QuestionPoint: 24/7 reference services

Steps to take after the QuestionPoint install to address a performance issue

Hello QuestionPoint subscribers:
As mentioned on the QuestionPoint listserv and on this blog, there will be a QuestionPoint install to address a performance issue.

QuestionPoint chat users must update the QuestionPoint Flash-based chat monitor after the service is restored. After the install, please complete the following to ensure that you are using the updated version.

1. Clear your Temporary Browser Files (also known as browser cache) by following these steps:

a. Open Internet Explorer

b. Click on Tools

c. Select Internet Options from the dropdown menu

d. Click on the Delete Files button  under the Temporary Internet Files menu

e. Place a check in the Delete All Offline Content box

f. Click the OK button

g. When the Deleted files box closes, click OK to close the Internet Options box

2.    Refresh the Chat Monitor before picking up your first patron by following these steps:

a. From the My QuestionPoint page, click on Chat from the dropdown menu or from the Quick Links list to open the Chat Monitor

b. Wait for the chat monitor to load in a 2^nd browser window

c. Click OK to the alert telling you to Select which Queues to monitor

d. Press the F5 key on your keyboard (this will reload the chat monitor)

e. Click the Retry button on alert box that appears.

f. Click OK on the alert telling you to Select which Queues to monitor

g. Select the queues to monitor

h. Begin monitoring

If, during a chat session with a patron, you encounter an issue with your chat messages not appearing in the chat monitor’s transcript window after clicking Send, please contact OCLC Customer Service immediately.

ANNOUNCEMENT: QuestionPoint service interruption

Dear QuestionPoint subscribers:
We are currently experiencing technical issues with QuestionPoint that may cause performance slowdown.

Please be advised that at 10:00 GMT, tomorrow, May 6, we will interrupt QuestionPoint service to perform critical maintenance to resolve these issues. We expect to have service restored within 15 minutes (or by 1015 GMT). Please try to end any chat sessions in progress immediately prior to that time, so as to avoid sudden session interruptions.

Once service is restored, please check your “New” questions lists for any interrupted chat sessions or unanswered email questions.  You may consult the blog at http://questionpoint.blogs.com for details.

We regret any inconvenience.

The QuestionPoint Team.

 

Chers utilisateurs de QuestionPoint,

Nous remarquons actuellement des difficultés techniques dans QuestionPoint qui peuvent affecter la performance du service. Nous nous excusons de cette situation et tentons de résoudre le problème.   Veuillez prendre note que le service QuestionPoint ne sera pas disponible de 10hrs 00 TU à 10hrs 15 TU,  le  mardi 6, mai , le temps d’une installation d’urgence.

Nous prévoyons que le service sera rétabli à l’intérieur de 15 minutes [ou pour 10hrs 15 TU].   Veuillez essayer de mettre fin à vos sessions de CHAT en cours avant l’interruption afin d’éviter que la communication avec vos utilisateurs ne soit coupée. Lorsque le service sera rétabli, vérifiez dans vos listes de “Nouvelles” questions pour les sessions de CHAT interrompues ou les nouvelles questions par courriel.

Pour plus de détails, prière de consulter le blogue de QuestionPoint.

Bien à vous,
L’équipe de QuestionPoint

QuestionPoint marketing workshop - hosted by OCLC Western

If They Don't Know About it, They Won't Come! Marketing Virtual Reference

It’s likely that members of your own library staff aren’t aware of virtual reference, let alone John and Jane Public. So how can you raise awareness? By marketing, of course; but effective marketing is more than splashy promotions, eye-catching graphics and clever messages. Success is grounded in constant attention, creativity, listening to customers, and being passionate about all that libraries have to offer.

Join OCLC Western libraries and others for this two-hour online workshop presented by Buff Hirko, former Statewide Virtual Reference Coordinator for the Washington State Library and co-author (with Mary Ross) of Virtual Reference Training:  The Complete Guide to Providing Anytime, Anywhere Answers.  Two sessions are being offered, May 13th and June 5th.

This course will introduce concepts and techniques that tempt folks to use your chat service, and keep them coming back. In addition to basic marketing guidelines, we will also discuss examples of creative promotion, cost-effective tools, and design principles and resources. It is a perfect course for chat service providers and managers from academic and public libraries who want to increase their visibility and understanding of virtual reference.

For more information and to register, please visit the workshop page on OCLC Western’s site at  

http://www.oclc.org/western/training/courses/descriptions/W915.htm.

ANNOUNCEMENT: QuestionPoint Install Sunday, April 27

 

Dear QuestionPoint subscribers:

We will have a maintenance install this Sunday, April 27, at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 0700 GMT.  We expect the service to be available again within 15 minutes.  Below is a list of apparent changes, with descriptions.  Please be sure to end all active chat sessions before the system is brought down; check your New list when service is restored for any interrupted chat sessions or unanswered email questions.  If you experience any outage after the projected downtime, please contact your customer service provider for assistance.

 

Here are the user-apparent changes you can expect to see following the install planned for Sunday morning, April 27. Watch the list and the My QuestionPoint home page announcements for exact install time.

1. We have fixed the problem that allowed patrons to send across the less-than character ( < ) in their question or chat text, thereby inadvertently hiding all text that followed the special character. The character is now filtered and rendered in such a way that it no longer hides the text that follows.

2. Patrons of libraries that have enabled Captcha for their hosted e-mail web forms see the following page after submitting their questions. They must enter the letters they see there for their question transaction to continue. With this release we have added wording that explains why this is necessary (“To help us prevent spam, please type the characters you see in this picture”), as well as icons to the right, which enable the patron to choose another picture for the test, to hear the letters read aloud, or to get Help.

3. If your administrator has indicated that chat users are to receive a survey request, a link to the survey will now appear in the Qwidget window, as well as in the e-mailed transcript.

4. Administrators of libraries that offer the Qwidget as a contact option to patrons will now see statistics for usage appear as a line item in the Chat portion of Activity Statistical reports

5. Administrators will notice that an “Admin” quick link is back by popular demand! A link at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar will allow administrators to jump directly into the Administration module.

 

QuestionPoint installation d'entretien du service

Chers utilisateurs de QuestionPoint,

27 avril 2008: Veuillez prendre note que le service QuestionPoint ne sera pas disponible de _0700  TU à __0715 TU, le temps d’une installation d’entretien du service. Veuillez vous assurer de mettre fin à toutes vos sessions de CHAT actives avant l’interruption afin d’éviter que la communication avec vos utilisateurs ne soit coupée. Lorsque le service sera rétabli, vérifiez dans vos listes de “Nouvelles” questions pour les sessions de CHAT interrompues ou les nouvelles questions par courriel. 

Si vous avez des problèmes après le retour du service, n’hésitez pas à contacter votre fournisseur d’assistance technique.

Nous nous excusons de cette interruption.

Bien à vous,
L’équipe de QuestionPoint

 

Installation d’entretien prévue le 27 avril

23 avril 2007

Voici les modifications apparentes que vous pourrez voir après l’installation prévue dimanche matin le 27 avril. Consultez la liste et les annonces dans l’écran Mon QuestionPoint pour l’heure exacte de l’installation.

1. Nous avons réglé le problème qui permettait aux utilisateurs d’envoyer le symbole moins que ( < ) dans leur question ou leur texte de Chat, et qui cachait tout le texte qui suivait ce symbole. Ce symbole sera maintenant filtré et généré de façon à ce que le texte qui suit ne soit plus caché.

