QuestionPoint: 24/7 reference services

Release Notes: June 14, 2015

Introduction

Following up and expanding upon the recent change to the login screen and Home page, 2015 enhancements to QuestionPoint feature a new interface for librarians and redesigned forms for library users.  The new interface design reflects suggestions from librarians who use the QuestionPoint service to manage their virtual reference services.

You will see larger, clearer, more contemporary menus, action buttons, font styles, colors and sizes, all featuring a simplified logo and banner.  These changes are designed to improve the user experience on both desktop/laptop machines as well as make the pages function better on tablets and smart phones for both patrons and librarians.  Your library group can continue to display its branding with a local logo on both librarian and patron’s interfaces. 

A new Product Manager for QuestionPoint

It is our pleasure to introduce our new QuestionPoint Product Manager, Tom Haney, who comes to OCLC with an extensive background in Product Management.   Tom recently worked for (ICS)2, where he was Web Strategist.

 

Interface Refresh

Librarian Account

Login Screen

Featuring our new banner and font sizes: 

 

Figure 1: Librarian Logon screen

My QuestionPoint page

The Module Select list has moved to a more convenient position on the left border, directly above the Questions lists. Custom Logo is now featured in the center of the screen.  Final display size of a custom logo will be 200x45 pixels.

 

Figure 2: QuestionPoint Home page

 

Ask, KB, Admin and Profile Modules

Same layout, with larger fonts, new icons on navigation tabs, and updated status icons

 

Figure 3: Ask: Question list

Full Question View:

Larger action buttons, better spaced for touch screens and mobile users.

 

Figure 4: Full question View

 

Reports Module

Figure 5: Institution Chat report

OCLC hosted patron chat and email forms

The biggest change the patron forms is the upgrade to “Submit/Connect” buttons, which make the forms more accessible and mobile-friendly.

 

                            Figure 6: OCLC hosted patron email form 

Patron Account

The patron accounts have also been updated with the new look. This also improves the view and usability on tablets and smartphones.

 

Figure 7: Patron account login

 

 

Figure 8: Patron account Questions

Enhancements and Bug Fixes

Qwidget code snippet upgraded

The Qwidget code snippet available from Admin module>Forms>Forms Manager>Qwidget Creation has been upgraded to remove the reliance on external Google APIs.  This makes the Qwidget inherently more compatible with many 3^rd party products such as SirsiDynix CMS, ProQuest databases and LibGuides 2, that may have competing APIs in their own interfaces. If you have contacted OCLC within the last 6-8 months to receive “custom code” you do not need to make any changes to your Qwidget.  If you have not successfully embedded the Qwidget, but did not contact OCLC for assistance, please try again using the new snippet in the Admin module as mentioned above.

If the Qwidget on your website does not resemble this version in graphic appeal first introduced in summer 2014, (nicknamed the V.4 Qwidget), we encourage all QuestionPoint users to take advantage of the current version of Qwidget, so that your users will benefit from a display that adapts to a wide range of Android devices.

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 (See mobile compatibility chart: http://www.oclc.org/support/services/questionpoint/documentation/Requirements.en.html#Mobile)

 

What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor now has font face options and font size options:

Librarians can now choose from a variety of fonts and sizes to better convey the intended content in the Answer and Scripted message interfaces, and they can convert the Answer screen to a larger default size by hiding the Tooltips.

 

Figure 10: WYSIWIG show/hide and fonts

The Answer screen still provides the original, completely customizable sizing feature. To use this, click and drag the handle in the bottom right corner.

 

Figure 11: WYSIWYG sizing handle

Change email feature in Ask module now has an email validator

Currently, the Email and Confirm Email fields in the Ask "Change patron email" feature have a match validator, but the initial email field itself has no validator that checks to see if the email is well-formed. With this install a “loose” validator has been added to the initial email field to ensure that the librarian entering the email address the requisite @ and .  components.

 

Figure 12: Change email validation

Retired Features

Every product needs to continue to evolve to respond to its users’ changes and habits. In order to keep QuestionPoint vital and make way for future changes, some unused or underutilized features are retired as other features and capabilities grow.

With this release, we are retiring the Global Reference Network question referral capability.  For now, the change that may be most noticed by librarians is the absence of the “Refer to Global Network” option in the Ask module. In future releases, we will improve the Profile module and Policy Pages.  

In addition, we have retired the following unused languages in the QuestionPoint interface:

Czech, Estonian, Finnish, Japanese, Latvian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Swedish, Turkish

These languages had been unsupported with translation for the past several years.  Removing them from the language select list has made the language selector more convenient to use by those whose languages we continue to support.

 

24/7 Reference Cooperative Enhancements

The Cooperative Resources page, linked from the Home Page and accessible only to 24/7 Cooperative members has also received a facelift.

 

Install date and time:  June 14, 2015, at 6:00 to 6:30 GMT (2:00 AM EDT to 2:30 AM EDT)

 

 

 

 

 

Release Notes: September 27, 2014

I.  New Features/Improvements

    A.  Custom Qwidget code now available for use in recalcitrant CMS or external vendor products such as Sirsi/Dynix, and Proquest.

In August 2013 we introduced the V4 Qwidget, re-architected with a new look and feel, along with the new ability to place more than one Qwidget on a page.  In the ensuing months, as other vendors also upgraded their products, the standard issue V4 Qwidget became incompatible in some cases, and could not be embedded in those products.

Those users who requested assistance in getting the Qwidget working on their incompatible 3^rd party products occasionally altered the code of the V4 Qwidget themselves, sometimes with success. Others  consulted QuestionPoint personnel, and we suggested that they revert to using the older Qwidget until a work around could be engineered.

We will now make available, by request,  a custom Qwidget code snippet  that should allow for the newest V4 Qwidget (optimized for  a greater number of mobile devices and tablets)to be embedded in Sirsi/Dynix catalog and Proquest databases.  It is also compatible with LibGuides V2.

We recommend that you replace the altered Qwidgets with our new custom code.  To request the custom Qwidget code for these interfaces, please contact [email protected], and a QuestionPoint administrator will contact you with the correct code for your library website.

    B.   Support for older versions of the Qwidget now being retired

Please be advised that after this release, we will no longer support technical issues arising from use of the older (non V4) Qwidget.  The V4 Qwidget is now 11 months in production, and is the only Qwidget that supports both Apple and Android mobile/tablet devices, as well as Chrome, Firefox, IE and Safari for desktops.  

If the Qwidget on your library pages does not resemble the interface shown below, we strongly recommend that you upgrade your Qwidget.  If after attempting to use the standard code available from your Administration module, you cannot see the Qwidget on the embedded page, or if the page upon which you embedded the Qwidget stops working properly in other ways, please contact [email protected]  in order to get the custom code from us.

 

(Please note that there are a variety of colors and sizes of the V4 Qwidget available.  This representation is shown to illustrate the general nature of the V4 Qwidget with its crisp corners and larger graphics.  Your library’s Qwidget may be a different color or size and may include a request for an email address before the question may be submitted, depending upon how it was configured in the Administration module.)

II.  Fixes

    A.  Ask Module

        1.  Hotlinks in Answers now preserved when sessions are moved/copied to KB.

It was discovered that hot-linked URLs contained in librarians’ Answers in Ask sessions were not clickable after moving the session to a Knowledge Base entry.  The URLs were intentionally expanded when moved, so that no URLs are hidden by anchor text, but the expanded version was not clickable when saved in KB.  Now the hotlinks are expanded and the actual URL is now clickable.   Note that if the URL was not hot-linked in the original Answer, it will not automatically be clickable when moved to KB, but users can easily transform any URL into a clickable link by surrounding the URL with < > carets when they are in the edit mode.

        2.   Lengthy URLs caused display issues in the Ask module

In our last install, we attempted a fix for lengthy URLS in the Question field in Ask module.  Unfortunately, that fix caused other more obvious layout problems in the rest of the Ask module, causing words to break unnaturally at the end of the line, as well as disrupting the table format in the Review Transcripts screens.  We have rolled out that initial unsatisfactory fix.   Now, regular text will properly format in the Ask lists and Review Transcripts tables now format properly. 

When patron questions or librarian answers contain extremely long URLS, the Question lists and/or Full Question detail displays will again be affected, causing horizontal scroll bars on the page.  We will continue to investigate ways to fix this long URL issue without you having to truncate your Question Lists using your personal Settings link on the QuestionPoint Home page.

        3.  IE 10 users can now add and edit Email Partner addresses in the Ask Module

After the introduction of IE 10, it was discovered that those users could not add or edit Email partner Addresses in the Ask module Settings.  That bug has now been fixed, and users can add or edit those addresses.

    B.  Qwidget

        1.  Qwidget offline message length restriction now lifted. 

When the V4 Qwidget was introduced, the Qwidget offline message capacity was limited to 127 characters to preserve formatting.  This restriction unintentionally affected the previous version Qwidgets with the result that users who had not upgraded their Qwidgets to the newer V4 experienced truncation of their previous offline message despite the presence of enough space to see a longer message.

We have now removed the 127 character restriction from the offline message box, thereby restoring previous Qwidget messages to their full view in older version Qwidgets.

We continue to recommend 127 characters to new Qwidget builders on the Qwidget creation screen, as that is the amount of space available in the design of the V4 Qwidget.

        2.  Qwidget warning improved

While testing the newly compatible Qwidget in Proquest, it was discovered that if an embedded Qwidget chat session was in progress, any attempts to refresh or click on another link on that page could cause the existing chat session to disconnect.  Although some pages had a warning about whether or not the user really wanted to refresh, there was no specific reminder that this would affect the current Qwidget chat session.  We have now added an additional cautionary warning to the stock browser refresh warning when a Qwidget session is progress:

Here is an example of the message used in a Chrome browser:

 

Notes d’installation : 27 septembre 2014

I.    Nouvelles fonctionnalités et améliorations

    A.  Code personnalisable pour Qwidget disponible pour systèmes de gestion de contenu et systèmes de fournisseurs externes comme Sirsi/Dynix et Proquest.

