Keyword Searching AskAway transcripts may be useful for monitoring trends in question subjects, or just taking a glance at how frequently a session contains a key topic. As an example, we searched the entire system (all AskAway questions for the past 90 days) and found 39 questions mentioning “copyright”
To keyword search transcripts from your patrons:
1) Log in to your Question Point Admin account (9-digit login).
2) Select “Ask” from the drop-down box at the top right of the screen.
3) Verify the active tab is “Questions”
Many of you make vigilant use of the resolution and descriptive codes as you end your AskAway sessions. Up until now use of the descriptive codes has been fairly random, as we didn't have control over the list of available codes. QuestionPoint has recently provided the ability to customise codes, so we've identified and defined a new, MUCH SHORTER list of AskAway descriptive codes to make your job easier. Read on to learn more....
What are the new descriptive codes?
Increasingly, when Safari users click on a PDF full text icon in a licensed database, they get a “missing plug-in error”. This is due to an incompatibility between the Safari 5.1 browser and the Adobe PDF viewer plug-in. EBSCO support has posted a FAQ on the problem, and they suggest that users install a plug-in as a workaround until the software issue is solved.
This is a refresher about an ongoing topic when working with so many different libraries around the region: differing network speeds.
The AskAway Shift Check-List has been updated with recommended web pages, a check-in list for QuestionPoint and Campfire logins and lots more tips to assist you with starting each shift!
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.
Hi folks,
Caroline Daniels at KPU passed on info about an EBSCO db bug which results in the wrong PDF displaying when a user tries to view an EBSCO article PDF in their browser - it will display the wrong article from the same issue of the journal. EBSCO reports they are working on the issue, but passed on a workaround:
In the meantime, as a workaround, you can disable PDFs from being viewed in your web browser which should allow you to view the correct article. This can be done by:
There are a variety of helpful indicators available in QuestionPoint to inform us of the current status of our patrons. During these busy times it can be helpful to know at a glance if our:
( ! ) Patron is typing.
(+) Just sent a new response.
Is off searching or may be slow responding.
If they may have disconnected from the session.
We continue to have reports of patrons experiencing difficulty typing into some Qwidgets. QP is continuing to investigate this issue, and has requested our help in identifying the issue.
If a patron reports difficulty typing during their chat session with you, please send me an email with the following information:
1. Time and date of the call
2. Patron's institution
3. Whether the patron's status indicator (beside their name in the My Active tab) is a green square, yellow triangle or red circle.
4. The About info:
Do you work end of the day AskAway shifts? Then you know how frustrating it can be wrapping up your chats while also juggling incoming after-hours questions. Now you don't have to!
QuestionPoint has added the ability to deselect the active Queue and still continue with existing chats at closing time. This allows librarians to finish up with current questions without the added pressure of sending out the Closed scripts to new patrons arriving after hours.
