QuestionPoint: 24/7 reference services

Quality Tip: Surviving Busy Times, Part 2

Last week I discussed tips for staffing the service during times when many students enter the queue at once. Many times, these students are accessing the service at school, either in the library or during a study period. Last week, we discussed the importance of finding out how long the student is able to be online with you, getting an email, and sending lists of resources. See http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2009/03/quality-tip-surviving-and-thriving-during-busy-times.html for last week’s tip.

This week, we will focus more on specific resources and search strategies you can use with students during busy times:

1. Use the library policy page to gain access to the library's databases.

Most likely, the student is accessing the service through a location that has provided access to the library's subscription databases. The policy page will contain a link to the library’s databases, as well as a library card number or a username/password for the chatting librarian to use. After searching in a separate window to test out search terms for relevancy, you can suggest a particular database for the student to try, as well as specific search terms.

Here are some advantages to showing a patron the library databases:

· The student becomes aware of the authoritative resources offered by the local library.

· Database pages are unlikely to be blocked by school filters.

2. Use Credo Reference, found in the "Cooperative Resources" section of the My QuestionPoint homepage.

Any librarian in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative can use Credo to help their online patrons. The URLs can be pasted into the live chat session for the student to use. Credo provides a portal to a variety of reputable reference resources from 55 publishers, including text and images. See this previous posting to the QuestionPoint Blog for more information: http://questionpoint.blogs.com/questionpoint_247_referen/2008/03/quality-tip-cre.html

3. Use Google Books efficiently.

A search in books.google.com will often quickly yield easy-to-assimilate, authoritative information that directly answers the student's question. To use Google Books efficiently, try these advanced search strategies:

· Add subject headings to limit the search, particularly this one: subject:"juvenile nonfiction"

· Limit the search to "Limited Preview and Full View" or simply "Full View" to maximize the information that the student can use.

· Remember that the archives of many popular magazines have been made available in their entirety. You can limit your search to just "Magazines" in the "Content" section of the Advanced Book Search.

· To quickly direct the patron to a specific location in the page you're viewing, go to the Search box at the top of the right-hand sidebar of the page and type a phrase from the middle of a relevant sentence. The search result in the right-hand sidebar will then display the page number and a brief excerpt of the text that can be copied and pasted to the patron. For example:

Page 109

The object of Hacky Sack was to keep the bag in the air, using the knees and the feet, without letting the bag touch the ground or the player's upper body. ...

4. Remember to check textbooks' websites.

If a student's question seems like it might be related to information in the student's textbook, ask the patron for the name of the textbook. The textbook website often has a study guide and other tutorials that may give the student the needed information.

5. Be aware that the sites you send might be blocked by school filters.

It is becoming increasingly common to hear students say that they cannot see a website we send to them because it was blocked by a school filter. If you analyze the content and judge it to be appropriate, you can try using the Google Cache or the Internet Archive to send the page from those resources instead.

Questions or comments about this topic? Comment below or email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org.

QuestionPoint User Group Meeting at the REFolution Conference, PA

Reference services are evolving rapidly in response to changing customer demands and new technologies.  Prepare for tomorrow's challenges at...

ReFolution: Reference Service in a Constantly Changing World
April 6-7, 2009
Holiday Inn, Harrisburg - Hershey

Kicking off this unique and exciting event is the Pre-Conference OCLC QuestionPoint User's Group Meeting, featuring...

• OCLC Presentation and Demonstration of QuestionPoint software updates and developments
• OCLC Presentation on 24/7 Reference Cooperative
• Panel Discussion: Making Connections
• Roundtable Discussion (with starter topics)

Register for the full program before April 1st to take advantage of extended savings on your hotel stay! With the full program registration you can participate in the pre-conference activity as well as attending breakout sessions and product demonstrations, including hands-on learning experiences.

Join in discussions about your library's reference service practice and receive feedback from reference service experts. Learn about the many resources and technologies available to reference providers.