En août 2013, nous avons lancé le Qwidget V4, une version redessinée du widget de QuestionPoint qui pouvait être intégré plusieurs fois dans une page Web. Dans les mois qui ont suivi, alors que d’autres fournisseurs ont également mis à niveau leurs produits, le Qwidget V4 standard est devenu incompatible dans certains cas et ne pouvait plus être intégré à ces produits.

Certains des utilisateurs qui ont demandé de l’aide pour faire fonctionner le Qwidget avec leurs produits externes incompatibles ont modifié eux-mêmes le code du Qwidget V4, parfois avec succès. D’autres ont fait appel au personnel de QuestionPoint et nous leur avons suggéré d’utiliser une version antérieure du  Qwidget en attendant que le problème soit réglé.

Nous avons donc crée un bloc de code réutilisable (snippet) personnalisé pour le Qwidget (optimisé pour un plus grand nombre d’appareils mobiles et de tablettes) pour intégration dans les catalogues de Sirsi/Dynix et les bases de données de Proquest. Il est également compatible avec LibGuides V2.

Nous vous recommandons de remplacer les Qwidgets modifiés par le nouveau code personnalisé. Pour obtenir ce code personnalisé pour intégration à ces interfaces, veuillez contacter [email protected] : un administrateur de QuestionPoint communiquera avec vous et vous fera parvenir le code approprié pour le site Web de votre bibliothèque.

    B.    Fin de l’assistance pour les anciennes versions du Qwidget

Veuillez noter qu’après cette installation, nous ne fournirons plus d’assistance technique pour les anciennes versions du Qwidget, c’est-à-dire autres que la V4. Le Qwidget V4 est maintenant disponible depuis 11 mois et est le seul Qwidget qui soit compatible tant avec les mobiles et tablettes Apple qu’Android, et avec les navigateurs Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer et Safari.  

Si le Qwidget dans les pages Web de votre bibliothèque ne ressemble pas à l’illustration ci-dessous, nous vous recommandons fortement de mettre à niveau votre Qwidget. Si, après avoir essayé d’utiliser le code standard disponible dans votre module Administration de QuestionPoint, vous ne voyez pas le Qwidget intégré dans la page, ou si la page dans laquelle vous avez intégré le Qwidget ne fonctionne pas correctement, veuillez contacter [email protected] afin que nous puissions vous faire parvenir le code personnalisé pour votre bibliothèque.

 

Veuillez noter qu’il existe une gamme de couleurs et de tailles pour le Qwidget V4. Cette illustration sert à montrer l’aspect général du Qwidget V4 avec ces coins non arrondis et icônes plus larges. Le Qwidget de votre bibliothèque peut être de couleur et de taille différente, et peut inclure du texte demandant à l’utilisateur d’inscrire une adresseélectronique avant d’envoyer sa question (la configuration du Qwidget est effectuée dans le module Administration.)

II.   Résolutions de problèmes

    A.  Service de référence

        1.   Les liens dynamiques dans les réponses sont maintenant conservés lorsque les sessions sont transférées/copiées dans la Base de connaissances.

Il était impossible de cliquer sur les liens dynamiques contenus dans les réponses des bibliothécaires dans le module Service de référence si la session avait été copiée dans la Base de connaissances. Les adresses URL étaient intentionnellement allongées lorsque les réponses étaient transférées pour que l’adresse ne soit pas masquée par du texte d’ancrage, mais cette version allongée n’était pas cliquable lorsque sauvegardée dans la Base de connaissances. Maintenant, les adresses URL sont allongées et les liens sont cliquables. Veuillez noter que si l’URL n’était pas dynamique (cliquable) dans la réponse originale, il ne le sera pas lorsqu’il sera transféré dans la Base de connaissances. Toutefois, il est possible de transformer facilement une URL en un lien cliquable en le mettant entre < >.

        2.   Les URLS très longues causaient des problèmes d’affichage dans le Service de référence

Lors de l’installation précédente, nous avons tenté de résoudre le problème lié aux URL trop longues dans les questions (module Service de référence). Malheureusement, cette correction a entraîné d’autres problèmes d’affichage encore plus évidents dans d’autres écrans du Service de référence, particulièrement des coupures de mot en bout de ligne et des tableaux décalés dans les écrans Révision des transactions. Nous avons restauré le code initial afin de régler ces problèmes d’affichage dans les listes de questions et les tableaux des écrans Révision des transactions.

Lorsque les questions des utilisateurs ou les réponses des bibliothécaires contiendront des URL anormalement longues, l’affichage dans les listes de questions ou dans les questions complètes sera affecté ce qui entraînera l’affichage de barres de défilement horizontales dans la page. Nous continuons de travailler à résoudre ce problème causé par les URLS très longues sans que vous soyez obligés de tronquer les questions dans les listes en utilisant vos paramètres personnels (Mon QuestionPoint >> Mes paramètres >> Tronquer questions dans les listes).

        3.  Les utilisateurs d’IE 10 peuvent maintenant ajouter et modifier des adresses de Partenaires de courriels dans le Service de référence

Après la sortie d’Internet Explorer 10, nous avons constaté que les utilisateurs de cette version d’IE ne pouvaient pas ajouter ou modifier les adresses de partenaires dans les paramètres du module Service de référence. Ce problème a été réglé.

    B.   Qwidget

        1.     Limite de caractères pour les messages hors ligne des versions antérieures du Qwidget. 

Lors de la sortie du Qwidget V4, le message hors ligne (message indiquant que le service n’est pas disponible) pour le Qwidget V4 était limité à 127 caractères afin de préserver le formatage. Cette restriction affectait les versions précédentes du Qwidget et les messages dans les versions antérieures étaient tronqués même s’il y avait assez d’espace pour afficher des messages plus longs.

Cette restriction de 127 caractères a été abolie pour les messages hors ligne dans les versions antérieures du Qwidget (avant la version 4).  

Nous vous recommandons de limiter le nombre de caractères du message hors ligne à 127 lors de la création de nouveaux Qwidgets puisque c’est la limite de caractères acceptée dans le Qwidget V4.

        2.   Meilleure mise en garde dans le Qwidget

Lors des tests du Qwidget avec Proquest, nous avons découvert que si une session en ligne via le Qwidget intégré était en cours, toute tentative pour rafraîchir la page ou pour cliquer sur un autre lien dans la page pouvait interrompre la session en cours. Même si certaines pages contenaient des mises en garde quant au rafraîchissement de la page, il n’y avait aucune indication que cette action pouvait mettre fin à la session en cours via le Qwidget. Nous avons ajouté une mise en garde supplémentaire à la mise en garde du navigateur lorsque l’utilisateur tente de rafraîchir l’écran alors qu’il a une session en cours dans le Qwidget :

Voici un exemple du message dans le navigateur Chrome :

 

(Bien que des parties du message affiché ici soient en anglais, le message sera affiché entièrement en français si le système d’exploitation et le navigateur utilisés sont en français. 

QuestionPoint Virtual User Group: August 2014

Over 100 librarians attended the latest QP virtual user group, held once on August 5 and again on August 6.  The QP product team discussed what’s new with QuestionPoint, including:

• Results of the February 2014 user survey
• Spring/Summer enhancements, including the WYSIWYG editor and new interface design
• What’s next: Qwidget enhancements

You can hear the recording for the August 5 webinar using either the streaming version or download version (you must have an Arf player)

If you have trouble viewing the recording, or if you have questions about anything that we discussed in the meeting, please send me an email at: [email protected]

Thanks to all who attended our virtual user group meeting!

Notes d'installation de QuestionPoint 27 juillet, 2014

I. Nouvelles fonctionnalités/ Améliorations

    A. La mise en place de l’éditeur WYSIWYG se poursuit.

        1.   Scripts de messages.

Trois niveaux de scripts de messages sont disponibles et peuvent être utilisés dans les réponses de courriel et de sessions en ligne: niveau personnel bibliothécaire, le niveau de l'institution, et scripts communs (BME). L'éditeur WYSIWYG préalablement introduit remplace désormais la zone de saisie de texte brut aux trois niveaux. Vous pouvez maintenant ajouter du texte formaté, en utilisant des couleurs et des sauts de ligne, ainsi que les autres éléments dans l'éditeur WYSIWYG, à l'exception de l'élément de menu "Insérer un lien" et le bouton associé.

Les URLs peuvent encore être utilisés à l'intérieur des scripts de messages  et si vous entrez une URL complète (y compris la partie "http://"), l'URL sera automatiquement convertie en hyperlien. Lors de la saisie d'une URL, n'oubliez pas d'inclure une espace après l'URL avant de taper d'autres mots ou caractères pour que l’hyperlien n’ajoute pas ces mots à l'URL.

Lors de la rédaction ou d’une modification d’un script de message auquel vous ajoutez un contenu formaté, veuillez prendre en considérations les points suivants:

• Soyez conscient de l'utilisation des couleurs et des lettres de grande taille  lors de la création des scripts à être utilisé principalement dans les sessions en ligne. Les couleurs et  les polices de grandes tailles peuvent entrer en conflit avec l'interface ou les paramètres, « Préférences »  des utilisateurs.  Un exemple serait d'utiliser le texte en rouge dans une session en ligne.  Si la bibliothèque emploie une interface  avec un Qwidget rouge, le texte en rouge serait illisible, car le Qwidget rouge rend le dialogue du bibliothécaire sur un fond rouge.
• Évitez d'utiliser des balises URL complexes avec des ancres (<a> </ a>). La fonction d’hyperlien automatique formate déjà les URL reconnues avec des ancres, donc l’emploie  des ancres causera des problèmes dans l'interface de l’utilisateur et brisera  l'URL de sorte qu'il n'est plus cliquable ni même  visible dans la fenêtre d'affichage (si l’utilisateur est dans une session en ligne avec fenêtre).  De plus, l’ajout d’ancres dans les URLs  affecte l’affichage du Qwidget, forçant une nouvelle page à apparaître à la place de la fenêtre des messages Qwidget.
• Nous vous recommandons fortement de consulter vos scripts de message actuels aux trois niveaux pour vérifier  les balises d'ancrage. Vous pouvez les supprimer, ne laissant que l'URL d'origine qui sera automatiquement lié lorsque vous enregistrez le script modifié.

