QuestionPoint: 24/7 reference services

Internet Explorer 8, Java and QuestionPoint

As many of you are aware, Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8)to the public.

During our tests with IE 8 and QuestionPoint, we found that the combination of Internet Explorer 8 and the Microsoft Virtual Machine (MSVM) is not compatible with our cobrowse functionality. If you use chat and want to use cobrowsing in any transactions, and your Virtual Machine is set to use MSVM (as opposed to Sun Java) please do not upgrade to IE 8.

The following combinations of Internet Explorer and Java engine have been successfully tested with our cobrowse functionality.

Browser	Java version
Internet Explorer 6	Microsoft Java Virtual Machine
Internet Explorer 6	Sun Java Version 6 Update 7
Internet Explorer 7	Microsoft Java Virtual Machine
Internet Explorer 7	Sun Java Version 6 Update 7
Internet Explorer 8	Sun Java Version 6 Update 7

Note Sun Java Version 6 is supported up to Update 7.

If you have any questions about setting up Java with IE, please see the QuestionPoint Guide to IE browser setup at http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation/gettingstarted/chatsetup.pdf.

Note that the setting for IE 7 and IE 8 are the same.

If you have any questions about IE 8, you can learn more at http://www.microsoft.com/ie

Reports of problems while closing a chat session

We have had a few reports of chat freezing up after the Resolution Code has been assigned and the session closed. An infrequent lagtime sometimes allows the transcript to display in the monitor for several seconds after the Close button is clicked. In fact the software is most likely not frozen--you can continue monitoring chat and picking up new sessions even when the old transcript has not yet disappeared. The transcript of any new session you pick up will replace the old transcript.

Our developers are working to fix the lagtime problem, but until that can be implemented, users, especially those with slower connections, are encouraged to carry on despite the vestiges of the previous session.  Please do not try to end the previous session a second time, as this will create an error condition.

Brief install tonight

Dear QuestionPoint subscribers:

We wanted you to know that tonight we will be implementing a change to the way a new patron arrives in the chat interface.  In the new version installed last Sunday, every time a new patron arrived and was acknowledged, the New tab became active again.  This will no longer happen: whatever tab is active for you at the time you click OK will still be your active tab.

We expect no downtime with this change tonight.

A couple of other points to make:

1.  If you mouse over the clock, you will see the date and time.  So now you have access to both time elapsed since you logged on (or refreshed your monitor) and the date/time of day of the QuestionPoint server.

2.  A new option installed on Sunday enables you to obtain more information to help you and us troubleshoot any problems you encounter.  With your cursor on the monitor, right click and look, especially, at the "About" option.  This shows information about your system that is helpful in pinning down certain problems.  A Copy to Clipboard button makes it easy to copy all the contents so you can paste them into an email or document.  Please report this information, if you can, when reporting problems to our support folks.

3.  Viewlets on the chat interface have been updated!  To review, offline, how to use the chat interface, go to the training page at http://questionpoint.org/education/index.html.and look at the tutorials.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Paula Rumbaugh and the QP Team

Tip for finding out your Flash Player Version

To find out which version of the Flash Player is installed on your computer, open the web browser you use for QuestionPoint and visit the following page:

http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/

There you will see a box titled “Version Information” that will note the installed version number.

Release Notes for November 23, 2008

Dear QuestionPoint Users:

The attached describes new features, changes, and fixes we will install on Sunday, 23 November 2008.  Note especially the new look and feel for the Flash-based chat interface.

We do not yet have details on the downtime required for the install, but will post that as soon as we have it.  Typically, downtime begins at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time (0700 GMT) and lasts for only 15 minutes.

Watch for updates on this list!