2. Les utilisateurs des bibliothèques qui ont activé Captcha pour les formulaires de questions par courriel qu’elles hébergent voient l’écran suivant après avoir envoyé leur question. Ils doivent inscrire les lettres affichées dans cet écran pour poursuivre l’envoi de la question. Nous avons ajouté des explications indiquant pourquoi l’entrée de ces lettres est nécessaire (« Pour nous aider à contrer les pourriels, veuillez inscrire les caractères que vous voyez dans cette image »), de même que des icônes dans la droite qui permettent à l’utilisateur de choisir une autre image, d’écouter la prononciation des lettres affichées ou d’obtenir de l’aide.

3. Si votre administrateur a choisi qu’une demande de sondage apparaisse aux utilisateurs du Chat, un lien à ce sondage apparaîtra dans la fenêtre du Qwidget ainsi que dans la transcription de Chat envoyée par courriel.

4. Les administrateurs des bibliothèques qui offrent le Qwidget comme option de contact aux utilisateurs verront les statistiques d’utilisation qui apparaîtront sur une ligne dans la partie Chat des rapports de statistiques sur les activités.

5. Les administrateurs remarqueront que le lien rapide « Admin » est de retour à la demande populaire! Un lien dans le bas du menu de gauche permettra aux administrateurs d’aller directement dans le module Administration.

Quality Tip: Helping with Homework

Many students come to the 24/7 Reference service to get help with their homework. Librarians may hesitate before providing an answer to student questions: we don’t want to do the students’ homework assignments for them. Here are some tips to help librarians offer professional level service when students seek help with their homework:

1. Begin the conversation by asking the student a question about the topic. Find out the details of the student’s assignment (Is it a worksheet? A paper? How many pages? How many sources does the teacher require? Are certain types of sources required?).

2. Decide whether the student is asking one question that requires a specific answer or if the student has several questions about a topic.

If the question requires a specific answer, send a web page and explain why you are sending the page (i.e. “This page has info about photosynthesis. Take a look at the fifth paragraph and tell me if that information answers your question.”).

Note: Sometimes when a librarian sends a page to the student, the student immediately responds, “Just give me the answer.” The librarian’s phrasing above anticipates this response and gets the student involved in the conversation.

If the student has several questions relating to a general topic or seems to need general resources about the topic, recommend an almanac or encyclopedia suitable for homework assignments.

Note: Teachers often ask students to use sources other than Wikipedia or mere Google search results. Instead, assist the patron with searching:

· Open web resources like: library databases, government websites, associations’ websites

· Subject indexes like KidsClick!, the Internet Public Library, or the Ready Reference sites selected by the QP Back Up librarians: http://wiki.questionpoint.org/readyref

· Textbooks’ websites often offer supplemental information and guides to help students.

· And don't forget about Credo Reference, found under the "Cooperative Resources" link on your My QuestionPoint homepage!

3. Instead of saying “We cannot do homework for you,” focus on what you will do for the student. Take advantage of this teachable moment by explaining how to navigate through a database or website, how to choose effective search terms, and how to evaluate a resource for authoritativeness and relevancy.

In the transcript below, it would have been useful if the librarian had asked additional questions, offered several resources, and guided the patron to specific paragraphs instead of repeatedly suggesting that the student talk to the teacher instead.

Patron: what property of an oil enables it to be separated from water
Librarian: Hi <patron’s name>, so you want to know how oil separates from water.  Where have you looked so far?
Librarian: Are you still there?
Patron: yes
Patron: i have not looked anywahere
Librarian: Is this for homework?  Do you know how to look up stuff on the internet?
Patron: this is for a study guide thank you
Librarian: When you do research, try going into Google.  I did the keywords of "oil separate water" and found this site http://en.allexperts.com/q/Chemicals-2460/oil-water-separate.htm  If this doesn't work, given that you have the study guide, you should have all the answers you need in your text book.
Librarian: If this doesn't help, you may want to talk with your teacher to help you find what you need.
Patron: so what excatly is the answer
Librarian: We can guide you in your search and make referrals to other sources of information. We cannot answer your homework question for you.  I recommended some resources to help you find, or think about, the answers to your assignment.
Patron: well <librarian’s name>, i don't understand the answer that was giving to me
Librarian: Then you will need to talk with your teacher for further explanation.
Patron: u can't explain the web sitye to me more clear
Patron: hello
Librarian: Again, we can guide you to a site which answers your question.  We cannot explain the information contained within the site.
Patron: That this wut ask us web site usually does
Librarian: It seems we are at an impasse.  Feel free to disconnect.  Maybe you can find a teacher-librarian who knows of an easier page you can do research from.
Patron: WHAT EXCATLY IS A PROPERTY
Patron: in botany
Librarian: At this point, it seems you still want me to do your homework.  Questionpoint is here to guide you.  I have made suggestions.  At this point I am signing off to help others.  Again, I recommend you speak to your teacher directly about your homework questions.
Librarian: Librarian ended chat session.

Texas Library Association QuestionPoint Users Group Breakfast Meeting

OCLC invites you to join the  TEXAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION QUESTIONPOINT USERS GROUP BREAKFAST MEETING

Please join us for an update on current product enhancements and a chance to share your experiences and success stories with others.

Roundtable discussion topics will include (but aren’t limited to):

• Collaboration - either with other QP users/groups or outside groups who use your library's QP service
• TLA Special for libraries interested in joining the 24/7 Cooperative    
• Setup and Support - suggestions based on  individual experience about what worked for them and what "we" (AMIGOS/OCLC) could do differently?

Date/Time:

Thursday, April 17, 2008 8am – 9am

Place:

Hyatt Regency Dallas

Moreno A - Room

Registration:

Users group meeting is free.

Information:

Contact

Lauri McIntosh / mcintosl@oclc.org / 866-284-4895

or

Susan McGlamery at / mcglames@oclc.org    

Quality Tip: "Just give me an answer"? Start a conversation

When a patron says, “Just give me the answer,” a librarian might assume that the patron is a student doing a homework assignment. However, that is not necessarily the case! It is important to begin each reference conversation by asking the patron at least one question--preferably more--about the topic.

Below are two transcripts: the first is an actual session where the patron left negative survey comments. The second is an example of how the session could have been improved if the librarian had started the reference conversation by asking a question at the beginning of the session.

Patron: How old do you have to be to have a job in Pennsylvania?

Librarian: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=185&q=58124

Librarian: Here is a link to Pennsylvania's Child Labor Law

Patron: what age does it say you have to be to work?

Librarian: You can open the link and read the law.

Librarian: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=185&q=58124

Patron: uh...i thought i could ask a librarian a question and get an answer...i wasn't really interesting in researching it myself

Librarian: Librarian's are here to assist with your research, not do your homework for you.

Librarian: I have confidence in you to read two paragraphs. I have faith in you. You can do it!

Patron: Patron ended chat session.

Patron’s survey comments:

I use this service all the time and this was by far the worst helper I ever had. I was trying to find out how old my son has to be to begin working and the person wouldn't tell me. She told me something about not doing homework for me. This isn't homework. I'll give this service another try, but I hope I don't ever get this helper again.

Let’s Try Again…

Patron: How old do you have to be to have a job in Pennsylvania?