 

        2.   Annonces

L'éditeur WYSIWYG a été ajouté  aux annonces d’institution et BME. La gamme complète d'outils WYSIWYG (y compris liaison) a été ajoutée à deux niveaux ce qui permet  la personnalisation des zones d'annonce sur la page d'accueil Mon QuestionPoint.

II.   Correctifs

    A.  Sauts de ligne dans les dossiers BC  provenant de sessions sans adresse courriel d’utilisateur ont été réparés.

Nous avons découvert que les  sessions sans courriel d’utilisateur (telles que les sessions anonymes) avaient un problème de saut de ligne lors du transfert vers la base des connaissances.  Nous avons corrigé le tout.  Les inscriptions dans la base des connaissances reconnaissent maintenant les sauts de ligne utilisés dans l’éditeur WYSIWYG et n’affichent plus les balises <br/>.

    B.  L’affichage de langues étrangères et des diacritiques dans des éléments de texte ont été corrigés.

Certains éléments de texte des courriels (comme la partie historique de la question des courriels  envoyés aux clients et aux bibliothécaires) et des inscriptions dans la base des connaissances avaient des problèmes d'affichage à la suite des correctifs de saut de ligne du mois dernier.  Ceci a été réparé et tous  les diacritiques des langues étrangères sont maintenant affichés correctement  dans la partie de texte des courriels et des inscriptions dans la base des connaissances.

    C.  Longues URLs causant des problèmes d'affichage dans le module Service de référence.

Lorsque des questions d’utilisateurs ou des réponses de bibliothécaires contenaient de très longues URLs, l’affichage détaillé de la Liste de questions et / ou la Question complète étaient affectées,  provoquant des barres de défilement horizontales et une visibilité réduite de données importantes supplémentaires des questions.  Le tout a été corrigé et les longues URLs sont maintenant incluses à l’intérieur des limites de la structure de cellule du tableau, gardant toutes les colonnes visibles dans une page Web de taille régulière.

QuestionPoint Release Notes, July 27, 2014 Install

I. New Features/Improvements

    A.  WYSIWYG editor introduction continues.

        1.  Scripted Messages 

There are three levels of scripted messages available for use in both email answers and in Chat sessions: Librarian Personal level, Institution level, and Shared (BME) level.  The previously introduced WYSIWYG editor now replaces the plain text entry box at all three levels.  You can now add formatted text, using colors and line breaks, as well as the other elements in the WYSIWYG editor, with the notable exception of the “Linking” menu item and “Linking” button. 

URLS can still be used inside of scripted messages and if you enter a complete URL (Including the “http://” portion) the URL will automatically be converted to an underlined, clickable link.  When entering a URL, be sure to include a space after the URL before you type any other words or characters, so that the auto link feature doesn’t include those words as part of the URL.

Important considerations while drafting or editing your current scripted message to add formatted content: 

• Be mindful of use of colors and large size text headers, particularly when creating messages to be used primarily in Chat.  Colors and large type may conflict with the patron’s interface or Preferences settings, thereby rendering the text unreadable.  An example would be using red text in a chat session. If the patron is using an interface that has a red Qwidget, they won’t see red text, as the red Qwidget renders the librarian chat against a red background.
• Avoid using complex URL tags with anchors (<a></a> tags).  The auto link feature already wraps recognized URLs with anchors, so adding manual anchors will cause havoc in the patron interface, and break the URL so that it is no longer clickable or viewable in the Viewport (if the patron is using Chat with Viewport.)  Manual anchors will also cause sent URLs to break the Qwidget, forcing the page to appear in place of the Qwidget chat.
• We strongly recommend you review your existing scripted messages at all three levels to check for manual anchor tags.  You can remove them, leaving only the original URL which will automatically link when you save the edited script.

        2.  Announcements

The WYSIWYG editor has now been added to both Institution level and BME level Announcements. The full suite of WYSIWYG tools, (including linking) has been added at both levels, allowing for easier emphasis and personalization of the Announcement areas on the My QuestionPoint Home page.

II.  Fixes

    A.  Line breaks in original KB entries without patron email address repaired.

It was discovered that Ask sessions that did not contain a patron email address (such as anonymous or walkup sessions) contained line break issues when moved to KB.  This has been repaired.   The KB entries now correctly recognized line breaks used in the WYSIWYG editor and do not display the <br/> tags in the KB record.

    B.  Foreign language sets and diacritics in plain text components repaired

Plain text elements of emails (such as the Question History part of emails sent to patrons and to referral librarians) and KB records had display problems as a result of last month’s line break bug fixes. This has been repaired, and all supported foreign language sets and diacritics are now correctly rendered in the plain text portion of emails and KB.

    C.  Lengthy URLs caused display issues in the Ask module

When patron questions or librarian answers contained extremely long URLS, the Question lists and/or Full Question detail displays were negatively affected, causing horizontal scroll bars and reduced visibility of additional important question data.  This has been fixed, and long URLs now wrap within the confines of the table cell structure, keeping all of the columns visible in a regularly sized webpage.

QuestionPoint Virtual User Group: Aug 5 or Aug 6

It's time for a QP virtual user group meeting! This is your chance to hear from the QP product team about the enhancements we've done so far this year, as well as what we're planning next. We'll also share the results of the QuestionPoint user survey (conducted in Jan-Feb 2014). Our update should take about 30 minutes. The remaining hour will be yours to ask questions and discuss any topics of interest to you.

Registration instructions:

Please choose one of the following sessions. (Times are shown for both the Eastern time zone in the U.S. and GMT time for international participants.) Registration is required so we can distribute the necessary log-in/call-in information to you. Note that you will be required to enter a password to enter the meeting, and this password will be included in your registration email. The password is case sensitive. Please be sure that messages from [email protected] are allowed through to you so your confirmation and log-in information is not caught in a spam blocker. When registering, please provide your name and email address; the other requested information is not required.

Tuesday, 5 August, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET (UTC-4; 15:00 to 16:00 in the UK) Best for Europe and the Americas east and central Please register at: https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?ED=300214082&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MTgjMjE%3D

Wednesday, 6 August, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 5:00 PM PT; UTC-7; 11:00 PM GMT) Best for the Americas west, Australia and Asia.

Please register at: https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?MTID=me66e2ecdc590de9d292fa7ecdf7d8c1f

Sessions will be conducted in English and recorded for those who cannot attend.

Session of the Week #7: Journal articles or overviews?

 

When assisting students with their research,  pointing to the library’s databases and recommending search terms isn’t always the best place to start, especially if the search results are too specific for the student’s needs.  In this session, the librarian works with the student to determine the effectiveness of a database search, suggesting more general resources (encyclopedias, etc). The student was delighted and commented (in the post-session survey):  “The person I talked to was extremely helpful! I figured they would just give me advice, but this person actually helped me research! Definitely above and beyond what I expected."

The complete session (anonymized) is below:

Patron: Hello. I'm trying to find a relevant article about a specific organism for my Microbiology paper that isn't as in depth as an analysis of its makeup. Do you have any suggestions to narrow down the results? Thanks in advance!

Librarian: Hello! Just a moment while I look at your question.

Librarian: I'm looking at a list of databases accessible to [name of patron’s library], and I'm wondering which one's you've already tried ...?

Patron: I'm currently on EBSCOHost; I haven't used any of the other databases before.

Librarian:  EBSCO is a vendor of databases, not a database, were you in Academic Search Premier by chance?

Librarian: your complete database list is here: http://www.Library.edu/databases

Librarian: I'm think that overviews might be more useful for you than journal articles, which focus on narrow aspects of topics - can you use online reference works, for example?

Patron:  Yep! Sorry, I normally don't use these, but I've been having trouble finding information on this organism in general, including a general websearch. I didn't notice the top of the screen said Academic Search Premier.

Librarian:  the Oxford Reference online sounds like it might offer subject encyclopedias that would give you an overview of microorganisms

Librarian: what is your specific genus and species name?

Patron:  In response to the second question, yes, my professor just asked us to use credible sources, so I thought searching on be would be a good idea, but they're a tad more in-depth than I need.

Patron: Okay, thank you! My organism is Micrococcus luteus.

Librarian: ok, hang on ...

Librarian: The Oxford entries were not specific to that organism, except a couple of brief references

Librarian: I notice you have access to Scientific American online; their articles tend to be comprehensible to educated readers without advanced degrees, you could try that next (keyword searching by genus and species)

Patron: I checked as well and the only results I found were the genus, not the species (which I can use as well) but they require a paid membership.

Librarian:  they shouldn't require a paid membership if you start at your library's database page: http://www.library.edu/databases

Librarian:  you should be able to get into any database there with your ID and PIN, as explained on this page: http://library.edu/PINs

Librarian:  I might try ProQuest next, although many of their articles are also highly technical - some are not

Patron: Oh, okay, thank you! I wasn't aware of that.

Librarian: hang on, still looking ...

Librarian:  I tried ProQuest, and found over 20 articles with m. luteus as a "subject" (better than searching keywords) but all were rather narrow focus research articles

Librarian: is there a common name for the micro-organism, or something that makes it interesting to laypeople?

Librarian: Wikipedia doesn't seem to think so ... (you can't use them as a source, of course)

Patron: I'm searching through Scientific American and haven't found anything so far. Unfortunately, no really. It's a pretty common microbe, as in it's always on our skin, and doesn't do much unless the person is immuncompromised. The most interesting fact I've found is that is causes the odor in stinky feet.

Librarian: that is interesting, I'm thinking general science magazines (like New Scientist, Discover, or Science News) might mention it in relation to recent discoveries

Librarian: to find those, I'd normally use the big aggregrate databases like Academic Search Premier or ProQuest, but you could try other all-topic databases in the library’s database list

Librarian:  perhaps the health-related databases

Patron:  Okay, I'll start searching some of those then. Thank you! The only website I could come up with was the CDC and they didn't have much unfortunately. I was just at a loss of where to look.