Other highlights Include:

• Keynote Address by Marie Radford, Rutgers University SCILS:
  Foreshadowing Reference Futures: Far Out or Forthcoming?
• Interactive, hands-on Reference Recess period to roll up your sleeves and play with the latest products and technologies from our sponsors

For more information, or to register for this event please visit:                         http://www.palinet.org/refolution

The REFolution is supported, in part, by
The Institute of Museum & Library Services under the provisions of
The Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and by HSLC/ACCESS PA

Quality Tip: Surviving and thriving during busy times

The Cooperative often experiences surges of user activity when several students ask questions at once. Occasionally these students are participating in a computer or library class, but they often are simply accessing the service during a break period such as lunchtime or "study hall" or "homeroom." These break periods typically do not last long, so students do not have much time to wait while the librarian searches for information. Don’t be daunted by these busy times! Use these strategies to make the most of your short time with these students:

1. Ask how much time the student has to wait while you search.

Often, a student will reply with specific information, such as "I have seven minutes before I have to go to my next class." If you are assisting several users simultaneously, this information will help you determine who should be helped first.

2. Whenever possible, ask the student for an email address.

Students typically respond favorably to a script such as " Do you have an email address so in case I find info right after you disconnect, I can still give it to you?"

3. Begin each session by initiating the reference conversation.

Ask at least one question about the student's topic to clarify the information need.  This also establishes two-way communication with the student.

4. Send a list of librarian-reviewed resources.

When you are helping several students at once, it can be useful to send a list of links to authoritative web sites about a particular subject so the student can choose a site that appears relevant (giving you time to help another student). KidsClick!, the Librarians' Internet Index, and the Internet Public Library are excellent resources for this purpose. Once you send a list, make sure to ask the student directly about the usefulness of the sites listed. Offer to look for additional information if needed.

5. Follow the Rude Patron guidelines as soon as the patron's remarks become derogatory.

Although it is important to provide professional level reference assistance to those who seek it, librarians do not have to communicate with patrons whose language or behavior is offensive, abusive, or insulting, including communication of a sexual or too personal nature.

If this occurs, first warn the patron that this behavior is not acceptable. Remind them that this is a library reference service, and that if their behavior continues then you will have to disconnect. This should be phrased positively rather than negatively, such as: "I would appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of language if we are going to continue - rather than "we don't tolerate that kind of language". If the patron persists in the rude behavior, end the session with a script such as "I am disconnecting. If you still need help finding information, please contact us again when you decide to be polite. Goodbye for now..." Use your professional judgment to determine when patrons are simply being rude, or when their behavior is unacceptable.

For the complete guidelines on how to deal with rude patrons, see section 4.5.1 of the 24/7 Reference Collaborative Policies and Procedures.

Next week we will explore more strategies for handling busy times. Meanwhile, if you have questions or comments about this topic, please comment below or email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org

Virtual User Group Meetings

Dear QP subscribers:

We realize that relatively few of you are able to attend our service-wide user group meetings, which have usually been held at major library conferences in the United States.  We would very much like to be able to update all of you in person and give everyone an opportunity to participate in discussions centering on the QuestionPoint community, the software, plans for future development, and your virtual reference service issues and challenges.

Having said that, we're going to do the next best thing: reinstate our quarterly virtual user group meetings.  To that end, we have scheduled three sessions in mid-April.  By having three sessions, we hope we can accommodate users in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as Central and North America.  These sessions will be held using WebEx online and audio conferencing software.  When you register for a session, you will automatically receive an e-mail with log-in and call-in information. 

Here are the registration links for the three sessions:

-----------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, April 14 (Wed. a.m., April 15 in Australia).  Good for western U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Asia/Pacific.
11:00 p.m. GMT

To register for the meeting

Go to https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?ED=326268&RG=1&UID=0
-----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, April 15.  Good for Europe, eastern U.S., Canada, and Middle East.
1:00 p.m. GMT
To register for this meeting
Go to https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?ED=380058&RG=1&UID=0

-----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 16.  Good for U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
6:00 p.m. GMT
To register for this meeting
Go to https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?ED=384043&RG=1&UID=0

-----------------------------------------------------

We'll send out an agenda to registrants closer to meeting time.  In the meantime, we hope you'll be considering topics you'd like us to cover.  We look forward to talking with you soon!