Librarian: Hello! Welcome to our chat service. My name is Jane, and I am a librarian from the XYZ library in <state>. No one from your library is available at the moment, so I will be assisting you now.

Patron: Thank you, Jane.

Librarian: Any particular kind of job? [librarian starts searching for the child labor law in PA].

Patron: No, I’m just trying to find out how old my son has to be before he can start working.

Librarian: I see. Here is the text of the Child Labor Law in Pennsylvania--please take a look at this and tell me if it is useful to you.

Librarian: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=185&q=58124

Patron: Uh, this looks kind of complicated.

Librarian: Let me see if the PA Department of Labor and Industry offers a summary of the law. Just a moment, please…

Patron: Thanks

Librarian: Okay, this page might be helpful. It has a summary and a powerpoint slide presentation to help you understand the law. It looks like the age can vary depending on the type of job.

Librarian: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=142&Q=64648&landiPNavCtr=|901|&TNID=1091#1091

Patron: The summary is helpful. I don’t have powerpoint, though.

Librarian: That’s okay--you can click on the “html” link to view the presentation slide-by-slide without the powerpoint software, or you can click on that red square button to download the powerpoint viewer for free.

Patron: Thanks, I clicked the html link. This is just what I needed!

Librarian: Great! Can I help you with anything else?

Patron: Not now--thanks a lot!

Librarian: Thank you for using our service. If you have any other questions, please contact us again. Goodbye!

Please post your comments here, or email mcglames@oclc.org if you have questions about these Tips or any of the Cooperative policies.

Spring 2008 QuestionPoint Users Group Meeting

Visit http://www.loc.gov/flicc/ma/2008/ma0817.pdf for the Meeting announcement:

 

FEDLINK and OCLC Eastern invite you to join us for the SPRING 08 QUESTIONPOINT USERS GROUP MEETING

Please join us for an update on current product enhancements and a chance to share your experiences and success stories with others.

 

Roundtable discussion topics will include (but aren’t limited to):

• Collaboration - either with other QP users/groups or outside

groups who use your library's QP service.

• Staff training/Buy-in - how to get your staff interested or

enthusiastic about using QP (insider tips).

• Marketing without Money - focus on brainstorming ideas of how to

market/promote the service with little to no budget.

• Setup and Support - suggestions based on  individual experience

about what worked for them and what "we" (RSPs/OCLC) could do

differently?

 

Date/Time:

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

9:00 am - 12:00 noon

(Public is allowed access to the LOC at 8:30am)

 

Place:

Madison Building (Mumford Room) - 6th Floor

Library of Congress,

101 Independence Avenue, SE,

Washington, DC

Directions to the Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/loc/visit/directions.html

Sponsors:

FEDLINK and OCLC Eastern

 

Registration:

Users group meeting is free but RSVP’s are requested. 

Please respond to Holly Kerwin at hnic@loc.gov or 202-707-4854. 

 

Information:

Contact Holly Kerwin at 202-707-4854 / hnic@loc.gov or

Paulette Hasier-Koontz at 202-331-5771 Ext. 206 / hasierp@oclc.org

Quality Tip: Local Service is possible, even for non-Local Librarians

Sometimes a local question may be difficult to answer, especially if the librarian is located in another state.

Here is an example of a local question, picked up by an out-of-state librarian:

Patron: what is the current amount that is approved for travel reimbursement for XYZ[acronym changed] employees?
Patron: Is this an appropriate question for this service?
Librarian: Actually no! But maybe I can direct you...
Patron: I can redirect the question to my HR office.
Librarian: Yes, please. Sorry, but I'm in [another state]!
Patron ended chat session.

In this case, the patron was aware that it was a tough question; that is why he asked, "Is this an appropriate question for this service?" The librarian’s response -- “Actually, no!” -- was incorrect. The patron’s question was appropriate; the chatting librarian’s physical location truly does not matter when helping patrons through a cooperative virtual reference service. Here are some tips for sessions like this:

When you pick up a patron, you can find out some information by looking at the Patron Location Information tab in the chat monitor.

Begin each session by scrolling through the Patron Information section found in the lower left corner of the Chat Monitor:

 

You should scroll down in order to view all of the information provided (patron's email address, the library where the patron accessed QuestionPoint chat, the patron's preferred library to use). Students may indicate which campus they attend, and in a statewide service, the patron may indicate the closest city or county. This information supplements the Policy Page: a student may enter from a statewide portal, such that the state’s generic policy page appears, but the Patron Information may give more specific geographic information.

The clues found in the Patron Information tab and Policy Page will give you an idea of where the patron is likely coming from, but verifying this as part of the reference interview will help pinpoint the locality, if relevant. In the example session above, the patron asked about a specific acronym, arguably relating to a state agency. The librarian could start by verifying what the acronym means, then seeing if there is any information to be found (in the case of a state agency, some information is likely to be on the web).

And, if the information is simply too local and not easily retrievable from a web search, then Follow Up is always an option. Let the patron know someone can respond via email, verify the patron’s email address, and use the Follow Up by Patron Library resolution code. This option enables you to provide good service to Cooperative patrons wherever they may be, even if you aren’t able to immediately provide a specific answer to the question.

Please post your comments here, or email me (Susan McGlamery, mcglames@oclc.org) if you have questions about the Cooperative policies.

Brief downtime Tuesday morning, March 25

Hello QuestionPoint subscribers:
QuestionPoint will be unavailable for a very brief time Tuesday morning, March 25, at 1000 GMT. We anticipate only a 15-minute outage. This outage is necessary to implement important fixes and upgrades. Please be sure to end any chat sessions in progress before that time and check your NEW folder for any missed or dropped sessions once the system is back up. Also be sure to save drafts of any in-progress answers you are writing in the Ask module.

Among the user-apparent problems that are being fixed or upgrades being implemented are:
FIXES:
Descriptive Codes report incorrect linking to transcripts. Now reporting correctly.
Additional descriptive codes unintentionally ommited in March 2 install.
The Send Message button, on the Ask/Answer page, fixed.
Participant lists, now linked from the My QuestionPoint page, right margin, fixed.
Chat session time-out has been set back to a total of 4 minutes: 3 minutes after a patron has X’ed out of his session browser, the librarian will see the red diamond by the patron’s name; after 1 more minute, the patron-not-connected message appears.

Default email messages again appear in the language indicated in the question form html script. This problem was first noted by a Slovenian and a German library.

Special characters are now passed through the Qwidget transcript as expected.
CHANGES:
A note on the My QuestionPoint/Reports/Sessions reports pages clarifies what is included in the “Our Sessions with Others’ Patrons, BME’s” count.

We regret the inconvenience this brief downtime may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
Paula Rumbaugh
QuestionPoint Team

Webinar: Promoting Virtual Reference Services on (and off) Campus

Over 180 attendees registered for our webinar on promoting virtual reference in academic libraries on March 18, 2008.  Our two speakers - Wendy Haynes of the University of Wolverhampton, and Nancy Huling of the University of Washington.