Paula Rumbaugh and the QuestionPoint Team

1. New Features

1.1 New Look and Feel for Chat Monitor

Although the workflow has not changed, you will note a difference in the look and feel of the interface and overall responsiveness of the service. NOTE: You must have Flash Player version 9.0.124.0 or better installed in your browser. A different Flash Player install program must be run for IE and Firefox. To check your current version today, right click on your chat monitor and select the Flash Player option from the drop-down menu. If you do not have version 9.0.124.0 or later, you will receive an error message and a link to the download site when you attempt to bring up your chat monitor following the November 23 QuestionPoint install.

1.1.1 Initializing. You will notice the new look immediately on bringing up the monitor, as QuestionPoint initializes and loads the queues available to you. The QuestionPoint logo will briefly appear, then change into an out-of-focus background.

1.1.2 Queue selection. After initialization, the queue selection box automatically appears. You must select queues before you can do anything else. Queue selection follows the same process as before; however, a Select All link expedites the process for librarians monitoring several queues at the same time. Once you select your queue(s), you must click the Save button to continue.

1.1.3 New clock. After queue selection is completed, the monitor screen comes into focus. Note the new clock beside the Queues link telling you how long you have been logged into chat.

1.1.4 Mouse over Queues link. Mouse over the Queues link to see the queues you’ve selected.

1.1.5 New tabs. A new set of tabs, one for Patron Chat and one for IM (see illustration above), facilitate control by more clearly distinguishing chats with your patrons from IM chats with other online librarians.

1.1.6 Slider for font size. A new slider feature in the Settings function allows you to adjust font size (try it out!).

1.1.7 New alerts. To help reduce confusion between the current two options of “Flash based popup alert” and “Browser based alerts (popup and system sound),” the settings options have changed as follows:

If you choose “Flash based popup alert” you will see a new look to the pop-up window.

If you choose “Browser based alerts (popup and system sound),” your alert type will depend upon the Browser you use. IE users will see ***New patron** appear in the task bar at the bottom of your machine monitor and in the IE title bar at the top. If you use “tabbed” browsing in your IE window, it will also flash in the tab.

Firefox users will also see the QP icons flash in address bar and tabbed view.

1.1.8 IM tab. IM is now placed under a tab (beside the new Patron Chat tab) rather than behind a link at the top of the monitor. The pop-up IM alert has been changed enough that it cannot be confused with a new-patron alert.  Another improvement is the inability, now, to accidentally IM yourself!

1.1.9 Transfer IM message retention. Instant Messages between librarians engaged in transferring sessions will be posted in the chat history visible to the librarians as a Librarian Note. The transcripts visible in the QuestionPoint Ask module will also contain these IM chats as Notes.

The “Notes” will NOT be visible to patrons in their chat history or in emailed versions of the transcript.

1.1.10 Librarians tab. You can sort the list of librarians and this sorted list will be persistent until resorted; it will not change when the screen refreshes. Also be aware that you can no longer begin an IM session with this tab open: IM sessions can only be initiated from the IM tab (see 1.1.8) or at the start of a transfer.

1.1.11 Drawers instead of tabs. The patron information area is organized now into “drawers” (see illustration below). Info, Scripts, URLs, and Notes no longer appear as tabs; this maximizes screen real estate and improves usability.

1.1.12 Drawers instead of boxes! Resolution Codes, Description Codes, Send Librarian Note, and Send Patron Note are all also organized as drawers. And, since assigning a resolution code is of paramount importance for cooperative groups, we have made it hard to miss!

1.1.13 Error notifications. You may notice new error messages under certain, infrequent circumstances:

· Chat monitor loading errors: if the chat monitor load sequence fails, you will receive an alert. Follow the “Reload Chat Monitor” instructions in the window, and the sequence will begin again. This guards against incomplete monitor loads in which only a portion of the screen loaded and then perhaps froze.

· Connection losses: should you lose your connection to the chat server for some reason, you will receive an immediate and unmistakable pop-up box informing you of the dropped connection. The window will appear until the connection reestablishes automatically; you don’t need to close out or refresh, and when you are reconnected you can retrieve your existing patrons.