Librarian: in EBSCO you can do a combined database search, and that it improves your chances with obscure topics; look for the "choose databases" link after the database name (top left) of the advanced search screen

Librarian: you'll probably have to wade through a bunch of highly technical citations and abstracts until you can find one that is more general and comprehensible. For general overviews of scientific topics, I usually recommend science (or biology in this case) encyclopedias, which are often in print in the library

Librarian: they're considered credible, if not quite peer-reviewed

Librarian:  with this topic, all I'm finding tonight are highly technical research articles that won't give an overview

Librarian: wait, you have Grzimek's online, that might help

Patron: I think my professor was mainly hinting that she would not be impressed if we used Wikipedia as a source. She didn't seem overly concerned with where it came from, as long as the facts were right. I noticed, the combined databases pulled up over 4,000 results. I never would have thought of a biology encyclopedia, that's a great idea! That was my problem with Academic Search Premier. My target audience is supposed to be someone who has never taken Microbiology, so I have to simplify everything I come across.

Librarian: that explains some things (virtually no instructors like Wikipedia as a source, incidentally)

Librarian: The Grzimek's didn't work because a bacterium isn't an animal

Librarian: you might also try textbooks (but probably not the one used in your class)

Librarian: they tend to simplify and generalize a bit

Patron: I can see why, I've gotten some bad (or just incomplete) information from Wikipedia before, but it's occasionally nice for a brief overview. I tried my class textbook, but like you said, it was too generalized for my purpose. Very true, thank you for all of your help!

Librarian: You’re welcome.  I hope the session was helpful and that you'll use this service again soon! If you provided an email, you will receive a transcript of this session shortly. You may also see a link to a survey, which you may use to rate this service. Thanks!

Librarian coded session for Follow Up 

If you have a session to recommend a session for Session of the Week, or if you have any comments/concerns about any chat sessions, send it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either[email protected] or [email protected]]. Thanks to all who have submitted a SOTW!

QuestionPoint maintenance install Thursday June 12, 204 6:00 UTC (2:00 AM EDT)

Please be advised that the QuestionPoint service will be unavailable Thursday June 12, 2014 from 6:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. EDT) to 6:30 UTC (2:30 a.m. EDT), in order to correct some behavior of the new WYSIWYG editor in QuestionPoint.

It is imperative that you end any in-progress chat sessions at least one minute prior to the scheduled service interruption to avoid sudden communication interruptions to your patrons and potential "hung" sessions. (You will be unable to click on any in-progress sessions to get information to communicate with the patron.)

If you experience any outage after the projected service period, please contact your Customer Service Provider for further assistance. Details regarding the WYSIWYG corrections are  available  here.

Notes d’installation Date d’installation: 12 juin 2014

Correctifs

En mai 2014, nous avons intégré un éditeur WYSIWYG dans QuestionPoint (voir : 5/18/2014 Notes d’installation QP).  Malheureusement, quelques problèmes ont été découverts. Ils sont maintenant  corrigés.

 

A.   Bris de ligne dans les messages préenregistrés (scripts) lorsqu’utilisés dans l’éditeur WYSIWYG

Les messages préenregistrés qui sont disponibles dans le module Service de référence sont actuellement rédigés en format texte (brut). Les lignes peuvent être brisées lors de l’utilisation de la touche « Entrée » ou de la balise <br>. 

Malheureusement, le retour à la ligne avec la touche « Entrée » n’était pas reconnu par le nouvel éditeur WYSIWYG.  Par conséquent, les messages préenregistrés n’étaient pas correctement affichés lorsque des balises <br> n’avaient pas été utilisées. Ces messages nécessitaient des corrections manuelles.

Nous avons résolu ce problème : les messages préenregistrés qui contenaient des retours à la ligne créés avec la touche « Entrée » sont maintenant correctement affichés dans l’éditeur WYSIWYG lors de l’envoi de réponses, de demandes de clarification ou de messages. À partir de maintenant, l’utilisation de la touche « Entrée » ou de la balise <br> créera un retour à la ligne unique dans les messages préenregistrés de tous les niveaux (individuel, établissement, et groupe d’abonnement).

B.   Bris de ligne dans l’éditeur WYSIWYG

À l’origine, l’utilisation de la touche « Entrée » dans l’éditeur WYSIWYG devait créer un double retour à la ligne (paragraphe). Pour créer un retour à la ligne simple, il faillait utiliser les touches « Maj » + « Entrée ».  Toutefois, cette pratique ne s’est pas avérée intuitive.

Dorénavant, un retour à la ligne simple sera créé avec la touche « Entrée ».  Pour créer un double retour à la ligne, cliquez deux fois sur la touche « Entrée », ou cliquez sur « Maj » + « Entrée ».

 

C.   Jeux de caractères non latins maintenant reconnus lorsque des sessions de QuestionPoint sont transférées dans la base de connaissances

Alors que nous allons de l’avant pour implanter le format HTML dans les réponses des bibliothécaires et des utilisateurs, les demandes de clarification et les autres messages dans QuestionPoint,  certains processus qui importent le texte des zones qui utilisent encore le format texte brut ne reconnaissaient pas les jeux de caractères non latins ou les signes diacritiques. Nous avons découvert que certaines réponses ajoutées à la base de connaissances et certaines questions acheminées à d’autres bibliothécaires contenaient parfois des caractères illisibles. Ce problème a été réglé.

Dorénavant, les textes rédigés en caractères non latins ou contenant des signes diacritiques (pour les langues prises en charge par QuestionPoint) seront correctement affichés lorsqu’importés dans les bases de connaissances et lors de l’envoi de messages ou d’avis.

QuestionPoint Release Notes, June 12 2013 Install

  Bug Fixes

 

 In May of 2014 we introduced a WYSIWYG editor into QuestionPoint.  (See: 5/18/2014 QP Release Notes).    Unfortunately a few bugs were discovered that are now repaired:

 

A.                Line breaks in Scripted Messages when used in WYSIWYG

The Scripted Messages configured for the Ask module are currently written in plain text.   Line breaks can be created by using the “Enter” key on the keyboard, as well as by using the <br> tag.  

Unfortunately, the carriage return “Enter” key method was not recognized by the new WYSIWYG editor.  As a result, formatted scripts were suffering “run-on” appearance if <br> tags had not been used, and therefore had to be manually edited from within the editor. 

A temporary work around was offered, suggesting that <br> tags be used until the previously used formatting became available in WYSIWYG. 

We have implemented a retroactive fix, and “Enter” key returns are now preserved, allowing those previously formatted scripts to behave correctly when added to the WYSIWYG editing screen in Answers, Clarification Requests, and Messages.  Going forward, both “Enter” key returns and /or <br> tags will create a single space line break in all three levels of Scripted Messages (Individual, Institution, and BME Shared Messages.)

 

B.                Line Breaks from within WYSIWYG

When using any of the WYSIWYG screens,  the original default behavior line break implemented by using the “Enter” key was to create a double line break space (i.e. a paragraph break).  It was only possible to create a single line break by using Shift+Enter.  This was deemed counter-intuitive to expected behavior; therefore we have reversed this rule.  

Enter key now creates a single line break. To create a double line break, use Enter key twice, or Shift+Enter.

 

C.                Foreign Language sets now recognized when QP sessions are moved into KB.

As we proceed with the process of updating QuestionPoint features to use html in Answers, Patron replies, Clarification Requests and Messages, some processes sitll using plain text that import content from QP sessions were negatively affected when foreign language sets or diacritics were used.  We discovered that Answers promoted to the KB, emails received by librarians upon referral, and those sent to email partners contained some unreadable text under certain conditions.   That has been repaired and character sets of our supported languages will now render correctly when imported to the Knowledge Bases, and when sent out via email. 

Session of the Week #6: Readers’ Advisory success story

Although there are many sites with suggestions on what to read next, it can be tricky for patrons to locate a fondly remembered book when, alas, they don’t remember the author or the title.  In this session, the patron can remember the cover of the book and some key plot points, and the reference librarian uses this, along with information gleaned in the reference interview, to find that book:

Patron: I'm looking for a book that I read about 4 or 5 years ago. I don't remember the title or the author, but I remember that there was a girl on the cover who had on like a simple, dark dress and dark, black hair. I also remember that she was about 16, she was living with her great aunt and uncle because her parents had died...I feel like in some sort of hiking accident. It was during the summer and she ended up getting a job at a bakery. I would greatly appreciate your help in finding this book. Thank you!

Librarian:  Hello, I'm reading your question and will be with you in just a moment.

Librarian: Unfortunately we can't search by cover art or color, so let's focus on what you remember about the story.

Librarian: Did you get the book from your library? Was it a book for kids, teens or adults?

Patron: I got it from my school library, it was for teens. I'm pretty sure.

Librarian: Here is a likely description: When sixteen-year-old Martha Venable Sexton gets a summer job at a bakery, her whole life changes as she finds friends, discovers men, learns to balance individuality with "blending in," and comes to terms with her guardian aunt and uncle.

Librarian:  The title is "M.V. Sexton speaking " and the author is Suzanne Newton

Patron: I think that's it!!!

Librarian: Good! Glad to help.

Librarian: Do you want to check if your public library has it, or are you going to look at school library now?

Patron: Thank you so much! I would like to check if my public library has it.

Librarian: I just checked and did not find it. It is published in 1981, so it might not have survived 33 years in a public library.

Librarian: If your school library doesn't still have it, look into Interlibrary Loan at your public library.

[Librarian sends link to ILL for patron’s public library']

Patron: Okay, thank you so much. I've been looking for this book for ages it feels like.

Librarian: You're very welcome.

Librarian: Bye! It's been a pleasure serving you. If you need further help, please feel free to login again. If you have provided a valid e-mail address, you will receive a transcript of this chat session in your e-mail. Please take a moment to complete the survey!

The patron commented, via the survey: “I had been looking for a book that I couldn't remember the title or author of. Needless to say, I wasn't having much luck finding the book. All I could remember was what the book was about, but just plugging that into search engines wasn't working. I found this and figured it was worth a shot and within a few questions, my book was found! I was elated. This is an amazing tool."

Congratulations to the librarian who, using reference interview techniques and the patron’s library’s readers’ advisory database, was able to locate the book (and sent the ILL form so the patron could read the book once more).

If you would like to nominate a session, send it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either [email protected] or [email protected]]. Thanks to all who have submitted a SOTW!