Here is a recording of the webinar: http://www.oclc.org/us/en/questionpoint/overview/websessions.htm (or click on the link to "Promoting Virtual Reference On and Off Campus")

In addition, Wendy and Nancy have made their presentations available here:

http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/presentations/qp080318_wendy.ppt
http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/presentations/qp080318_nancy.ppt

More about this webinar and our speakers:

Virtual reference provides a great opportunity to guide students to the best resources when they need your help the most. Our two speakers, both heading successful virtual reference services at large academic libraries (the University of Washington in the United States and the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom) will share their tips on promoting their chat and e-mail reference services to students on campus and off, and discuss what works to capture the attention of their campus constituencies. For example, the University of Washington saw an increase of 43% in chat and e-mail activity during the 2006–2007 academic year as a result of effectively promoting their service.

Although our panelists will be speaking of their experiences in promoting virtual reference in academic libraries, many of the same techniques can be used in any type of library.

Our speakers:

Wendy Haynes became the project champion for the University of Wolverhampton’s new virtual reference service, ASSIST, in September 2006. She has successfully driven the project through to the expected embedding of the service in 2008. During 2007, she completed her MSC dissertation on evaluation of virtual reference services.

Nancy Huling is Head of Reference and Research Services at the University of Washington Libraries. In January 2002, with the participation of her colleagues, she launched the UW Libraries live chat service and simultaneously established a cooperative chat monitoring arrangement with Cornell University (both Cornell and UW are now in the 24/7 Reference cooperative). Nancy is a member of the QuestionPoint Users Council and the QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference Advisory Board.

Post your comments and questions:

Please feel free to post your comments or questions in the comments section of this blog, and our speakers will respond.  Thanks to all who attended our webinar, and stay tuned for additional webinars in the near future!

Quality Tip: Credo Reference

Go beyond Google with Credo Reference (formerly known as Xrefer) -- it's a great resource to help with general questions on a variety of topics.  Credo provides a portal to a variety of reputable reference resources from 55 publishers, including text and images.  You can do a search of all content, browse topics, or view the concept map.  The maps are great!

Any librarian in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative can use Credo to help their online patrons.  When you login to My QuestionPoint, click on Cooperative Resources (lower right), then Credo.  Take an opportunity to explore the resources available, and try it out with your online patrons.

Here is an example of how a quick Credo search can help you provide targeted information from authoritative sources:

Patron: I have a question was the American Civil War about the north against the south. The north wanted free slaves and the south didn't
Librarian:  Hello Jane [actual patron name omitted]. My name is [Librarian name], and I'm a reference librarian with the [name omitted] chat service. I'm reading your question right now to see how I can help you...
Librarian:  Jane, how much information are you hoping to find on this topic?
Patron:  no i m just asking if that is right
Librarian: It's right, but I want to give you something to prove it, not just my own knowledge. So hold on please. It'll be quick.
Patron: ok
Librarian: The victory of the North in the American Civil War ensured the country did not split into two states, with the South maintaining the 'peculiar institution' of slavery which the North regarded as inhuman and immoral. citation: civil war. (1999). In The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science. Retrieved March 05, 2008, from www.credoreference.com/entry/725010
Librarian: Jane, is this ok?
Patron: yes thank you so much
Librarian: You're welcome, Jane. Anything else I can help you with right now?
Patron: thankyou that is it have a good nite
Librarian: You're welcome, Jane. Please visit us again!
Librarian ended chat session.
Note: Set Resolution: Answered

Questions or comments about Credo or the other Cooperative Resources?  Post your comments to the blog or email Susan at mcglames@oclc.org

QuestionPoint events at PLA, March 2008

Going to PLA?  If so, then join us for these QuestionPoint events:

I.  QuestionPoint Panel: Engage your users, and your librarians, too!

Friday, March 28

2:30 to 3:30 PM

Hyatt Regency

Lake Superior A, 5^th Floor

Our panel combines expertise in running a large, successful statewide virtual reference cooperative (Peter Bromberg, QandANJ) and researchers who have made extensive studies of virtual reference transactions (Lynn Connaway, OCLC Office of Research and Marie Radford, Rutgers University).  Peter will discuss the QandANJ team's three-pronged approach to keeping their libraries on board and engaged, as well as their successful, blended marketing strategy which includes print, press, and (most recently) professionally designed commercial advertising on MTV.  Lynn and Marie will explore recommended communication strategies for enhancing comfortable collaboration and promoting excellent service to users of cooperative VR services, based on findings from a large international research project funded by OCLC, Rutgers, and IMLS.  Suggestions will be made for improving collegial relationships and building stronger shared expectations. Practical tips and techniques for fostering open communication within the cooperating institutions and also for individual VR librarians and staff will be discussed.

Panelists:

Peter Bromberg is the Assistant Director of the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative (SJRLC)

Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist with OCLC Programs and Research

Marie L. Radford, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

II.  QuestionPoint User Group Meeting

Thursday, March 27

9 AM to 10 AM

Hyatt Regency

Regency Room, 2^nd Floor

Hear the latest QuestionPoint news and join colleagues to share your experiences with QuestionPoint and the 24/7 Reference Cooperative.  We will have a continental breakfast so bring your questions and your appetite!

Register here for these 2 events: www.oclc.org/info/pla/

Hope to see you there!

Documentation update: March QuestionPoint release

Documentation updates for the March QuestionPoint release are now available.

Links to the updated or added documentation and descriptions of the changes are available in the What's New area of the QuestionPoint Documentation page.

The QuestionPoint team welcomes your comments and suggestions about the documentation. Please contact me or click the Comments? link on the Documentation page.

Ken Thomas
Documentation writer
QuestionPoint team
thomask@oclc.org
voice: 614-764-6343, 800-848-5878 ext. 6343
fax: 614-718-7308

Promoting Virtual Reference Services on (and off) Campus: A webinar

Join us for a webinar on promoting your virtual reference service:

 Tuesday, March 18, 11:30 am – 12:30 p.m. EST [4:30 – 5:30 pm GMT]

Academic librarians, are you looking for ways to position your library as the information provider of choice?

Virtual reference provides a great opportunity to guide students to the best resources when they need your help the most. Our two speakers, both heading successful virtual reference services at large academic libraries (the University of Washington in the United States and the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom) will share their tips on promoting their chat and e-mail reference services to students on campus and off, and discuss what works to capture the attention of their campus constituencies. For example, the University of Washington saw an increase of 43% in chat and e-mail activity during the 2006–2007 academic year as a result of effectively promoting their service.

Although our panelists will be speaking of their experiences in promoting virtual reference in academic libraries, many of the same techniques can be used in any type of library.

Our speakers:

Wendy Haynes became the project champion for the University of Wolverhampton’s new virtual reference service, ASSIST, in September 2006. She has successfully driven the project through to the expected embedding of the service in 2008. During 2007, she completed her MSC dissertation on evaluation of virtual reference services.

Nancy Huling is Head of Reference and Research Services at the University of Washington Libraries. In January 2002, with the participation of her colleagues, she launched the UW Libraries live chat service and simultaneously established a cooperative chat monitoring arrangement with Cornell University (both Cornell and UW are now in the 24/7 Reference cooperative). Nancy is a member of the QuestionPoint Users Council and the QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference Advisory BoardQuestionPoint will host a webinar on March 18

To register for this free event, see: http://www.oclc.org/info/questionpoint/

For questions regarding the event, please contact Susan McGlamery, mcglames@oclc.org.  If you are unable to attend, a recording of this webinar will be available on the QuestionPoint website.

New QuestionPoint Release coming Sunday

Dear QuestionPoint subscribers: 

We are planning to install an important new release of QuestionPoint this coming Sunday, March 2, in the early morning. 