· Dublicate logins: in the case of an accidental duplicate login, the instruction dialog box will outline the steps to follow. You will need to close the chat window, exit QuestionPoint, and relog in. You will be unable to launch a new chat monitor without first exiting QP.

1.1.14 We believe you will experience noticeably improved response time with this interface, including the immediate echo of your messages to patrons in the transcript area.

1.1.15 The new interface enables you to resize the frames of the monitor for your convenience. In the illustration below, the “handles” for resizing are circled in red. The second illustration shows the transcript window greatly enlarged, so the librarian doesn’t need to do so much scrolling during a long session.

1.1.16 Finally, the scroll bar remains “parked” if you need to change tabs or open another drawer. In the old version, you often needed to rescroll to the part of the page you were reading if you clicked on another tab. The monitor now holds your selected position for you.

1.2 Send Message to Librarian

When a question or chat session transcript has been referred to more than one library, it is not always easy to discern who the message will go to if you click on the Send Message to Librarian link. This is especially true in situations where one library picked up a chat session for another, then referred it to a Shared Follow-up folder, from which a third library claims it and forwards on to yet another library! If the last librarian needs clarification, to whom will the message go?

No more guessing. The TO: line of the e-mail is now displayed, complete with address. When you click on Send Message to Librarian, you’ll see who the message will go to.

1.3 Forms Manager Enhanced and Now Available for Chat

Administrators: The third phase of the QuestionPoint Forms Manager is now available: Chat web forms. QuestionPoint can now host all patron intake forms for your library’s QuestionPoint service, chat as well as e-mail.

1.3.1 New chat form manager

Chat forms for every queue in the group can be individually configured by the BME administrator. The BME admin picks the default languages, colors, information fields, and “chat closed” messaging and links. Thereafter, if desired, institution administrators in the group can further individualize colors, branding, and the message users see when the chat service is not available for their institution. Thus the forms can have the local look and feel, matching different website presences, while collecting all the information needed at the group administration level.

Note: 24/7 Coop members can only create chat forms for their Queues in English, due to the nature of the cooperative chat service. Those whose libraries also participate in the Spanish language chat cooperative, will not build chat forms for that particular service, as the “Spanish Queue” is managed by OCLC directly.

1.3.2 Modifications and corrections to phase 2, email form manager:

Several modifications were made to the institution level email web form manager.

Institution administrators can create a basic email web form with Name, email and Question, in as little as three steps if desired. For those needing greater customization, instructions are now clearer, and more tailored to each type of configurable field. Drop down menu fields now can be configured with as many as 30 values, and the values of all types of dropdown fields can be “ordered” however desired.

Language options for Chat forms have been separated out from those on the email web form, allowing institutions to offer email forms in whatever languages they wish to support, regardless of any language restrictions in their live chat service.

Border images, banner colors and additional links can also be different for email forms than they are for chat forms.

The advantages in having QuestionPoint host forms that you can manage yourself are:

· The Forms Manager is easy to use; using it reduces the need for IT staff involvement in your forms.

· Your institution or group can customize your forms.

· Your form can be provided in multiple languages (Exception: 24/7 Coop members can create only English-language chat forms.)

· The option supports improved access to data about reference transactions.

· The option provides improved protection against spam.

Complete instructions for forms set-up will be available in Administration module Help, as well as at http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation/gettingstarted/index.html . A walk-through tutorial is also available at this site.

For group administrators, forms management is accessible at Administration >> Subscription Group >> Chat Forms Manager. For institution administrators, management of both e-mail and chat forms is available at Administration >> Institution >> Forms >> Forms Manager.

Once you build new forms using the forms manager, decide when the best time to deploy them will be, depending upon whether you use information from Form Field Reviews (Ask >> Transcript Reviews >> Form Fields). The new forms will no doubt use different field ID labels, (This is unavoidable due to its automated nature. We cannot tell what field IDs your current forms may be using, because there are too many variations on the currently used forms out there!) If you switch to a new form in mid month, or quarter, it will be harder to get consistent data from the downloaded Form Field Reports, so we recommend building the form at your leisure, and then picking a date certain for switching the links on your website.

