AskAway Blog

March and April Statistics Now Available

Submitted by admin-boss on

AskAway use has risen across the board, compared to last March. The number of users accessing AskAway through the qwidget rose 21%, from 2171 in March 2010 to 2635 in March 2011. There are now 22 institutions that offer qwidgets on their sites, up from 18 at this time last year.
The average number of calls per day has increased to 113.8 in March 2011, up from 102.3 last year.
Total calls increased from 3169 last March to 3527 in March 2011.

March and April’s AskAway stats and user feedback are now available on the AskAway Portal:

Form Fields Statistics

Submitted by admin-boss on

Form fields statistics provide information on how users are accessing AskAway. This includes the type and version of browser and operating system each patron is using and whether they are using a mobile device.

The data provide the referring URL, indicating from which web page users have accessed AskAway. From this information, we can see which institution the users entered from, and which page they were viewing when they initiated a chat session. We can also see whether they have entered AskAway directly from within a database, and whether they are using a qwidget.

Strategies for Busy Times!

Submitted by admin-boss on

We're getting into the busy part of the term and we're seeing shifts with 20-30 questions per hour. Here's a few strategies to help ease the burden on AskAway service providers and stressed patrons during this time of year...

1. Log into Campfire! In Campfire you're able to quickly communicate with all your AskAway colleagues online.

2. Swamped Scripts. Pick up patrons as quickly as you can, preferably before 60 seconds have passed, and use the swamped scripts to manage patron expectations and queue flow.

Information about Job Action at VIU and Langara College

Submitted by admin-boss on

Here's some links to information updates about the current job action situation at VIU and Langara:

Langara College Strike Action News Updates: http://www.langara.bc.ca/news/2011/110307-lfa-strike-update.html

Vancouver Island University Labour Updates: http://www.viu.ca

Links to free academic resources:

http://askawaybc.pbworks.com/w/page/9921726/Free-Databases

SFU English 203 Renaissance assignment

Submitted by admin-boss on

Dear Colleagues,

Just a heads up that you might start seeing some SFU English 203 students on AskAway very soon, as I've just finished instructions sessions with several tutorials.

The ENGL 203 Early Modern Literature class has an assignment which asks them to find the answers to 40 questions about the Renaissance.  Most of these questions can be answered by the standard reference sources.  However, for this assignment companions and handbooks related to the Renaissance are also very useful.

Upcoming QP Features

Submitted by admin-boss on

At the QuestionPoint User Group meetings held in early February, QP announced some up-coming features they are working on.  Their priorities were guided by the User Group Survey conducted last summer.  The top 3 priorities identified in the survey included the ability to search transcripts; QP reports that this exciting feature is coming in May 2011!

For more details on the survey results and the upcoming enhancements, see the QP blog:

UFV students

Submitted by admin-boss on

We have some feedback from an online instructor about the Askaway advice given to one of her students.

In her class, students are providing persistent links to articles, generally from PsycArticles or Academic Search Premier.  (Ebsco).  The simplest method is to copy and paste the “PERMALINK” provided on the right-side of the results screen in a detailed record.

For more information, UFV has a webpage with steps on creating Persistent Links. http://www.ufv.ca/library/faculty/persistentreserves.htm

Intro to Summon

Submitted by admin-boss on

Many libraries, including those at Royal Roads University, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Island University and University of British Columbia, have added Summon to their websites. Here is a brief overview of Summon, based on notes from UBC’s Sheryl Adam. Her complete notes can be accessed here (PDF).

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