The system will be brought down at 0800 GMT and is planned to remain down for 60 minutes. As always, the announced duration of downtime is an approximation: the system could be available in less than an hour, or it could extend beyond that. Should we become aware of the need to remain down longer, we will notify this list. 

At the end of this post will be a brief description from the release notes of the new features and changes to existing features. Most of the additions will have little immediate effect on your daily work; they are capabilities that your institution can choose to implement if it wishes. 

Exceptions for some users are the chat patron viewport change from left to right (section 1.1) and the enhancement to queue management (section 1.7). The impact of the feature changes, Section 2 in the attached, is also likely to be minimal to your daily workflow, but you should read about them to be aware of the changes. The attached file will also be posted to the QuestionPoint blog at http://questionpoint.blogs.com. 

 

We will hold two virtual user group meetings the second week of March, to discuss the new features and answer any questions you have. The first meeting is planned for March 12, 1400 - 1530 GMT. The second will be March 13, 2200 - 2330 GMT (March 14 for our Australian and Asian institutions). To register for one of the meetings, please follow the appropriate link: 

March 12, 10 - 11:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1400 - 1530 GMT) 

https://www.sporg.com/pom/registration?cmd=event_info&event_id=103177 

March 13, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2200 - 2330 GMT) 

https://www.sporg.com/pom/registration?cmd=event_info&event_id=103179 

We look forward to your reactions to the new features of QuestionPoint. 

Paula Rumbaugh on behalf of the QuestionPoint Team 

1. New Features

1.1 Chat Infrastructure 

The patron chat interface will now more closely resemble what has been available for preview as Chat 2. To meet accessibility requirements, the viewport and chat box/transcript area have switched sides: the viewport for the patron will now appear on the right side of the screen, and the chat box and transcript on the left. Co-browsing will also take place on the right side instead of the left.

In addition, patrons will be able to set preferences, changing font faces and sizes, color combinations, and whether or not they want an audible signal when a new message comes in.

 

 

1.2 Forms Manager

The first phase of the QuestionPoint Forms Manager is now available to create email web forms.

Institution Administrators can now have QuestionPoint host all patron email web forms for your library’s QuestionPoint service. Further, the administrator can set up the forms that are e-mailed to the QuestionPoint service exactly as they want them to look. (In the future, they’ll be able to do the same with the chat forms.) Having QuestionPoint staff manage your chat forms for you remains an option until the chat form manager becomes available in future releases. 

Advantages in having QuestionPoint host your forms and managing them yourself are:

· Easy to use and reduces the need for IT staff involvement in your forms. 

· Lets you customize your forms. 

· Provides forms in multiple languages. 

· Supports improved access to data about reference transactions. 

· Provides improved protection against spam.

Complete instructions for form set-up will be available in Administration module Help, as well as at http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation . A walkthrough tutorial will also be provided. Forms management is accessible at Administration/Institution/Forms/Forms Manager. Administrators will be able to control the logo and colors of the form, the elements for which they want to collect information from the patron, the order of the fields (e.g., Zip Code, status), and whether or not they are required fields

1.3 Widget for Point of Need Communication

With this install, the QuestionPoint team introduces the Qwidget, a Meebo-Me-like chat box that libraries can place anywhere on their website, at the patron’s point of need. Like similar widgets (see below), the Qwidget will enable the library to indicate when a librarian is on duty and when not. You’ll also be able to set the widget up to give the patron the option of redirecting a question through e-mail if chat is not “open.” But unlike the familiar, commercially available widgets, the Qwidget will allow multiple concurrent sessions on the librarian side.

For the librarian, the Qwidget is another entry point into the chat queue they already monitor. The only difference apparent to the librarian is the term “[Widget]” displayed at the beginning of the patron name. The librarian will also see in the Info area that this patron’s connection has no co-browsing capability

Mounting of the Qwidget is a decision each library can make. Only the library’s primary queue will see sessions coming in via the Qwidget. Libraries must be using the Flash-based chat to see Qwidget sessions.

What Is a Widget? A widget is a small application that adds utility or other information from external sources, via html code that you add to your webpage.  For additional information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget. A common widget used by several libraries is the MeeboMe widget (Meebo is a web-based IM service).  Widgets are popular among users:  according to Jupiter Research (Oct. 2007), awareness and use of Widgets among online users, which was less than 5% in early 2007, has now increased: 39% of online users are aware of widgets, and 26% have used them

Institution Administrators will find the Qwidget set-up at Administration/Institution/Forms/Forms Manager/ Create Qwidget (Preview). Complete instructions for set-up will be in Administration Help and at http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation .

1.4 Branding for the Patron Interface

Group Administrators will now have the ability to brand QuestionPoint’s patron interface. The Administrator can add the logo of the group (or institution, if only one) and change the colors to more closely resemble other group websites and marketing pieces. Links to other group resources can be added as tabs to the top of the pages.

The following illustrations show the set-up page and the page as it will appear to your users. Complete instructions for set-up will be in Administration Help and at http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation .

1.5 CAPTCHA Spam Filtering

Institution Administrators will have three options to help control spam coming into your QuestionPoint service:

1. Have QuestionPoint host the library’s patron intake forms. Although not 100% guarded against spam, the OCLC firewall has proven quite reliable for the 24/7 Cooperative hosted chat forms, and similar results are expected for the newly available hosted webforms.

2. Select the option for QuestionPoint to validate the referrer page before accepting the form information into the system. You may enter more than one URL, to cover all those pages on which you have a form. Since many spam bots are using a cached or a local version of your web form, their submitted forms will not match the referring URL(s) you list. Any form data coming from any site other than those you indicated will be ignored.

3. Use the Captcha tool to force the user to enter the characters they see in the randomly generated graphic. This kind of recognition still requires the human eye, so bots cannot pass the test.

Administrators will find the second two options at Administration/Institution/Forms/Spam Filter. The first option is automatic when you choose to “publish” a form through forms set-up at Administration/Institution/Forms/Forms Manager.

 

1.6 Offline Reports for Service History

Institution, Group, and Ask Administrators can now produce reports for the institution’s older transcripts and transactions in Service History.

 

1.7 Queue Management

The first phase of “queue management” to be implemented will make it easier for librarians to claim their own patrons from the chat queue before they are picked up by librarians in the next level queue, e.g., by a Cooperative librarian.

Session requests will first appear only in the home library’s primary queue for 40 seconds. If the patron has not been picked up in that time, the session will roll to the next level queue (e.g., the Cooperative queue), where any monitoring librarian can claim the session. For the Cooperative, as always, only after two minutes of waiting will the patron be picked up by a Back-up librarian.

Important note: There will no longer be an asterisk to let librarians know the home library of a waiting patron is monitoring. Once a session appears in a librarian’s monitor, that session may be picked up by that librarian. No further waiting is necessary.

2. Feature Changes

2.1 Reports Simplification

As QuestionPoint developed and grew, different reporting needs were identified and added to the existing interface. These additions and enhancements eventually resulted in three locations within QuestionPoint from which to retrieve statistics on your usage. Adding to the complexity was the fact that access to reports is based on permissions level. So not only were users sometimes not sure where to go to get which statistics, some librarians could see institution statistics and some could not.

The March 2008 release brings all QuestionPoint statistics together into one module, accessible from the My QuestionPoint page.