ALA 2014: QP user group meeting

If you are attending ALA Annual in Las Vegas, please join us for the QuestionPoint user group meeting! The meeting will be held on Sunday, June 29, 10:30 – 11:30 am at the Paris Hotel, Loire Room

We will provide a QuestionPoint update with plenty of time for questions, discussion, and learning about tips and tricks from QuestionPoint colleagues. If you have specific topics you would like us to discuss, you may forward them to me at [email protected]

If you are planning on attending the meeting, please register on the OCLC Web site at http://oc.lc/ALA2014. And, be sure and drop by the OCLC booth too - Booth 913 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

WYSIWYG tip: line breaks in the Answer screen

On May 18 we introduced WYSIWYG formatting to the answer screen in the QuestionPoint Ask module.  However, two issues quickly surfaced:

(1) when composing a message in the Answer screen, the WYSIWYG editor creates a paragraph break (basically a double space) rather than a line break (basically, a single space) when you use the carriage return, and 

(2) for scripted messages where spacing is used to create line breaks (without using HTML tags), the line break is not recognized.  This means that a signature that looks fine in your scripted messages now  looks like this when inserted into the Answer screen:

Steve Smith 24/7 Library Anywhere USA

We are working on fixing these two issues in the code (the install is planned tentatively for 2 AM ET on June 12).

After the install (stay tuned for confirmation of the date and time):

• A single carriage return will create a single space, not a double space, and
• For the scripted messages, we are altering the WYSIWYG editor to treat existing carriage returns from imported scripts as a line break.  In the meantime, if you would like formatting in your scripted messages, you can edit your scripts to use HTML coding, as follows:

Steve Smith<br>24/7 Library<br>Anywhere USA<br>

Note: If you leave the existing carriage return in and add the <br> HTML code, you will have double-spacing because the fix will retroactively correct the line breaks.

We’ll have further details once we the install date and time is set, but feel free to post any tips that you have used to improve the WYSIWYG experience to the blog.

Notes d'installation de QuestionPoint 18 mai, 2014

I.                  Nouvelles fonctionnalités

A.                Intégration d’un éditeur WYSIWYG dans QuestionPoint

L’une des améliorations les plus demandées est graduellement intégrée à l’interface de  QuestionPoint. 

1.                Écran de réponse des bibliothécaires dans le module Service de référence

Auparavant, les réponses des bibliothécaires aux usagers étaient envoyées en texte brut uniquement. Aucun formatage n’était possible. Il en allait de même pour la zone Note du bibliothécaire.

Avec l’intégration d’un éditeur WYSIWYG, il sera maintenant possible de formater les réponses et d’en voir un aperçu dans le module Service de référence tel qu’illustré ci-dessous.

 

Éléments disponibles :

• Gras
• Italique
• Liste numérotée
• Liste à puces
• Augmenter le retrait
• Diminuer le retrait
• Couleur de police
• Paragraphe
• Hyperlien
• Émoticons

Éléments non disponibles :

• Balises d’en-tête H1
• Blockquote ou bloc de texte
• Formatage de code
• Insertion de :
  • Vidéo
  • Image
  • Balises d’ancrage
  • Tableaux
  • Balises de script

Les réponses envoyées contiendront le texte en format HTML et en format texte. Le bon format sera affiché à l’utilisateur selon les paramètres de sa messagerie électronique.

B.                Notes du bibliothécaire

Le même éditeur WYSIWYG sera également disponible pour les notes des bibliothécaires (zone Note dans le Service de référence), et permettra d’utiliser des éléments de formatage et d’inclure des liens.

 

C.                Fonctionnalité entièrement repensée pour les réponses des usagers

Quatre nouvelles options seront disponibles pour les réponses des usagers.

1.                Réponse en format HTML

Étant donné que les bibliothécaires pourront envoyer aux usagers des réponses en texte formaté, QuestionPoint pourra également accepter, éditer et afficher les réponses des usagers aussi en texte formaté. Jusqu’à présent, QuestionPoint n’acceptait que les réponses d’usagers en texte brut. Toutefois, beaucoup d’usagers envoyaient, sans le savoir, leurs réponses en format HTML et ne comprenaient pas pourquoi leurs messages étaient refusés par QuestionPoint. Avec l’installation du 18 mai, les usagers pourront envoyer leurs réponses en format texte brut ou en format HTML et ces réponses seront affichées dans ce format dans QuestionPoint.

Dans le but de protéger le système et les ordinateurs des bibliothécaires des activités malfaisantes (connues ou non des usagers), le système QuestionPoint supprimera certains éléments HTML comme les scripts, les exécutables, etc. dans les messages des usagers. De plus, les adresses URL complètes des liens seront affichées afin que les bibliothécaires puissent les examiner avant de les ouvrir. Les images intégrées, les captures d’écrans et les fichiers joints continueront d’être supprimés dans les messages.

2.         Analyse du contenu de la réponse

Il sera plus facile de voir les réponses des usagers dans le Service de référence. Auparavant, les réponses ne contenaient pas uniquement le message de l’usager, mais aussi l’historique de la question, la réponse initiale du bibliothécaire, et les autres échanges entre l’usager et le bibliothécaire associés à la question.

Dorénavant, lorsque l’usager recevra une réponse ou une demande de clarification de QuestionPoint, les instructions suivantes apparaîtront dans le haut du message :

 

Lorsque le courriel de l’utilisateur sera traité dans QuestionPoint, seul le contenu inscrit au-dessus de la ligne (illustration ci-dessus) sera importé et, au lien de l’historique de la question, la mention suivante sera affichée :

 

“--- L’historique de la question a été supprimé ---“ 

 

3.         Ajout de l’option « Enregistrer tel quel »  et de boutons clairement identifiés

 Auparavant, il n’y avait que deux options disponibles lors de la réception d’une réponse d’un usager dans QuestionPoint : Modifier ou Supprimer.  Aucune autre activité n’était possible (comme fermer la question) à moins de d’abord sélectionner Modifier ou Supprimer.

Étant donné que les données répétitives seront supprimées le plus possible dans la réponse de l’usager, la troisième option Enregistrer tel quel  sera également affichée.  Lorsque cette option est sélectionnée, le message de l’usager est enregistré tel quel : vous pouvez donc fermer la question ou l’envoyer à la Base de connaissances sans devoir d’abord la modifier si ce n’est pas nécessaire.

 

 

 

4.                Modification de la réponse de l’usager avec l’éditeur WYSIWYG

 

Choisissez Modifier pour modifier ou formater (si désiré) la réponse de l’usager avec le nouvel éditeur WYSIWYG.

 

Vous pouvez supprimer les espaces en trop, les éléments de formatage superflus, ou modifier le contenu comme les informations personnelles, puis enregistrer la réponse qui fera partie de la transaction permanente dans QuestionPoint. Si vous choisissez de supprimer le message complet, vous pouvez le faire en sortant de l’éditeur, ou en supprimant tous les éléments dans la fenêtre, puis en cliquant sur Enregistrer, puis sur Supprimer dans l’écran où était initialement affiché le message de l’usager.

D.               Nouveau design pour l’interface des bibliothécaires

Il est temps de redessiner les écrans de QuestionPoint!

Au cours des prochains mois, alors que nous continuons d’améliorer les fonctionnalités de QuestionPoint, nous présenterons aussi le nouveau design de QuestionPoint. Notre objectif : simplifier et réinventer l’expérience QuestionPoint, écran par écran, module par module. Des caractères plus grands et moins d’encombrement! Nous avons commencé par les écrans de connexion et l’écran Mon QuestionPoint.

 

 

 D’autres écrans redessinés seront disponibles dans l’interface QuestionPoint.

II.               Améliorations

 

A.                Accessibilité

En août 2013, nous avons présenté le Qwidget V4, qui est optimisé pour les appareils mobiles et conforme à la norme ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Grâce aux suggestions de plusieurs utilisateurs enthousiasmes, nous avons amélioré l’interface du Qwidget afin d’en simplifier l’utilisation.

Nous avons apporté les changements suivants au code du Qwidget :

• Ajout de l’attribut TITLE dans l’iFrame interne du Qwidget.
• Modifications au fichier CSS afin de faciliter les configurations lors de la création d’un Qwidget personnalisé.
• Ajout d’attributs Alt, lorsque manquants, pour les lecteurs d’écrans.

B.                Appareils mobiles

Il y a plusieurs années, nous avons mis en place une interface de Chat « accessible » conçue pour faciliter l’utilisation de l’écran de Chat régulier avec les lecteurs d’écrans avec la suppression de la « fenêtre d’affichage ». Nous avons récemment été informés que des appareils mobiles, comme les  iPad, ne reconnaissaient pas l’interface et que l’interface de Chat traditionnel avec fenêtre d’affichage était présentée même si le lien pour Chat « accessible » avait sélectionné. Nous avons résolu ce problème et la bonne interface est maintenant présentée. 

III.           Données sur les systèmes d’exploitation et navigateurs utilisés par les usagers

 

Plusieurs bibliothèques veulent savoir comment les usagers accèdent à leur service et se demandent s’il serait avantageux d’examiner d’autres technologies. Voici les résultats de recherches récentes sur les navigateurs utilisés par les usagers pour la référence par Chat et par courriel offerte par leurs bibliothèques via QuestionPoint :

 

 

Statistiques sur le Chat lors d’une semaine d’activités récente.

 

Nous allons continuer de surveiller ces statistiques et d’améliorer le service pour le plus grand nombre d’usagers.

QuestionPoint Install May 18, 2014

We will be installing a QuestionPoint program features upgrade featuring a newly redesigned Home page and HTML  editing capability , this Sunday, May 18, 2014.  

Please be advised that the QuestionPoint service will be unavailable for the following time period for scheduled install and maintenance: 6:00 GMT (2:00 A.M. EST) to approximately 7:00 GMT (3:00 A.M. EST). It is imperative that you end any in-progress chat sessions at least two minutes prior to the scheduled service interruption to avoid any interruptions to your chat service.

 

QuestionPoint Release Notes, May 18th Install

I.                  New Features

A.                WYSIWYG editor introduced into QuestionPoint

One of the most requested enhancements toQuestionPointis now being gradually introduced into the  interface. 

1.                Librarian  Response Screen in Ask module

Previously Librarian responses were sent out to patrons in plain text only. No formatting of any kind was allowed.  The Librarian Notes field in Ask was similarly –limited  to plain text.