Sincerely,

QuestionPoint Team

Tuesday's Tip: Establish Rapport through Humor

The transcript below is a great example of a way to establish rapport through humor. When children access the service just wanting to "chat," it is an opportunity to show them that librarians can find information about whatever topic they randomly mention. Our experience has shown that if they are disconnected, they will keep logging into the service--but if a librarian tries to establish rapport and meet them at their level (while maintaining professionalism!), their sessions will last a normal length (about 15 minutes for an average session) and they are less likely to log in repeatedly. Hopefully, they'll remember their positive experiences when they really do need information in the future.

Patron (19:42): I need help with divition
Librarian (19:44): Hi, <patron’s name>,
Librarian (19:44): 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.

Librarian (19:45): Do you mean division as in math homework?
Patron (19:45): are all librariens hot?
Librarian (19:46): if they don't have air conditioning
Patron (19:46): your funny
Librarian (19:46): thanks
Librarian (19:46): What's up with your division?
Patron (19:47): I LIKE CHOCOLATE MILK WITH CHEESE CUBES IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Librarian (19:48): interesting! What kind of cheese?
Patron (19:49): SWISS man you are HILARIOUS
Librarian (19:49): http://www.kidsclick.org/cgi-bin/searchkids.pl?searchtype=subject&keywords=math+general&title=Math+General
Librarian (19:50): Here are some links to lots of websites about math
Librarian (19:50): Do you need to know something specific about division?
Librarian (19:50): I "half" to know
Patron (19:50): why arent u funny any more
Librarian (19:50): hey that was funny
Librarian (19:50): I "half" to know--get it?
Patron (19:51): dude you're awesome
Patron (19:52): why aren't u takin
Librarian (19:53): Well, technically I am supposed to help you answer any questions you have
Librarian (19:53): Do you have any questions for me?
Patron (19:54): do you like Charlie the gorilla
Librarian (19:54): Otherwise I'm going to have to "split" (haha) so I can help other people
Patron (19:55): 3.1415926 is pie
Librarian (19:55): yes, pi
Patron (19:56): but do you like Charlie the gorilla?
Librarian (19:56): http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/history_of_pi/index.html
Librarian (19:56): here's a history of pi
Librarian (19:57): I had not heard of Charlie the gorilla before--but it has to do with the Toronto Zoo?
Librarian (19:58): http://www.torontozoo.com/AboutTheZoo/History.asp
Librarian (19:58): He made a lot of money
Patron (19:58): I guts to splat time for cheese
Librarian (19:59): "Charles" the gorilla raises $37,000 through his artwork.
Librarian (20:00): Okay, thanks for using our service--if you have any questions, librarians are here to help.
Patron (20:00): bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <librarian’s name> b.t.w. you are AWESOME
Librarian (20:00): Thanks! (grin)
Librarian (20:00): have a good night
Librarian (20:00): Librarian ended chat session.

Questions or comments about this post? Comment below or email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org

Documentation update

Recent QuestionPoint documentation updates: online help for using QuestionPoint forms management to create and manage chat forms and e-mail question forms (2009-02-24); QuestionPoint overview PDF booklet (2009-02-16); Reports PDF quick reference (2009-02-02); IM and Transfer in Chat PDF booklet (2009-01-28)

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

Quality Tip: How to Find a Full-Text Journal Article

1. Ask the patron for as much info as possible (article title, journal title, authors, date) to determine if the patron needs an article from a library database or an article placed on Reserve by an instructor (if the latter, consult the library policy page for the procedure for accessing Course Reserves).
   
2. If the patron needs an article from a database, check the library policy page "Databases" section to see if the local librarians offered guidance.
   
3. Look on the library website for a tool that will allows librarians and patrons to search for a publication title and find out which subscription databases carry that publication in full-text (this tool also gives coverage dates).
   
4. If the library does not seem to have this tool, try searching the library catalog for the journal title to see if there are electronic or print holdings.
   
5. If the library does not offer access to the journal, check to see if the library offers interlibrary loan service (some academic libraries offer it to all students, some just to grad students, and some just to faculty).
   
6. Consider obtaining or verifying the patron's email address and/or deadline so you can code the question as Follow Up by Local Library.

Here are some ways that our member libraries are using this tool on their library webpages:

• The King County Library System's databases page has a link on the bottom that says:
  Full-Text Magazines & Journals In KCLS Databases
  Check here for a list of full-text magazines and journals that are available through our database subscriptions.