Behind the Reports tab, all users will see report links, based on the permissions level of their login number.

 

All librarians, regardless of permissions level, will be able to see statistics of their own usage and statistics for their institution-wide usage. The next illustration shows that users with institution administrator authorization will see more reports, including those for each librarian of the institution. They will also see a link for suggesting new reports.

 

Librarians without the administrator permissions will not see those links. But everyone will have access to the system-wide statistics and QP Usage.

Institution and Group Administrators will find that all reports previously available in the Administration module, now appear here, under the Reports tab on My QuestionPoint. All Administrators: Four reports previously available in the Ask module were also moved to the new location.

Old Location	New Location in My QuestionPoint Reports
Administration Module
History Tab	Activity Statistics
Current Tab	Counts of Current Data
Ask Module
Reports Tab
General	No change*
Sessions	Counts of Current Data
Sessions by Authorization	Counts of Current Data
Descriptive Codes	Counts of Current Data
Resolution Codes	Counts of Current Data
Form Fields	No change
Offline Reports	No change

*The location has not changed, but the tab that previously read Reports now reads

Review Transcripts.

 

2.2 Review Transcripts (previously, Ask/Reports)

Administrators: In the illustration below, you see that Review Transcripts has replaced the old Reports tab. In addition, note that several of the reports that just gave statistics no longer appear as links in this area. Instead, only those features that truly allow you to review transcripts, rather than numbers, appear here.

 

A second change is for the table on the General Reviews page. A new column, called Chat Librarian, appears. Together with the Librarian column, administrators can see who picked up a chat session originally, as well as who the most recent librarian to have handled the session or transaction is.

 

2.3 OCLC Logo Change

If your institution or group has not substituted your own logo on the QuestionPoint interface, you will note the new logo in the upper right of every page. This represents OCLC’s new, global look!

 

2.4 Additional Descriptive Codes

Additional Descriptive Codes have been added to more accurately describe transactions. The new codes are:

• e-learning
• Email
• Excel
• Network
• Passwords
• Powerpoint
• Printing
• Settings
• Software
• Word

3. Fixes

3.1 Chat Librarian in Session Reports and Transcript Review (previously, Ask/Reports)

Administrators: Prior to this install, only the most recent librarian to have touched a transcript/transaction was reported in the reports available in Ask (now renamed My QuestionPoint/Reports and Ask/Review Transcripts). This sometimes caused unexpected results when looking at the Sessions reports, especially in reporting how many patrons from other libraries your librarians helped.

After the March install, QuestionPoint will be able to report chat librarians. Thus, the counts and linked transcripts you see for Sessions and Sessions by Authorization should deliver the expected results for transcripts created from the time of the install forward.

3.2 No Status Limit in Transcript Review (previously, Ask/Reports)

Institution and Ask Administrators: Since April 2007 the General report default search had a limit set, Status = All (Not deleted). The Status field has been set to All, or no limit. This should fix the problem in which administrators were unable to see certain transcripts their librarians participated in unless they changed the Status limit.

3.3 Librarian chat not appearing. Back end changes to the system were made to improve method by which librarian chat is recorded and stored. This should resolve the intermittent (and rarely seen) phenomenon of librarian chat not appearing in chat history or transcripts.

ALA Midwinter 2008: User Group Meeting notes

The QuestionPoint user group meeting was held on Monday, January 14 from 10:30 to Noon at the Philadelphia Free Library.  Approximately 40 people attended the meeting. A special thank you to the Free Library for providing a lovely meeting room in this historic building!

Stewart Bodner (New York PL) and Joe Thompson (Maryland AskUsNow!), representing the QP User Council, opened the meeting shortly after 10:30 AM. After welcome and introductions, the members of the QuestionPoint User Council and 24/7 Reference Advisory Board were recognized.

I. QuestionPoint Update

Product team members Jeff Penka, Susan McGlamery and Paula Rumbaugh provided information on the following QuestionPoint news and features:

Qwidget, the QuestionPoint chat widget

For more information about the widget, which will be introduced in March, see http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2008/01/introducing-qwi.html

Here is a prototype of what the widget currently looks like on the Patron side:

On the Librarian side, the Qwidget questions will appear in the chat interface in the same manner that a web-based chat session would appear. Qwidget sessions will be noted as such in the interface and in the Active Questions list.

Librarians will be able to configure how (or if) Qwidget will appear to their users, from the Institution Settings area in the Administration module.

Faster, lighter weight user experience:

As a result of behind-the-scenes work on the patron chat interface, the patron interface is now lighter, and thus faster. In addition, the next generation version of the patron interface will be changed to incorporate the features of Chat 2. With the chat on the left-hand side (see illustration below) and the inclusion of the Chat 2 patron preferences, the patron interface will now be universally accessible. These changes will be in place with the next software install, in March 2008.

Reports Optimization:

With the next install, reports will be accessible in one location. This will create new and easier workflow for report creation and export.

24/7 Reference Update:

Currently there are about 1,430 libraries participating in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative. Minnesota is the newest statewide member (our 13^th state!). Almost 350,000 chat sessions came into the Cooperative service in calendar year 2007, and of those the Cooperative librarians handled a little under 200,000 of them (with the QP back up staff handling the rest).

QP wiki:

Early in February, QuestionPoint will debut the QuestionPoint wiki. The wiki will contain promotional ideas and success stories from QP libraries, ready reference resources, the 24/7 Reference Policies, and more.

II. Discussion on Social Networking:

Attendees discussed the various social networking sites where they have placed access to their virtual reference service. Sites discussed:

Maryland: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=112343501

Wisconsin: http://www.myspace.com/askawaywisconsin

There was also discussion of the Libguides application in Facebook. Here are examples:

http://www.springshare.com/libguides/examples.html

III. 24/7 Reference Best Practices

Best Practices for the 24/7 Reference Cooperative were briefly reviewed, specifically the top 10 Quality issues for 2007 [see http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2008/01/2007-the-year-i.html]. The resolution codes, particularly the “Lost Call” resolution code, was discussed at length. The 24/7 Reference Advisory Board will be taking another look at this particular code.

IV. Questions and Discussion

Attendees had an opportunity to submit questions to the QP team at the meeting. Here are the questions, with answers:

1. How do you handle a colleague not picking up patrons while you are busy with one or more and there is a queue waiting from your own institution or state?

There are several ways to handle this. If you are busy helping a patron and you see a patron come in from your own library, then you can elect to pick up the second patron, especially if all the other librarians online are also busy. When picking up the second patron, go ahead and send the greeting message, then explain that it may be a few moments while you finish up with your first patron. This is especially recommended if you are almost finished with the first patron.  We will publish tips on how to pick up a 2nd patron in the Quality Tips later this month.

On the other hand, if you are in the midst of your first chat session, you can leave the 2^nd patron for another librarian to pick up. If it is a patron from your own queue, the other librarians in the Cooperative will wait 60 seconds before picking up (to give you a chance to pick up). After 60 seconds have elapsed, then this patron will be picked up by one of the other librarians online.

There are occasions when the other librarians online are not busy yet do not pick up, even after waiting 60 seconds. If you note this happening, please send a message to mcglames@oclc.org noting the date, time (include the time zone), and circumstances. This will help us assure that all librarians are staffing appropriately for the Cooperative.