Although having QuestionPoint staff manage your chat forms for you remains an option at this time, administrators are encouraged to experiment with building their own forms.

2. Changes

2.1 Reports: Response Time, Session Length

Within the Chat section of activity reports (My QuestionPoint/Reports/Institution or Group), line items for Avg. Response Time, Greatest Response Time, and Avg. Session Length are being discontinued. These values, originally developed for one-on-one chat services, are calculated in a way that is not really applicable in the cooperative setting. Since both session length and response time are values that can be reviewed, reported on, and averaged through the Ask/Review Transcripts feature (both online and offline), they are no longer necessary for activity reporting.

2.2 Qwidget Chat-Not-Available Message Discontinued

Libraries are increasingly mounting the QuestionPoint widget (the Qwidget) on their websites on multiple pages. However, since Qwidget requests are routed only to the local level (i.e., an institution’s primary queue), they are rarely picked up around the clock. Heretofore, when the software detected a Qwidget request but no one was monitoring the primary queue, the message “Chat Not Available” automatically appeared as pictured below.

But libraries often want to direct their patrons to their chat form, which may well be monitored 24/7, so they can add instructions in the Qwidget message area to that effect. Libraries have reported that when patrons see “Chat Not Available,” they either read no further or are confused by conflicting instructions telling them to go to the chat form.

The automatic “Chat Not Available” message is therefore discontinued. If you have not done so already, QuestionPoint administrators offering the Qwidget will need to ensure they provide their own “closed” message at Administration/Institution/Forms Manager/Qwidget (Preview) Configuration, in the “Offline Message” box type the message you want to appear to your patrons when no one is monitoring the Qwidget. To see examples of closed messages, please visit our Qwidget tips page at http://wiki.questionpoint.org/Qwidget+Tips.

2.3 Virtual Groups Automatic Submittal to GKB Discontinued

Institutions from disparate BMEs (groups) can form their own groups for the purposes of referring questions to one another and to cover for one another during closed. Some early QuestionPoint subscribers can even form their own chat coverage groups. While these options are still available, the automatic submittal of Closed transactions that were routed via this mechanism to the Global Knowledge Base is discontinued with this install.

Automatic submittal of Closed transactions routed through the Global Reference Network does continue.

2.4 Additional Descriptive Codes

Two new descriptive codes have been added to the drop-down menu available in the chat monitor, upon closing sessions, and from the Ask/Full Question/Question Descriptive Codes page. They are Citation and No email. As always, these codes can be used in whatever manner is consistent with local practice. 24/7 Cooperative members are cautioned to not assign descriptive codes to sessions they have handled for other libraries.

3. Fixes

3.1 Qwidget Report Label

Reports on Qwidget activity are now correctly labeled Requested.

Notes d’installation pour du 23 Novembre 2008

1. Nouvelles fonctionnalités

1.1 Nouveau moniteur de Chat

Bien que la chaîne de travail soit la même, vous remarquerez que la présentation de l’interface est différente de même que la réactivité générale du service.

Note. - Flash Player version 9.0.124.0 (ou supérieure) doit être installé sur votre machine pour votre navigateur. Un programme d’installation de Flash Player différent doit être installé pour Internet Explorer et Firefox. Pour vérifier votre version actuelle, cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris sur votre moniteur de Chat et sélectionnez l’option Flash Player dans le menu déroulant. Si vous n’avez pas la version 9.0.124.0 (ou supérieure), un message d’erreur et un lien vers le site de téléchargement seront présentés lorsque vous tenterez d’ouvrir votre moniteur de Chat après l’installation du 23 novembre de QuestionPoint.