With the introduction of a WYSIWYG editor, you will now be able to format responses and preview them in the Ask module.

Supported elements:

• Bold
• Italic
• Ordered list
• Unordered list
• Increase Indent
• Decrease Indent
• Font Color
• Paragraph
• Hyperlink
• Emoticons

Editor does NOT support

• H1 heading tags
• Block quote or text
• Code format
• Insert of the following
  • Video
  • Images
  • Anchor tags
  • Tables
  • Script tags

Answers will be sent out in “multipart”, meaning that two versions, HTML and plain text, will be included in each email sent.  Depending upon how a patron’s email handler is configured, it will display the preferred version to the patron.

B.                Librarian Notes field

Librarian Notes field in Ask was similarly constrained to plain text.  Now it too has the same WYSIWYG editor, allowing links and formatting to be included.

C.                Patron email replies functionality completely redesigned.

 

Four new features are being introduced in the patron reply workflow.

1.                HTML replies

Since we are now able to allow the librarian to send formatted responses to patrons, QuestionPoint –will now be able to accept, edit and display formatted replies sent in by patrons.  Up to now, QuestionPoint only allowed patron replies into QuestionPoint if they were sent in plain text.  However today more and more users are sending their email replies, in many cases unknowingly, in html, which causes the patron’s email to be rejected, (and frustrates patrons who are not clear on why their replies are not accepted).  With the May 18^th install, that restriction is now lifted.  Patron replies formatted in plain text and/or html will be accepted and displayable in QuestionPoint.

In order to protect the system and the librarian’s computers from nefarious activity (known or unbeknownst to the patron), the QuestionPoint system will strip out certain html elements, such as scripts, executables, etc. from patrons messages.  Any hyperlinks will be expanded to show the URL that was hidden in the code, allowing the librarian to decide if/what links - to open on their computers. Embedded images, screenshots, and attachments will still be filtered out from the communications.

2.         Parsed reply content

Viewing the patron’s email reply has now been simplified in the Ask module.  Up to now, the reply contained not only the patron’s comment but also a repeat of the Question History, original librarian reply, and any other exchanges between the patron and librarian that had been communicated back and forth via email/QuestionPoint exchanges.

Now, when a patron receives an Answer or Clarification request from QuestionPoint, at the top of the message there is an instruction:

 

When the patron email reply is processed into QuestionPoint it will import all content above that message.  Instead of the question history, the new reply will include this statement where old material was deleted:

 

“--- Previous transcript history deleted ---“ 

 

3.         Option to “Save as-is” has been added, along with clearly identified buttons.

 Previously, you had only two options when a patron reply came into QuestionPoint,   Edit or Delete.   No further activity could be pursued on the session (such as simply closing it) until either Edit or Delete was selected.

Now that the patron reply has been shortened to remove as much unnecessary repetitious content as possible, there is a new third option available: “Save As-is”.    Selecting Save as is - preserves the patron reply as sent, allowing you to then close the question, or send it to the Knowledge Base, without having to take the extra step of viewing an edit screen if you don’t want to edit.

 

4.                Edit Patron replies with WYSIWYG editor

 

Choose Edit to edit the patron reply for format or content, using the new WYSIWYG editor if desired.

 

You -can remove blank spaces, unnecessary formatting, or content such as personally identifiable information, and then save the reply, which then becomes part of the permanent QuestionPoint transaction.  If you decide to delete the entire message, you can do so by either backing out of the editor, or deleting everything in the window, clicking Save and then clicking Delete from the original view of the patron reply.

 

D.               Introduction of new look and feel in the QuestionPoint librarian workspace

It’s time for new design, and not just a facelift.

Over the next several months as we continue to update the QuestionPoint features, we will be introducing the new look of QuestionPoint.   Our goal is to simplify and reinvent the QuestionPoint experience, page by page and module by module.    Larger fonts, less repetitive clutter!  We have begun with the login screens and the QuestionPoint Home page.

Stay tuned as we progress throughout the QuestionPoint interface!

II.               Improvements

 

A.                Accessibility

In August of 2013 we introduced the V4 Qwidget, optimized for mobile devices and ADA compliant.

Thanks to suggestions made by several enthusiastic supporters, we have worked on improving the Qwidget interface to make it easier to use.

We have added the following to the Qwidget code:

• Add TITLE attribute to Qwidget's internal iFrame
• Changes to the CSS file so that custom Qwidget builders are not hampered by local customization
• Alt tags added where missing, for the benefit of screen readers.

 

B.                Mobile devices

 

Several years ago we introduced the Accessible Chat interface, designed to facilitate the use of regular chat via screen readers by eliminating the Viewport.  We recently learned that mobile devices, such as the iPad, were not recognizing this interface  and that the traditional chat with viewport screen was being delivered to tablets even if the Accessible Chat link had been clicked.   We have fixed that and the chat only interface (no viewport) is now seen when that link is clicked. 

III.           Insights on patron  OS and browser combinations.

 

Many libraries are interested in knowing how their patrons access the service, and wonder if investing in other technologies would benefit their libraries.  Here are the results of some recent research on browser usage patterns of patrons using Chat and email as offered through their libraries via QuestionPoint:

Chat stats during a recent week of activity.

 

We will continue to monitor these stats and focus our energies on improving the experience for the greatest number of users.

Session of the Week #5: database access in policy pages saves the day

This session provides a great illustration of how you can help Coop librarians troubleshoot access issues - just provide database access in your library policy page, as the library in the session below did.  This patron was trying, unsuccessfully, to access Net Tutor, a program available at her school through Blackboard.  Thanks to the combination of a clever Coop librarian and a good library policy page, this patron got the help she needed.  In the post-session survey, the patron said “Great librarian.exceptional service and very patient too. Walked me through the entire process. Thank you so much.”

Here’s the complete session:

Patron: How can i access net tutor

Librarian:  Hi [patron’s name removed].Welcome to [name of patron library]. I'm reading over your question and will be with you in just a moment.

Librarian: Can you tell me more about what net tutor is?

Patron: Net tutor is associated with colleges and helps with home work and also classwork. It is like a distant learning.

Librarian: Thanks, I am looking at your library's page now

Librarian: It looks like you need to be logged into Blackboard...are you?

Patron: Ok thank you. Yes i am logged into blackboard

Librarian: I am reading that you need to click "Tools" and should then be able to select "Net Tutor"

Librarian: I am trying to follow in your footsteps and am not finding the "tools" feature

Librarian: let me keep looking

Librarian: Okay, I found it

Patron: ok. I went to tools and after clicking the net tutor icon, it said "this page will load net tutor but when i click ok, it goes back to the home page

Librarian: uh oh, okay, let me try it too

Patron:  thank you

Librarian: I get a message that says "this page will lauch the net tutor" but when I click, "okay" it just goes back to the previous screen. Is that the case for you too?

Patron: yes it is

Librarian: Do you see any additional log in information?

Patron: No. there are no other options

Librarian: okay, that must be frustrating. Let me do a little more searching and see if there is something we are missing

Patron: ok. thank you

Librarian: I don't know if this is it, but I am reading that you first need to log into blackboard and then go to your class, and then click on tools before selecting Net tutor.

Librarian: Is that what you already did?

Librarian: I don't know if it will make a difference....I'll keep looking

Patron: yes. i logged into blackboard then selected English 101, went to tools and then select net tutor

Librarian: Okay, I was able to get in...

Patron:  great.

Librarian: It might be that the page, once you click on that "ok" is being blocked by a popup blocker

Librarian: go back to the tools page and click on the net tutor

Librarian: when you click on "ok" you will see a red or yellow x in the browser's search box on the far right hand side (just below the x where you can close your browser)

Patron: ok. my computer is a little slow but i am trying to get back in

Librarian:  you have to allow the pop up’s, then it will take you back to that tools page, and you can click on it again, select okay, and it should pop up in a new window

Librarian:  okay, let me know if that works

Patron: ok. please don't go yet, i really need your help. thank you

Librarian: I won't go. I want to make sure you can access it :)

Patron: GUESS WHAT!!!!!? i am in!!!!! [librarian name removed], i do not know how to thank you. i have been trying night and day to get in for 3 days. Thanks for your help. i am eternally grateful for you patience. thank you so much.

Librarian: Oh good I am so glad I could help!

Librarian: It's funny because I didn't even see the little pop up blocker either! Just make sure you look for that x and you should get access again!

Patron: so do i do this each time i visit net tutor?

Librarian: I believe so.

Librarian:  You can change your pop up blocker settings but I would just click on that little x each time and allow the pop ups as you need

Patron: Thank you a thousand time. you saved my day. thank you

Librarian: You're welcome! Is there anything else I can do to help you before I go?

Librarian: Okay, well it looks like you're already busy using the net tutor so I'll end this session now. [Librarian sends Goodbye script for Patron’s Library]

 

If you would like to nominate a session, send it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either[email protected] or [email protected]] and I’ll send a compliment to the chatting librarian as well.  Thanks again to all who have submitted a SOTW; I’ll be posting those in the coming weeks!

Session of the week #4: Helping students find quality sources for assignments

This week’s session of the week was submitted by Cindy Pitchon, coordinator of Ask Here PA, the Pennsylvania statewide virtual reference service.  Cindy nominated this session because the chatting librarian:

• Identified the student’s grade level, which is extremely important
• Identified  the student's libraries (not always apparent when patrons enter via a statewide portal site)
• Identified online resource available to  the student from his library and explained how to access the resource
• Offered tips on advanced Google searching and showed student how to construct the search
• Sent reputable web resources, explaining how they can be helpful
• Searched the student's public library catalog for relevant material, sending results and explaining where in library material is located

Thanks to Cindy for her nomination, and for her thorough analysis of this session!  Here is the complete session transcript:

Patron: I need help finding critical reviews on A Study in scarlet. Also finding the impact the book had.

Librarian: Hi, I'm [name removed], a librarian helping to answer questions for your library. I am reading your question now to see how I can help you.

Librarian: OK, is this for a college class?

Patron:  no 12th grade

Librarian:  OK, which library do you have a card number with to use the online article databases from home? Or are you looking for articles on public websites?

Patron: I have both the [name of city] public library and [name of city] high school. Public websites work too?