2. The fact that Question is an optional field so you don’t necessarily know before you pick up.

If you host your own chat form, please see the documentation at http://www.questionpoint.org/support/documentation/templates/requiringquestionfields.html#text_val, which describes how to make a field mandatory. If you or your IT staff follow these instructions for your chat form, you can ensure all your chat requests are received with the Question field completed.

If you have OCLC host your chat forms for you, just ask us to make the field required for your form. Members of the 24/7 Cooperative are encouraged to let us make the field required, and that is the default unless we are specifically asked to allow it to be optional.

3. Gettting a negative user survey when you’ve told them you will send further information. Could survey be delayed and done twice?

The survey can certainly be completed as many times as the patron wishes. When the additional information is sent, perhaps the librarian could ask the patron to complete the survey based on the information just sent.

We will, however, note the request to allow a delaying mechanism for the survey and enter it into our requests tracking system to be evaluated for a future release.

4. Is it possible to take questions via the Qwidget through e-mail (assuming no librarian is online) if the library uses QP for chat only? We don’t use QP for e-mail.

During your setup for the Qwidget, in the Administration module, you will have the option to have the question sent via e-mail when no one is monitoring. This function does not require that you use QuestionPoint e-mail; it is associated only with the Qwidget feature.

5. Has OCLC/QP released a hosted intake form that a QP institution can use for live chat only (we don’t do QP e-mail and we are getting spam in our chat).

Yes! OCLC does, indeed, offer hosted forms for chat. In fact, we encourage new users and users who are upgrading to the Flash-based chat to allow us to host their form. If you want to change to this model, please contact our support staff at support@oclc.org.

6. Suggestion: Have a setting that has only one sound when a patron replies. (The current setting dings repeatedly after the patron replies until librarian responds.)

Thank you for this suggestion, which we will log in our requests-tracking system. In the meantime, is it possible to send off a quick “stand by” script to stop the ding and give you time to finish what you are doing? Do others have suggestions for dealing with this?

7. Developing a communication method for librarians and users outside of QuestionPoint.

We’re a little unclear about this suggestion and would appreciate additional description. If “users” means patrons, there is a method to contact the patron without changing the status of a question. User the Answer button, then click on the Send Message button after typing in your message.

If you need a way to correspond with another librarian about the question, there is the Send Message to Librarian link on the Full Question page. This allows communication with the librarian previously handling the question/transcript.

However, if the request is for a different scenario, please contact us with more detail, or even respond here if you wish. We’ll track the request and evaluate for a later release.

8. Cobrowse often doesn’t work for me. Patron doesn’t find on their screen.

Please be sure that you have cleared your cache before logging into chat. It may be that the patron needs to do that, as well. Also remember that patrons must be using IE and Windows for cobrowse to work. If you still experience problems, contact our support staff at support@oclc.org. Even if they are not able to resolve the issue for you, they can pass the problem on to product and development staff.

Thanks to all who attended our user group meeting in Philadelphia!  We will be meeting at ALA Annual, in Anaheim, and also at the PLA conference, in Minneapolis.  Stay tuned for details!

Quality Tip: Try Title Browse for Known Items

In last week’s Quality Tip, we cautioned against providing only a citation to a book in the library if a patron is seeking general information online (and may not have access to the library’s collection). However there are many times that the patron is interested in finding a specific item within the library’s collection, but can’t find what he needs.

A user’s search may fail if he simply types the title in the keyword field. Such a search may provide too many hits and may even lead the user to conclude the library does not own the item. The expertise of librarians is useful in these situations, as we are familiar with other search options such limiting the keyword search to certain fields (like title), or using an index (such as “title browse”).

Here is an example from a recent transcript:

Patron: Could you give me the [ABC University] library call number for the "Statistical Abstract of the United States"?
Patron: This is a goverment compilation of statistics about people in the United states. The complete set
Librarian: Hello [patron’s name]
Librarian: My name is [librarian’s name], and I'm a reference librarian with the [XYZ library]. I'm reading your question right now to see how I can help you...
Librarian: Let me check on that for you one moment please
Patron:  covers from 1958 through current year minus 2.
Librarian: These are the results at the catalog

[Librarian does a keyword search, limited by title, for “Statistical Abstract of the United States” and gets 14 records. The first 10 are displayed on the screen. All contain the words “statistical abstract of the united states” but are not the item.]

Librarian: Do any of those titles cover what you need?
Patron: No. The set is titled "Statistical Abstract of the United States". Annual Govt pub.
Librarian: One moment please
Librarian: Did you originally find this title in the online catalog?
Patron: No, but its in the public library.
Librarian: I did not find the title listed in the online catalog
Librarian: I’d be happy to pass your question along to the local staff and have them email you back with an answer. If you can wait a few days, one of our librarians can get back to you with more information. Would you like me to do that? What's the latest date that you can use this information?
Librarian: You could search WorldCat (OCLC's Online Union Catalog)
[Librarian pushes the link to WorldCat from the library’s web page]
Librarian: Are you still there? I want to make sure we haven't been disconnected.
Patron: Please send email with [university library] call number if available. Latest date: your convenience.
Librarian: Can you verify your complete email address for me?
Patron: My complete email address is [omitted]
Librarian: Can I help you with anything else?
Patron: No. Thank you.
Librarian: We will forward your request to your university librarian. They should respond to you via email as soon as possible. Goodbye and thank you for using our service.
[Librarian ended chat session.]

How could the librarian improve this search?

• Use title browse, rather than a keyword search. If you are unsure of the title, then truncate (a title browse search for “statistical abstr” would get to the correct point in the title browse index list, where a title browse using an incorrect title (“Statistical Abstracts”) would place you at the end of the list.

OR

• Be sure to look at the next page of results: the record for the Statistical Abstract was on the second page of the results in this example.

If you search the opac for a known item and your first attempt doesn’t locate the desired item, particularly when it is a common item or series title, try title browse if a keyword search yields too many results to sift through.

Questions or comments about this post? Other suggestions on how to approach this session? Comment below or email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org

Quality Tip: Give the user what he can use

When someone takes the trouble to contact a librarian, we should be sure we do our best to provide useful information to that person – information they can use. A response that is perfect for patrons inside the library may not be as ideal for virtual patrons.

Here is an example:

Patron: who was louis xiv of france what were his goals was he successful [sic]
Patron: to what what extent was he sucesful
Librarian: you should begin with an encyclopedia - and then use the history databases in your library.
Patron: i dont have aces to either
Librarian: Your library has a book called Age of Louis XIV and it is on the shelf. The call number is Call Number: DC125 .P3 1962B
Patron: fine thanks for your help
Librarian: You are welcome.

The librarian did a great job by pinpointing a helpful resource inside the library. But is the patron inside the library? In fact, this patron stated that he didn’t have access to library databases or encyclopedias, indicating he is probably not in the library and possibly not affiliated with the library site he used to contact the virtual reference service.

Here are suggested ways to approach this session:

• This patron indicated he didn't have access to databases or an encyclopedia.  Why not? The librarian could find out if the patron is affiliated with the site used to ask the question. If this patron arrived via a link on an academic site, is he not a student at the college? Or, is he simply having trouble logging into a database? If a public library user, information about the databases and resources available remotely from his library would be useful, even if he doesn’t have access at the moment. Does he live somewhere other than the place he used the VR service? These issues could be settled by having a conversation with the user, rather than simply sending him a citation.
• Since the patron said he didn't have access to encyclopedias/history databases, try sending the patron some good Web sites on the topic. There are online encyclopedia alternatives, such as Encarta, that could get the patron started: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572792/Louis_XIV.html
• In addition, there are several useful bibliographies on college Web pages that list numerous sources on Louis XIV, available freely on the web, that could provide additional information.  A reference interview would help determine if this is for an assignment and grade level. This would help in determining what type of resource to send.

