session with you.
Questions? Let me know!
- Sunni
BC ELN
Submitted by admin-boss on
The Tech 101 Interactive Research Challenge assignment requires students to begin research for the term paper they hand in later in the semester. In the past they have chosen from a list of 20 topics, most in the area of Technology & Society. The assignment is highly structured and includes the following tasks:
-analyze the topic, underline key terms, look them up in the dictionary, brainstorm synonyms and other search terms
-use encyclopedias and/or websites to get background info on the topic
-state three ways to contact a librarian for help
Submitted by admin-boss on
Thanks everyone for your support with BIOL 140 & 200. We are starting to see BIOL 140 and BIOL 200 students at our in-person desks and we anticipate they will be visiting AskAway too!
Submitted by admin-boss on
Starting with this week, we are teaching approximately 1,500 engineering students in two major classes- Engineering Cases (APSC 150) and Technical Communication (APSC 201) .
If you see those students coming to you while you are on your AskAway shift, please help them by starting with our UBC scieng homepage - http://www.library.ubc.ca/scieng/ and selecting the appropriate course pages:
Submitted by admin-boss on
Welcome to another fall term of AskAway!
What can you do to be ready for your first shift?
1. Get familiar with the Staff Portal again. This is where you’ll find all the tools you need to staff your shift.
2. Do a quick software refresher. The following online software tutorials are available on the QP website:
A. Launch Flash chat
B. Using Scripted Messages and Pushing Web Pages to Patrons
Submitted by admin-boss on
Just a reminder that today is the last day of AskAway service for the summer term.
AskAway will open again September 21st for the fall term.
Have a great rest of the summer!
- Sunni
AskAway Coordinator
Submitted by admin-boss on
Public library AskAwayers have created an incredible set of Delicious links on many of the topics that come in to their queue, as well as links to grade-level or reading-level specific resources:
http://delicious.com/askaway/bundle:**Education_Grade_Readership
There is also a link to these Delicious links on the Staff Tools page of the Portal:
http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/index.php?page=main
Submitted by admin-boss on
OCLC System Alert
Posted: 5/27/2009 4:28:25 PM ET
QP Reports and Service History
Alert Status: Condition reported
Affected Services:
QuestionPoint
Description:
QuestionPoint "Reports" links and "Service History" links to the archived stats and transcripts are currently experiencing technical difficulties. In order to fix the problem as quickly as possible, we request that QuestionPoint users refrain from clicking on "Reports" or "Service History" until we send an "all clear" message, or until Thursday morning May 28.