1.1.1 Initialisation. Vous remarquerez la nouvelle présentation du moniteur alors que QuestionPoint initialise votre session et charge vos files d’attente. Le logo de QuestionPoint apparaîtra brièvement, puis se fondera dans l’arrière-plan

1.1.2 Sélection des files d’attente. Après l’initialisation, la boîte pour la sélection des files d’attente est présentée. Vous devez sélectionner vos files d’attente avant de pouvoir poursuivre. Vous sélectionnez les files de la même manière qu’auparavant. Toutefois, le lien Tout sélectionner permet de sélectionner toutes les files listées. Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer pour continuer.

 

1.1.3 Nouvelle horloge. Après la sélection des files d’attente, le moniteur devient actif. La nouvelle horloge dans le haut de l’écran indique la durée de votre session dans le moniteur.

1.1.4 Pointeur de la souris. Pointez votre souris sur le lien Files d’attente pour voir les files d’attente que vous avez sélectionnées.

1.1.5 Nouveaux onglets. Deux nouveaux onglets, l’un pour le Chat de l’utilisateur et l’autre pour la messagerie instantanée (voir illustration plus haut) facilite le travail en éliminant la confusion.

1.1.6 Taille des caractères. Une nouvelle option dans les Paramètres vous permet d’ajuster la taille des caractères (essayez-la!).

1.1.7 Nouvelles alertes. Pour aider à réduire la confusion entre les deux options actuelles « Alerte dans le Flash Chat» et « Alertes du navigateur (fenêtre éclair et signal sonore) », ces options de paramètres ont été modifiées comme suit :

Si vous choisissez « Alerte dans le Flash Chat », vous verrez une nouvelle fenêtre éclair.

 

Si vous choisissez « Alertes du navigateur (fenêtre éclair et signal sonore) », votre type d’alerte dépendra du navigateur que vous utilisez. Si vous utilisez Internet Explorer, vous verrez ***Nouvel utilisateur*** apparaître dans la barre de tâches du moniteur et dans la barre de titre du navigateur Internet Explorer. Si vous utilisez la navigation par onglet dans Internet Explorer, l’onglet clignotera.

1.1.8 Onglet MI. La messagerie électronique est maintenant présentée sous un onglet (à côté de l’onglet Chat de l’utilisateur) au lieu d’être accessible par un lien dans le haut du moniteur. La fenêtre éclair indiquant un nouveau message instantané a également été modifiée et ne peut plus être confondue avec celle indiquant un nouvel utilisateur. De plus, il est maintenant impossible de vous envoyer vous-même un message instantané par mégarde.

1.1.9 Messages instantanés et acheminement de sessions. Les messages instantanés entre les bibliothécaires lors de l’acheminement de sessions seront affichés dans l’historique du Chat des bibliothécaires sous Note au bibliothécaire. Ils seront également affichés dans les transcriptions visibles dans le module Service de référence comme des Notes.

Les utilisateurs ne verront PAS ces « Notes » dans leur historique de Chat ou dans leur transcription envoyée par courriel.

1.1.10 Onglet Bibliothécaires. Vous pouvez trier la liste de bibliothécaires et cet ordre sera conservé : il ne changera pas lorsque l’écran sera rafraîchi. De plus, vous ne pouvez plus ouvrir une session de messagerie instantanée lorsque cet onglet est ouvert : les sessions de messagerie instantanée ne peuvent être initiées que sous l’onglet IM (voir 1.1.8) ou au début d’un acheminement de session.

1.1.11 Des dossiers remplacent les onglets. La section contenant les informations sur l’utilisateur est maintenant organisée en « dossiers » (voir illustration ci-dessous). Les informations, les scripts. Les URL et les notes n’apparaissent plus sous des onglets ce qui désencombre l’écran.

1.1.12 Des dossiers remplacent les boîtes. Les codes de traitement, les codes descriptifs, les notes au bibliothécaire et les notes à l’utilisateur sont maintenant organisés en « Dossiers ». De plus, étant donné que l’assignation d’un code de traitement est si importante pour les groupes, nous avons mis cette option en évidence.