There are other issues to point out (the recommended greeting wasn’t used; there was not a “final satisfaction” question, etc.) It is wonderful service to refer the patron to a book at the library, but the key is to provide the online patron with resources appropriate to their information request. To do that, engage the user in conversation and listen to what they say, then respond accordingly. This will help us give the user what they can really use.

Questions or comments about this post? Other suggestions on how to approach this session? Comment below or email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org

QuestionPoint Install Tuesday Jan 15, 2008

QuestionPoint Users:

Over the past 3 days, various QuestionPoint e-mail clients have been under a spam attack by a “bot” whose e-mail message includes an automated script that hijacks the user’s browser when the question is viewed in the Ask module. The effect of this script is to incapacitate the user by forcing their web browser to load the targeted site in the script. This makes it impossible to either delete the sessions or skip it to view other incoming questions, transcripts, or sessions. The libraries that are affected are not related to each other in any way, and the message sent is one of the typical advertising spam schemes, in no way related to the business of either library. This problem has cropped up in the past, but very rarely, and was previously confined to single libraries, with the hijack script actually physically sent by a real person, (usually unwittingly).  The current attack is far more insidious, being automated and consisting of multiple messages over a short period of time.  We have concluded that left untreated, this vulnerability might permeate to other clients' accounts, as the “bot” gets smarter.  We are therefore implementing the following change to QuestionPoint, effective Tuesday Jan 15 at 6AM EST (11:00 GMT):

Incoming email messages will be parsed by the server, and any instance of the use of the “<” character will be translated to “&lt” in order to incapacitate any automated scripting.

When viewed from within your QuestionPoint account, the "<" will display correctly, but if the transcript is emailed out to another person or sent in a reply, the "<" character will be replaced by "&lt", to avoid further unwitting propagation of the potentially nefarious script.

The install on Tuesday January 15th, will result in the QuestionPoint service being unavailable for approximately 15 minutes between 6:00AM and 6:15 AM EST (11:00 GMT to 11:15 GMT). As always, please check your question lists after the server bounce, to see if any sessions were truncated or missed.

Please note that this fix will not stop incoming spam e-mail messages. It will however, keep those messages from doing harm to the system overall. 

We are continuing to develop other spam-fighting techniques with an eye to deployment over the next two months. Stay tuned!

Introducing Qwidget, the QuestionPoint widget

Qwidget combines the power of QuestionPoint's reference management system with the simplicity of a widget. On the librarian side, the interface is the same as it is today, with all the tools you need to collaboratively handle chat patrons, review and refer session transcripts, and obtain reports and statistics on chat activity. On the patron side, you will be able to provide access to your chat service via a widget, which will connect to your QuestionPoint account.

Here's how it works: 

When you deploy Qwidget on your library web site, your users will enter your service through the widget interface.  On the librarian side, they will appear in the chat monitor inside QuestionPoint.  This allows multiple librarians to use your existing QuestionPoint account to handle users that come in via the widget, along with all other patrons arriving via the web-based chat and email forms in use today.  The same collaborative and administrative tools would be available as well.

What is a widget?

A widget is a small application that adds utility or other information from external sources, via html code that you add to your webpage.  For additional information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget.  A common widget used by several libraries is the MeeboMe widget (Meebo is a web-based IM service).  Widgets are popular among users:  according to Jupiter Research (Oct. 2007), awareness and use of Widgets among online users, which was less than 5% in early 2007, has now increased: 39% of online users are aware of widgets, and 26% have used them.

Qwidget availability:

Qwidget will be available as part of QuestionPoint.  A preview version of Qwidget will be available after our next software install (currently scheduled for March 2008).   We will be showing a pre-release view of Qwidget at the OCLC booth (booth #1543) at ALA Midwinter, as well as at our QP User Group meeting [January 14, 10:30 to noon, see http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2007/12/questionpoint-e.html ] In addition, we plan to hold a virtual user group meeting prior to the release - details will be sent via the listserv and posted on this Blog.

2007: The Year in Quality

This week's Quality Tip will look back at 2007: the most common quality issues, the number of quality issues handled, and our plans for 2008.  But first, a reminder:

In order to maintain the highest standards, each 24/7 Reference Cooperative library is tasked with reviewing both the session transcripts and the survey responses from their library's patrons on a regular basis, at least once a week if not more frequently. If a transcript demonstrates that the 24/7 Reference Policies and Best Practices have not been followed, or if there is any other issue with the transcript -- or to send a compliment to the chatting librarian -- then refer the transcript to Quality [Note: those libraries involved in statewide or regional services may have additional avenues with your statewide/regional coordinator to address quality issues]. 

For instructions on how to refer a session to Quality, please see the Policies: http://questionpoint.org/ordering/cooperative_guidelines_247rev3.htm#6

And now, on to our review of 2007. 

Approximately 1,200 sessions were referred to Quality in 2007 (total Cooperative sessions for 2007 was 349,796, so roughly 0.34% of all sessions were referred to Quality).

The top 10 Quality issues for 2007, with the most common listed first, are:

1. Resolution Codes: not used or wrong code used

2. Policy Page was not consulted; information was on the policy page which would have answered the patron's question.

3. Hello Message doesn't conform to Best Practices guidelines

4. Descriptive Codes: Chatting librarian used descriptive codes when session was not from his library.

5. Reference Interview: not used or inadequate

6. Contact Library / Follow-up Option: Librarian told the patron to contact his library (by phone or visit), without offering the option for email follow-up.

7. Ended Abruptly: Librarian ended session abruptly without a natural closure to the conversation or when the patron still seemed to need help

8. Search Strategies: Librarian could have used different search strategies that would have made the session more effective, or could have suggested search strategies to the patron when recommending that the patron search a database

9. Tone/Phrasing: The chatting tone of the librarian affected the quality of the session, or, the librarian used negative phrasing

10. (tie)

a) Goodbye Message: wrong goodbye message sent (chatting librarian sent their own library's goodbye message rather than patron library goodbye message)

b) Incorrect Information given to patron

It wasn’t all complaints: we get lots of compliments sent to Quality too. Compliments could have tied for 8^th on the list if we included those.

The list has changed a bit since we first published the top 10 Quality list, in May 2007: http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2007/05/quality_top_10.html

The good news is the issues of "picked up too soon" and "abandoned call" have improved significantly since May 2007. The lack of a "final satisfaction" question and failure to obtain patron's email address (for follow up purposes) are 2  issues that made the list in May, and are still occurring, but have now dropped to about 11th place on our list. The "descriptive code" issue had the most change--we only noticed it 26 times from January to May but 97 times from May to December.

Thanks to all supervisors who send issues to Quality!  With 340,000 sessions per year (and growing), we do rely on you to help us target issues that need to be addressed. 

In 2008, we will continue with the weekly Quality Tips, which are posted to the blog.  We also plan to initiate more specific training based on the needs highlighted by our Top 10 (details to be announced).  Please let us know if you have questi