Patron: I’ve been looking everywhere

Librarian: I see your library has the "Contemporary Authors" database, checking to see if Arthur Conan Doyle is included...

Librarian:  And your library doesn't give our service logins, so I can't check - are you able to see the library homepage in the window next to this one? [sends link to library’s home page]

Librarian: On the upper left under "Resources", you can click on "Databases".

Patron: yes

Librarian:  Then scroll down and click on "Literature", and you see a link there to "Contemporary Authors".

Patron: okay

Librarian: A Google search, using quotes for an exact phrase search, for - "A Study in Scarlet" site:.edu - finds useful college and university webpages on the book, such as: http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/holmes/origin.shtml

Patron: i dont see how i can use that link

Librarian:  http://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=honors_proj

Librarian: That 1st link says: "A Study in Scarlet grew steadily in popularity, strongly assisted by the short stories which began to appear in The Strand Magazine in 1891. By 1892 seven editions or printings had been issued."

Librarian: So that is useful for your question about the book's impact.

Patron: okay

Librarian: The last link I sent is to a 32 page honors paper on Sherlock Holmes, and you can search it for the word - Scarlet - to find material about the book.

Patron: Okay thank you

Librarian:  And this page is about the banning of the book: http://bannedbooks.world.edu/2011/08/21/banned-books-awareness-sherlock-holmes/

Librarian: "...a school board in Albemarle County, Virginia, removed the book from its sixth grade reading list over unsubstantiated fears that the author was anti-Mormon."

Librarian:  For more material, you could use books from the library about Arthur Conan Doyle's writing.

Patron: okay thank you. You have been a big help.

Librarian:  And the library has these 85 books: [librarian sends link to search results from library catalog showing Arthur Conan Doyle as the subject]

Librarian:  And these 2 of literary criticism: [librarian sends link to search results narrowing the above search to literary criticism]

Librarian: Those are in the Biography section of the library, and also in the 823.912 shelf call number area.

Librarian: When our session ends you'll see a screen with our chat and any links, that can also be saved, printed or emailed.

Patron: thanks!

Librarian: You're welcome. Let us know if we can be of further assistance.

If you would like to nominate a session, send it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either [email protected] or [email protected]] and I’ll send a compliment to the chatting librarian as well.  Thanks again to all who have submitted a SOTW; I’ll be posting those in the coming weeks!

Session of the Week #3: Taking the patron seriously

This week’s Session of the Week was submitted by Nono Burling, the statewide coordinator of Ask WA.  This chat started off as a potential prank (“do fish poop?”) and became a potential crisis call (“what are the signs of a nervous breakdown because I think I'm having one“).  Nono praised the librarian for taking the patron seriously by sending an appropriate crisis line phone number and following it up with information about the situation (in this case, a link from the Mayo clinic on signs of a nervous breakdown), following the Crisis Call policy to perfection: http://wiki.questionpoint.org/w/page/13839422/247-Policies#453Suicidalpatronsandcrisiscalls.   Here’s the session, with personal information removed:

Patron: do fish poop? also do fish sleep?? my fish seems like it never sleeps.

Librarian: Hello! I'm a librarian from <name of Coop library>. I help out when your librarians are busy. Just a moment while I look at your question.

Librarian: This question about sleep and fish is really interesting...because according to this article at least fish may not have eyelids...

Librarian: http://www.livescience.com/32162-do-fish-sleep.html

Patron: also do they poop?

Librarian: I'll find something on that...

Librarian: Here is one more thing on the sleeping...

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99047.htm

Librarian: So the answer to do fish poop is yes.

Librarian: Do you want more information, like a website or article on that?

Librarian: Is it a certain type of fish you are asking about?

Patron: Yeah, I have a beta fish and i've never seen him like… go to the bathroom

Librarian: Okay, I am looking to see if I can find anything on that.

Patron: thank you

Librarian: so I found a forum where they discuss what healthy poop might look like from a beta fish...

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=50538

Librarian: It sounds like you are not the only one who has wondered this because other people have posted this question.

Librarian: Does that answer your question? Is there anything else I can help you with?

Patron: yeah I'm sorry to bother you but like one more thing what are the signs of a nervous breakdown because i think I'm having one

Librarian: Of course I can find something on that.

Librarian: Do you want information of someone you could call and talk to get help right away?

Patron: no i just need to know some of the signs because I'm not 100% sure but i'm like 60% sure this is a nervous breakdown

Librarian: Okay absolutely.

Librarian: [patron’s name removed], I know you said you don't want a phone number to call, but just in case I am going to give you one.

Patron: okay thank you

Librarian: [Librarian sends crisis hotline number for patron’s state]

Librarian: Do you feel like you are in any danger to yourself or others right now?

Patron: no

Librarian: Okay, let me get back to the signs like you asked for.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/nervous-breakdown/FAQ-20057830

Librarian: Let me know if this looks helpful to you.

Patron: yeah it is i'm experiencing 2 out of the 3 things listed

Librarian: Okay, what do you think about me finding a local health practitioner you could talk to right now?

Patron: i think i might call that number

Librarian: I think they would be a good resource...

Librarian: Can I stay online with you until you have them on the phone?

Patron: no its okay I'm going to dial right now thank you for all of your help i really appreciate it

Librarian: The first number I gave you is a suicide hotline number. I think I could help you find another phone number for a nurse or doctor if you think that would help.

Patron ended chat session

Thanks to Nono for submitting this Session of the Week!  If you would like to nominate a session, send it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either [email protected] or [email protected]] and I’ll send a compliment to the chatting librarian as well.  Thanks again to all who have submitted a SOTW; I’ll be posting those in the coming weeks!

Session of the Week #2: Book not at the library? use the policy page!

This week’s Session of the Week was submitted by Frank Wilmot, Denver PL.  Frank praised this session because the chatting librarian used the library’s policy page to help this patron find a book that isn’t at his library.  In this case, the library policy page instructs librarians to suggest the statewide union catalog (Prospector) first, which is exactly what the chatting librarian did. The patron was very pleased and said, in his post-chat survey: “9:00pm on a Sunday night and I get help from a useful librarian. Fantastic!”

Here’s the complete transcript, with personal details removed:

Patron: I'm looking for a copy of [name of book removed]. The database says that the book exists (phew!) but that there are no copies in the system. Does this make sense?

Librarian: Hi I'm [librarian’s name removed]. I am helping out your library as their staff aren't available to chat right now. I'm reading your question...

Librarian: I'm happy to help! I'll check to see what is going on. Sometimes if the last copy of a book is lost, the record stays in the system even with no copies.

Librarian: This may take a few minutes

Patron:Thank you...

Librarian:  That seems to be what has happened. What you could try instead is to request it through Prospector. If you aren't familiar with that statewide request system, more info and the link is on this page

Librarian:  [sends link to Prospector]

Patron:  I'm familiar with Prospector. Thanks much for your help!

Librarian: No problem glad to help

Librarian: Did you need anything else tonight?

Patron: Nope, that's everything. Many thanks.

 Patron ended chat session

Librarian: If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again. Thank you for using the service. Goodbye!

Submit your session of the week by sending it Quality [click on the Send to Quality link in the complete session view in the Review Transcripts tab, or email either [email protected] or [email protected]] and I’ll send a compliment to the chatting librarian as well.  We have several other nominations which I will post in the coming weeks – thanks to all who have nominated a Session of the Week, and please keep the nominations coming in!

Quality Tip: Session of the week

Every week I’ll post an exemplary chat session as a way to illustrate our 24/7 Reference Coop policies and best practices.  This one is older (2010), but I love it because:

• The librarian uses a screencast to efficiently convey information to the student on how to find fulltext articles in a database.
• Reference conversation: The librarian went beyond showing the student how to find fulltext articles, asking about the topic and suggesting search strategies.

Here’s the full session transcript, anonymized:

Patron:   Hello. I'm trying to use ebscohost for article research and i don't think I’m doing it right because when I type the subject in the box and hit search it doesn't really give me  articles to read it just gives me brief information on the source. Do I need to be doing something else?
Librarian:    Hi - Give me a minute to read your question …
Librarian:    OK, which EBSCO database are you using?
Librarian:    Academic Search Complete, PSYCHINfo. EBSCO is the vendor, the databases all have names...
Patron:  Not sure I didn't know there was more than one
Librarian:   That might be the key.
Librarian:  So what does it say at the top left of the screen in EBSCO right now?
Patron:      [name of patron’s library] 
Librarian:     what does it say next to he round blue and green EBSCO logo. To the right of that or below it?
Librarian:    after the word "searching" in bold print.
Patron:     Academic search premier
Librarian:  ah HA!
Librarian:  Excellent. That is what I suspected. OK this is good. I have Academic Search Premeir at my college and can walk you through it.
Patron:    k..thanks
Librarian:    so you type something in the search box and  articles don;t come up?
Patron:     Sort of
Librarian:   give me a second. I will send you a link that shows you how OK?
Librarian:    meanwhile, can you tell me more about what happens when you search?
Patron:    I type a subject in let's say "Mikea" and things pop up but they don't seem like articles. The seem like brief descriptions. I need more reliable articles and i don't know how to get more documentation.
Librarian:    ok - watch this teensy video i just made and let me know if helps: http://screencast.com/t/OTU2YjM4Y
Patron:    k
Patron:  Awesome that helps so much thank you!
Librarian:     super! So yeah, you just click on the blue link to get the article. So what kind of search is "Mikea"?
Patron:  It's a tribe in Madagasgar.
Librarian:     Are you finding any useful results with that search?
Librarian:     EBSCO uses this term : MIKEA (Malagasy people)
Librarian:     with the parentheses and everything. I found three on the Mikea but also it is a region.
Patron:     I didn't find so much
Librarian:    this article looks great: "MYSTIFICATION OF THE MIKEA: CONSTRUCTIONS OF FORAGING IDENTITY IN SOUTHWEST MADAGASCAR." by  Poyer, Lin and Kelly, Robert L.
Librarian:     from the Journal of Anthropological Research; Summer2000, Vol. 56 Issue 2, p163
Librarian:     What about the Mikea are you researching? If it is facts and history, you might be better off with an encyclopedia entry.
Patron:   Ya i'm ok now..thanks so much for your help.
Librarian:     OK
Librarian:    did that answer your question?
Patron:     yep!
Librarian:   excellent.
Librarian:  ask anytime :)
Patron:      ttyl
Librarian:   l8r
   Librarian ended chat session.