1.1.13 Messages d’erreur. De nouveaux messages d’erreur peuvent apparaître à l’occasion :

· Erreur lors du chargement du moniteur de Chat : si le chargement du moniteur de Chat échoue, vous recevrez un message vous indiquant de « Recharger le moniteur ». Cette mesure évite qu’une partie seulement du moniteur soit chargée et que le moniteur ne gèle par la suite.

· Pertes de connexion : si vous perdez votre connexion au serveur de Chat, une fenêtre éclair vous indiquera immédiatement que la connexion a été interrompue. Cette fenêtre apparaîtra jusqu’à ce que la connexion soit automatiquement rétablie. Vous n’avez pas besoin de fermer la session ou de rafraîchir l’écran : lorsque la connexion aura été rétablie, vous pourrez récupérer vos utilisateurs actifs.

· Ouverture de deux sessions : si vous ouvrez deux sessions dans QuestionPoint par mégarde, un message vous indiquant les étapes ç suivre est présenté. Vous devrez fermer la fenêtre de Chat, fermer QuestionPoint et ouvrir une nouvelle session. Vous ne pourrez pas ouvrir le nouveau moniteur de Chat sans d’abord fermer QuestionPoint.

1.1.14 Nous croyons que le temps de réponse sera nettement plus rapide avec cette nouvelle interface et vous verrez immédiatement vos messages à l’utilisateur dans la section de transcription.

1.1.15 La nouvelle interface vous permet de redimensionner les cadres du moniteur. Dans l’illustration ci-dessous, les « poignées » pour redimensionner les cadres sont encerclées en rouge. Dans la seconde illustration, la fenêtre de transcription a été considérablement agrandie afin que le bibliothécaire ne soit pas obligé de faire défiler le contenu aussi souvent lors d’une longue session.

1.1.16 Finalement, la barre de défilement reste à sa place lorsque vous changez d’onglet ou ouvrez un dossier. Auparavant, vous deviez parfois faire défiler le contenu de nouveau pour retrouver votre place après avoir cliqué sur un autre onglet.

1.2 Envoie d’un message au bibliothécaire

Lorsqu’une question ou une transcription de Chat a été soumise à plus d'une bibliothèque, il n’est pas toujours facile de savoir à qui ira le message si vous cliquez sur le lien Envoyer un message au bibliothécaire. Ceci est particulièrement vrai lorsqu’une bibliothèque répond à une demande de Chat pour une autre bibliothèque, puis l’enregistre dans le fichier Suivis communs, et qu’ensuite une troisième bibliothèque la réclame et l’achemine à une autre bibliothèque! Si le dernier bibliothécaire qui traite la question a besoin de précisions, à qui ira le message?

Dorénavant, la ligne « À : » du message électronique est affichée ainsi que l’adresse électronique. Si vous cliquez sur le lien Envoyer un message au bibliothécaire, vous verrez à qui sera envoyé le message.

 

1.3 Gestionnaire de formulaires amélioré et maintenant disponible pour le Chat

Administrateurs — La troisième phase du Gestionnaire de formulaires est maintenant en place avec l’ajout des formulaires de Chat. QuestionPoint peut maintenant héberger tous les formulaires de Chat pour le service de référence de votre bibliothèque de même que les formulaires de questions Web.

1.3.1 Nouveau gestionnaire de formulaires pour le Chat

Les formulaires de Chat pour chaque file d’attente du groupe peuvent être configurés individuellement par l’administrateur du groupe. L’administrateur du groupe choisit les langues, les couleurs, les zones disponibles, les messages de fermeture et les liens du formulaire. Ensuite, les administrateurs des établissements qui font partie du groupe peuvent personnaliser les couleurs, ajouter des bannières et écrire le message présenté à leurs utilisateurs lorsque leur service de Chat n'est pas disponible. Ainsi, les formulaires peuvent être personnalisés pour le site Web de la bibliothèque et contenir les informations nécessaires pour être utilisés dans un environnement de groupe.