 

• The Seattle Public Library has a script available entitled "Finding a Specific Article":
  If you're looking for a specific newspaper or magazine article, you can find which database(s) provide access to which newspaper/magazine/journal titles on this page: http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=collection_db_electronic

 

• The Boston Public Library's database page has a link called "Search full-text E-Journals by journal title": http://yj2rx5vx3s.search.serialssolutions.com/

 

• Clicking on the "Electronic Journals" link on the home page for the University of Washington libraries brings up a page with a tool called "Find e-journals by title": http://www.lib.washington.edu/types/ejournals/

 

• The University of Maryland--College Park library's tool is on the "E-Journals" tab in ResearchPort (chatting librarians may log into ResearchPort using the username and password provided in the library policy page).

 

• The Baruch College library policy page says:

To find a specific periodical in full-text (1) Click "Journals, Magazines" on the home page, then click the "Full Text Journals" link. (2) Type in the name of the periodical and hit search. If that periodical is available in full-text in any of our databases, you will see a list of which databases have it and what years are available.

• The E-Journals tab on the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee library's home page has a link entitled "Citation Linker (Find It!)” and the library policy page gives a link to SFX help:
  Find It! Help - Guide to our OpenURL system (SFX)

 

Here are some sample results retrieved after using these tools:

• T+D (Alexandria, Va.)
  from 01/01/1987 to present in ProQuest Discovery
  from 05/01/2001 to 05/01/2004 in Business & Company Resource Center, Expanded Academic ASAP, General OneFile and General Reference Center Gold

 

• Annual review of sociology  (0360-0572)
  from 1975 to 2000 in JSTOR Arts and Sciences I Collection
  from 08/01/1990 to 1 year ago in Academic Search Premier
  from 08/01/1990 to 1 year ago in Business Source Premier
  from 01/01/1993 to 01/01/2004 in Business & Company Resource Center
  from 01/01/1995 to 08/01/2005 in ABI/INFORM Global
  from 01/01/1996 to present in Annual Reviews

 

• Journal of nonverbal behavior [0191-5886]
  We have in print 2nd Floor North in Periodicals
  Available from 1992 volume: 16 until 2003 volume: 27
  Full Text Online Communication & Mass Media
  Available from 1992
  Most recent 1 year(s) not available
  Full Text Online Springer/Kluwer Academic Journals
  Available from 1976 volume: 1 issue:1
  Social Sciences: Sociology
  Social Sciences: Behavioral Science (Psychology) and Counselling

Did you know . . .

. . . that you have recourse to a world of expertise, if your library’s or group’s resources cannot satisfy your patron’s question? As a subscriber to QuestionPoint, your library automatically has the option to participate in the Global Reference Network (GRN).

Originally conceived by the Library of Congress, the GRN has been offered as part of QuestionPoint since 2002. The vision for this cooperative was to facilitate the information fulfillment needs of patrons by sharing resources, expertise, and even time through a network of many library types and geographic locations. When a library does not have the needed resources to satisfy a question it’s received, it could route that question to a more appropriate library for an answer.

For small libraries, the GRN helps to level the playing field. No longer does this library have to say “Sorry” to a patron with an information need of greater depth than the collection. For larger libraries, the GRN can help relieve load by routing to a library with a more specialized collection or a public library with a more generalized collection, rather than spending hours researching an unfamiliar subject area or saying no to an out-of-scope education level. For all library patrons, the message is “We can get an answer for you,” rather than “You will have to call so-and-so or travel to such-and-such a library.”

Librarian selects the GRN

Originally built on a system that matches a question coded by the requesting librarian with a library whose subject strengths, as specified in their QuestionPoint profile, match the coded question, the GRN was intended to largely function as a hands-off matching tool. We soon found, however, that a simple matching algorithm leaves something to be desired until profile volume (and thus the volume of subject strengths, locations, times available, etc.) grows to a critical mass. So we introduced a selection tool to use in tandem with automatic matching: from several matching libraries the requesting librarian selects the most appropriate.

Coding the question

Selecting a matching library

Note that in the illustration above, the weighted, matching score is exactly the same for 8 libraries, so the routing librarian has a quite a choice. In the final column, none of the libraries have had a question routed to them this week. The second number represents what that library profiled itself to commit to answering per week, should they be called on to do so (should questions be routed to them).

