It has been almost a year since UBC Library implemented OpenAthens for e-resource authentication. Many thanks for all of your help in supporting our users transitioning to the new process. We have heard that accessing UBC’s e-resources via OpenAthens as an AskAway service provider can be tricky. We have updated the wording on the Guest Login page as follows, and we hope it clarifies the issue.
Douglas College computer system shutdown February 11-15.
We are currently investigating some issues with the QuestionPoint All Tab displaying an inaccurate count of the active questions for some service providers. This tab usually displays all questions the other service providers are working on and also allows you to join a question in conference mode to assist a colleague.
Update: This situation is now resolved
Some students have come on to AskAway to ask about database problems. Below is a message from Diane Cruickshank at UFV:
Find a technical problem? Have a question about AskAway procedures? Comments, questions, or suggestions you would like to share? This blog entry gives examples of who to contact with different information or questions. Most importantly, though, please do contact us! If you're not sure who to contact, no worries - your institution's AskAway coordinator or the Admin Centre are two points of contact that can help direct you with who to contact if you are unsure.
Just a reminder to update and check-out all your qwidgets each term! AskAway Qwidgets provided on your Library web pages, Libguides and EBSCO & ProQuest databases
A note below, from Selkirk College librarian Danielle Cossarini about a known issue with remote access to Proquest databases for their students:
The new Proquest platform does not support Selkirk College Library's current (and ancient) version of EZProxy, which means that Selkirk students will not be able to access our Proquest databases from off-campus. This includes CBCA Complete and Canadian Newsstand.
Here's what you need to know when working with a patron using an EBSCO Qwidget.
1. When a patron opens up a chat session in an EBSCO database then starts a new search or tries any other navigation away from their current page with the chat Qwidget - they can lose the chat. They should receive a warning before they lose the chat (depending on their browser), with the option to cancel, but this feature is currently experiencing some bugs.
One aspect of a regional service, with AskAwayers assisting patrons from all over BC and from Yukon, is that there are small technical differences between libraries which lead to varying network speeds. There are also differences that may vary day-to-day, and affect some institutions sometimes and not other times.
Recently on AskAway patrons have often appeared to disconnect or disappear without warning. Sometimes this is due to internet outages, navigating away via Qwidget links, QuestionPoint server troubles or the patron finding the resources they need and forgetting to return. The patron status indicator often turns to a red dot in these cases.