Note.— Les membres de la Coop 24/7 peuvent uniquement créer les formulaires de Chat pour les files d’attente en anglais à cause de la nature du Service de Chat coopératif. Les bibliothèques qui participent au service de Chat coopératif en espagnol ne créeront pas de formulaires de Chat pour ce service puisque la « File d’attente en espagnol » est gérée directement par OCLC.

1.3.2 Modifications et corrections à la phase 2, gestionnaire des formulaires Web

Plusieurs modifications ont été effectuées au gestionnaire de formulaires de questions Web de l'établissement.

Les administrateurs d’établissements peuvent créer un formulaire de question Web de base contenant le nom, l'adresse électronique et la question de l'utilisateur et aussi peu que trois étapes à remplir. Pour ceux qui veulent un formulaire plus élaboré, les instructions pour la création du formulaire sont plus claires et plus précises. Les listes déroulantes peuvent maintenant contenir jusqu’à 30 choix et les choix peuvent être « ordonnés » comme vous le voulez.

Les langues sélectionnées dans les formulaires de Chat sont indépendantes de celles des formulaires de questions Web. Ainsi, les établissements peuvent offrir des formulaires de questions Web dans les langues désirées même si celles-ci ne sont pas offertes pour le Chat.

Les images, les bannières et les liens supplémentaires peuvent également être différents dans les formulaires de Chat et les formulaires de questions Web.

Avantages que vous procure l’hébergement des formulaires par QuestionPoint que vous pouvez gérer seul :

· Le gestionnaire de formulaires est facile à utiliser. Ainsi, vous avez peu ou pas recours à votre personnel technique pour les personnaliser.

· Votre établissement ou groupe peut personnaliser vos formulaires.

· Vous pouvez offrir des formulaires en plusieurs langues (sauf les membres de la Coop 24/7 qui peuvent uniquement utiliser des formulaires de Chat en anglais).

· Les options incluent un accès amélioré aux données sur les transactions liées à l’acheminement de questions.

· Vous êtes mieux protégé des pourriels (spam).

Des instructions complètes sur la configuration des formulaires seront disponibles dans l’aide du module Administration ainsi qu’au http://questionpoint.org/support/documentation/gettingstarted/index.html . Un tutoriel est également disponible sur ce site.

Les administrateurs de groupe peuvent accéder aux écrans du Gestionnaire de formulaires de Chat dans Administration/Groupe d’abonnement/Gestionnaire des formulaires de Chat. Les administrateurs d’établissement, qui gèrent les formulaires de Chat et les formulaires de questions Web, peuvent accéder aux écrans du Gestionnaire de formulaires dans Administration/Établissement/Formulaires/Gestionnaire de formulaires.

Bien que le personnel de QuestionPoint peut encore gérer vos formulaires de Chat, nous vous encourageons à vous exercer à créer des formulaires.

2. Modifications

2.1 Rapports : temps de réponse, durée des sessions

Dans la section des données relatives au Chat des Statistiques sur les activités (Mon QuestionPoint/Rapports/Établissement ou Groupe), les données sur le temps de réponse moyen, le temps de réponse maximal et la durée moyenne d'une session ont été supprimées. Ces données, initialement pour les services de Chat individuels, sont calculées d’une façon qui n'est pas adéquate dans un environnement coopératif. Puisque la durée des sessions et le temps de réponse sont des données qui peuvent être révisées et calculées via la fonctionnalité Révision des transcriptions du module Service de référence (en ligne et hors ligne), elles ne sont plus nécessaires dans les rapports statistiques sur les activités.

2.2 Suppression du message « Chat non disponible » dans le Qwidget

Les bibliothèques intègrent de plus en plus le widget de QuestionPoint (le Qwidget) dans diverses pages de leur site Web. Toutefois, étant que les demandes sont acheminées uniquement au niveau local (c'est-à-dire à la file d’attente principale de l’établissement), il est rare que quelqu’un puisse répondre aux demandes en permanence. Lorsque le système détectait une demande par Qwidget et que personne ne surveillait le service de référence par Chat, le message « Chat non disponible » était automatiquement présenté à l’utilisateur. (Voir ci-dessous.)