Over 3500 questions have been routed through the GRN since 2003. In 2008 alone, close to 100 libraries were involved in routing and/or answering the questions. Remember, as a QuestionPoint library you are eligible to participate in the GRN. Although there are no rules for ratio of questions asked to questions answered, community consideration encourages libraries that route questions to consider profiling themselves for also receiving (answering) questions should the need arise. Commitments can always be changed through profiling.

For more information about the Global Reference Network, go to http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/html/help/lv/ask/ask_refer_globalinfo.html. To learn how to participate in the GRN as an answering library, go to http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/html/help/lv/profile/pr_gen_profimpr.html. To learn how to route questions, go to http://www.viewletcentral.com/vc/viewlet/706112206/. Member guidelines are available at http://www.questionpoint.org/policies/memberguidelines.html.

Quality Tip: To Google or not to Google? Try going directly to an official source

Sometimes librarians get in the habit of going to Google as the first resource consulted. However, it may be faster and more relevant to go directly to an official site.

Consider this chat session:

Patron: where can i find a list of all the U.S. presidents in chronological order?

Librarian:  Hello! This is the reference librarian. I'm reading your question...

Librarian:  Here is a site that looks good.  I am sending you the page

Librarian: http://mingo.info-science.uiowa.edu/~welch/refclass/preschrono.htm

Patron:  this is ok, but i was looking for something that had the years in office, too.  anything on that?

Librarian:  Try this site.  You do need to click on each president to get the information you are looking for, but it is very thorough.

Librarian: http://www.geocities.com/peterroberts.geo/Relig-Politics/PresOrder.html

Librarian:  Will this work?

Patron:  yeah, it's awesome!

Librarian:  O.K.  glad it worked.  Thanks for using <name of service>.

Patron:  thanks for all your help.

Patron:  Patron ended chat session.

It’s very likely that the librarian used a search engine such as Google to find these websites. The first website admits that it is not a complete listing--after all, it is only an academic library’s list of print resources: “If a President does not appear on this list, Cole Library has no print resources on that President.” The second website does not give the years of office that the patron requested, other than (as the librarian suggested) clicking on each president to view more details.

Instead, it would have been better to go directly to a site that would be an authority on the subject, such as: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/chronological.html

How do you know which sites to visit unless you use a search engine? If a print resource comes to mind, check if there is an online equivalent (e.g. Occupational Outlook Handbook). Try browsing through librarian-based websites that describe internet ready-reference resources, such as QuestionPoint’s Ready Reference Resources:  http://questionpoint.pbwiki.com/readyref

This resource, on the QuestionPoint wiki, has links by category and a search box.  A search of “presidents” will get you the link to the Internet Public Library’s POTUS collection, which has the list of presidents in order, with dates of their terms, and links to further information:  http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/

Other ready reference resources to start with include:

Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org/

Librarians’ Index to the Internet: http://www.lii.org

Internet Library for Librarians: http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/

BUBL LINK Catalogue of Internet Resources: http://bubl.ac.uk/

If you have other good starting points, share them here in the comments section.  Any suggestions for Quality Tips?  Email Susan McGlamery at mcglames@oclc.org

 

QuestionPoint and VR events at ACRL

If you will be attending the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in 1-1/2 weeks, we hope you'll plan to go to the QuestionPoint user group meeting on Friday, March 13.  It will be in the Sheraton Seattle Aspen Room, 10 - 11 a.m.  We'll provide an overview on the latest QuestionPoint development and an update on planning.  Then we want to hear from you: concerns, workflow issues, usage tips for others, questions.  So we have some idea how many to expect, please register for this meeting at https://www3.oclc.org/app/acrl_registration/. 

The next morning, Saturday, March 14, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., the roundtable discussion on Collaborative Reference in a 24/7 World will be of particular interest to many of you.  That discussion will be at the conference center,  Ballroom 6E, RT #9.  Come share your experiences with chat, email, widgets, and collaborative reference with colleagues. Share tips on promoting the service and meeting the needs of today's 24/7 students.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Please contact Paula Rumbaugh (rumbaugh@oclc.org) or Lauri McIntosh (mcintosl@oclc.org) if you have any questions.