Toutefois, dans cette situation, plusieurs bibliothèques préfèrent diriger leurs utilisateurs vers leur formulaire de Chat puisque ce service est parfois surveillé en tout temps. Elles ajoutaient donc des instructions dans la section message du Qwidget à cet effet. Mais, plusieurs utilisateurs qui voyaient le message « Chat non disponible » ne lisaient pas le reste du message ou étaient perplexes par les instructions contradictoires qui leur disaient que le Chat n’était pas disponible et d’utiliser le formulaire de Chat.

Le message « Chat non disponible » a donc été supprimé. Si ce n’est pas encore fait, les bibliothèques qui utilisent le Qwidget devront inscrire leur propre message pour diriger leurs utilisateurs vers le formulaire de Chat dans Administration/Établissement/Gestionnaire de formulaires/Qwidget (expérimental). Dans « Configuration du Qwidget », inscrivez dans la boîte Message hors ligne le message qui doit être présenté à vos utilisateurs lorsque personne ne surveille le Chat à votre bibliothèque. Pour des exemples de messages, voir la page de conseils pour le Qwidget au http://wiki.questionpoint.org/Qwidget+Tips.

2.3 Suppression de la soumission automatique à la Base de connaissances globale via les groupes virtuels

Les établissements de divers groupes d’abonnement peuvent former leur propre groupe pour l’acheminement de questions et pour la couverture du service durant les heures de fermeture. Certains abonnés de la première heure de QuestionPoint peuvent même former leurs propres groupes pour la couverture du service de Chat. Ces options sont toujours disponibles, mais la soumission automatique des transactions Fermées qui étaient acheminées à la Base de connaissances globale par l’intermédiaire de ces groupes a été supprimée.

La soumission automatique des transactions Fermées acheminée par l’intermédiaire du Réseau global de référence fonctionne toujours.

2.4 Codes descriptifs supplémentaires

Deux nouveaux codes descriptifs on été ajoutés dans la liste déroulante du moniteur de Chat lors de la fermeture d’une session et dans les Questions complètes du Service de référence, en cliquant sur « Ajouter des codes descriptifs ». Ces codes sont Référence bibliographique et Pas d’adresse électronique. Comme toujours, ces codes peuvent être utilisés selon vos pratiques locales. Les membres de la Coopérative 24/7 ne devraient pas assigner de codes descriptifs aux questions qu’ils ont traitées pour d’autres bibliothèques.

3. Corrections

3.1 Rapport sur les activités via le Qwidget

Le nom du rapport sur les activités via le Qwidget est maintenant Nombre de sessions de Chat demandées via le Qwidget.

QP install Nov 23: learn more at our webinars!

Dear QuestionPoint librarians:

The next install of QuestionPoint is tentatively scheduled for November 23, 2008 at 7 AM GMT (2 AM ET). The new install will include the Forms Manager for chat forms and other enhancements, including a new look and feel for the Flash Chat interface. Take a look at the improved librarian chat interface with Carol Bonnefil, who will take you on a tour of the key features and answer questions. Sign up for any one of the following webinars by clicking on the link provided. Don't worry if you can't attend - each one will be recorded, and links to the recordings will be posted on the QP blog.

Sign up for a webinar:

November 17, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM GMT (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time,10:00-11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time) - QuestionPoint Update Install - US

https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/Form.aspx?IDTD=3807636&RF=4109479&mode=0

November 18, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, 7:00-8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time) - QuestionPoint Update Install - EMEA

https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/Form.aspx?IDTD=3807636&RF=4109480&mode=0

November 20, 2:00 AM - 3:00 AM GMT (November 19 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, 6:00 PM -7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time) - QuestionPoint Update Install - Australia/Asia

https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/Form.aspx?IDTD=3807636&RF=4109482&mode=0

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

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

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.