If you have a chat session you’d like to nominate for Session of the Week, please send it along to [email protected] or [email protected]

Quality Tip: Chat sessions as Early Warning Systems

Early Warning Systems describe the timely provision of information regarding an emerging dangerous situation where that information can point to quick action now, to limit the damage.  There are early warning systems for natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, maybe earthquakes) and potentially lethal health conditions (the early warning signs of heart disease, etc).  But chat sessions from your patrons can also act as an Early Warning System for issues with your library systems.

Stephen Francoeur (Baruch College) pointed this out in his Digital Reference blog a few months ago: http://www.stephenfrancoeur.com/digitalreference/2013/11/25/digital-reference-as-early-warning-system-for-systems-issues/.  A student reported a problem with the links in the library’s fulltext discovery service, using the Ask a Librarian chat service.  Stephen muses that: “Problems like this don’t seem to get reported at the reference desk so much. My theory is that if a student is having a problem, they are far more likely to report it immediately than later on; the only way to reach us immediately is through our digital reference services (we also get some from the telephone at the reference desk).”

There are several ways to encourage users to report issues of this sort (special troubleshooting or problem reporting forms, for example), but the key is to review your chat transcripts.  As Stephen says, “it’s clear we’ve got a really valuable source of feedback about our systems coming in via digital reference channels and we would be well advised to continue paying close attention to that feedback”.  Well stated, Stephen!

Do you have a tip to share?  Email [email protected] or post a comment to the blog.

Quality Tip: Jumping into Sessions and L2L chat

QuestionPoint allows librarians with Administrator or Ask Administrator privileges to monitor any live sessions with their patrons by selecting the “All” tab in the chat monitor then clicking on any session in progress.   This is a nice training tool for admins to assist and mentor librarians new to chat; it provides a safety net (like training wheels) to the new librarian, since the monitoring Admin can send chat messages and web pages directly to the patron in exactly the same way as the chatting librarian.  This is useful in case the new chatting librarian is uncertain of what to do in a live session. 

However, this capability should be used cautiously when the chatting librarian is a non-local librarian and is unaware that you’ve joined their live session with your patron.  Although you may be tempted to jump into a session with one of your patrons, especially if you have local information not available to the chatting librarian, be aware that it is highly disconcerting to the chatting librarian, who is not expecting another librarian to suddenly appear in the session. 

Instead of sending information directly to the patron, communicate privately with the chatting librarian.  See Section 5.4 of the 24/7 Reference Policies for more information: http://wiki.questionpoint.org/w/page/13839422/247-Policies#54nbspJumpingintoSessions.

Librarian to Librarian (L2L) chat between 2 librarians in the same session can be easily done using either the IM tab or Librarian Notes, as follows:

1.  IM: 

The IM tab allows you to send chat messages to any librarian monitoring the same chat queues as you are, including the chatting librarian in the session you’ve just entered.  To send an IM message, click on the IM tab in your chat monitor:

 

Alternative:  From the Librarians list (from the Patron Chat tab), right click on the name of librarian you want to send an IM message to:

Once you right click on a name,  click “Start IM Session”:

This opens the IM tab, where you can select a librarian then send the message.  For assistance using the IM feature, please see our training tutorial:

http://www.oclc.org/support/training/portfolios/discovery/questionpoint/tutorials/using-im-and-xfr.en.html 

2.  Librarian Notes

The Notes tab is in the lower left of the chat monitor and is primarily for the chatting librarian to make notes during a session that will appear to the librarian (in the chat monitor and in the librarian’s view of the transcript) but will not appear to the patron, either during the session or in the patron’s transcript.  The chatting librarian can use the Notes feature to alert the reviewing librarian of anything that occurs during the session which may not be obvious from the transcript (such as Note:  I tried to search course reserves but the link was not working, or Note: I helped this same person 5 minutes ago in another session).

However, Notes can also be used for 2 librarians in the same session to communicate with each other, as this example illustrates:

1.  Chatting librarian Ms Map picks up patron, Ricky:

2.  Admin for Ricky’s library sees the session in the All tab.  When the Admin clicks on the session, Admin will get this warning and must click OK in order to enter the session.  The chatting librarian does not get any notice when the Admin decides to join.

3.  Now the Admin will see all messages between the chatting librarian and the patron.  Note the Admin’s chat monitor indicates “In Conference Mode”.  The Admin may leave the session at any time by clicking “Leave Session”.  This does not disconnect the patron and the chatting librarian.

4.  The Admin may send a note to the chatting librarian using the Notes tab.

The Admin’s note appears to the chatting librarian in the messages area (the same place where patron messages appear).  The note identifies the name of the sender (the Admin), the text is in a different color from the patron messages, and the work “Note” appears before the Admin’s message:

 

This is the first indication the chatting librarian has that a 2nd librarian has entered the session.  The patron does not see this note.  The Admin can use this opportunity to ask for a transfer, or to provide information to the chatting librarian to pass along to the patron.

5.  Both the chatting librarian and the Admin (the jumper) can send messages back and forth using the message box in the Notes tab. 

Warning: The chatting librarian should be careful to respond to notes in the Notes tab, since any messages sent through the usual chat box will also be seen by the patron.

In this example, the chatting librarian sees the note from the Admin librarian (Admin suggests a source for librarian to try), but the chatting librarian replies in the chat box (not via the Notes tab) …

 

Which will potentially confuse Ricky the patron:

Whether you use the IM tab or the Notes feature, L2L chat is a good way for librarians to work collaboratively to provide the best service for all our patrons.

Questions or comments? Please post to this blog or send me an email, [email protected]

Quality Tip: Homework help? Use the policy page homework field

During the school year it’s not uncommon for students to use Ask a Librarian chat services to get help with their homework.  Many libraries have homework guides and resources that can help.  Next time your patron asks about homework help, consult the library’s policy page – there’s a section called “Tutoring/Homework Assistance”.  Look there for homework guides and information about any tutoring services provided by the library.

Here’s an example of a homework help session where the chatting librarian used the patron library’s homework help links, without actually doing the homework for the student:

Patron: hello i need help with my home work

Librarian: Hello and welcome! I am a librarian at [name of librarian’s library]. I am helping out your librarians by answering questions for them right now. I'm reading what you wrote so I can help you...

Patron: ok

Librarian:  Hi there - this is [librarian’s name]. How can I help? Can you tell me more about what you have to work on?

Patron: well, it is my math home work

Librarian: Okay - can you tell me more?

Patron: okay I have 3 challenging questions

Librarian: Okay - I'm afraid I won't be able to do any tutoring or answer your questions, but what grade level? Subject?

Patron: i am in 6th grade and its math

Librarian: Okay - let me take a look at some resources your library may have for you... can you give me just a moment?

Patron: ok

Librarian:  Here are some "math" links from the [patron’s library] kids page: http://Patronlibrarywebsite/math

Patron: ok but i have a question about the library

Librarian: Okay - I don't work for [name of library] but I can try to find an answer for you...

Patron: can i go to the libray tomorrow and get free home work help?

Librarian: Let me see what info there is about homework help...

Librarian: Here's some info I'm finding from [patron library] regarding homework help: [librarian sends link to tutoring at the library]

Patron: ok.  Thank you.

Librarian:  I can ask someone at [patron library] to follow up with you if you'd like by email - do you have an email address?

Patron: yes <email address removed>

Librarian: Okay - I can see if someone at [patron library] can answer your question about getting homework help in the library tomorrow. Sound good?

Patron:  yes ok

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

Patron: nope

Librarian: Thank-you for using [patron library’s] chat service.

If you have resources for homework help, be sure to include those on your library’s policy page, so the Coop librarians can better assist your patrons!

Quality Tip: Consult Course Reserves for Assignments

Midway through October sees many students in the midst of  midterms and other assignments.  When students ask for a particuar article or textbook, remember to check the "course reserves" section of the library's policy page, especially if you aren't finding anything through the usual journal search techniques. In many cases, if specific articles are assigned then the professor will place copies on reserve.   Check this field to provide instruction to the students on how they can access course reserves at their school.  Chatting librarians can use this field to check for articles in the course reserves.  Make sure to ask the patron for the class and the professor's name before checking.  Tip:  if you can't find the requested item under one professor, look at listings for the same course by another professor, or the same professor for another course.  There is a fair bit of piggybacking in course reserves at some schools (thanks to the Backup librarians for that tip!).

When students seem to be asking the same questions over and over, it may be based on an assignment – and there is an Assignments section of the Policy Page.  This field contains tips for the chatting librarians on any recurring assignments.  

 

Quality Tip: Policy Page trumps Google

A patron asks about interlibrary loan policies at the library.  The chatting librarian is from a library far away and is staffing the chat service as part of our 24/7 Cooperative service.  The chatting librarian does a search using a search engine, locates a web page which appears to be the ILL policy for the patron’s library, then sends the link to the patron.  Great session, yes?  Well… no. 

We know not everything is available via search engines, and the information you find in a search engine is not always up to date.  Generally, the search engine only serves up whatever has been indexed.  The currency of the indexed information depends on how often the search engine has "crawled" a site (crawl = revisit the site for purposes of indexing).  How often is the average library website crawled?  Every month or so?  If the library site has been updated since the crawl, the updated information is not visible to the search engine.  Results may differ depending on the search engine you use.

But you don’t need to resort to a search engine when helping a Coop patron – use the policy pages!  The policy pages contain the most up-to-date information about the library. 

Just this week, a session was reported to Quality in which the chatting librarian relied on a search engine to find information about a Coop library’s ILL policies, and alas – the information found in the search engine pointed to outdated information that was no longer on the current library website.  This is a good example of why the policy pages should be your first stop for information about library policies (and the importance of making sure your own policy page is up to date). If the policy page is silent about a particular policy, then consult the library webpage – and the URL for the (current!) library webpage is available on… the policy page!

Quality Tip: Properly ending chat sessions

Now that we’re in the busy October season, I’ve noted a rising incidence of chats that are not properly closed.  These chats show up in the Review Transcripts area with a session length of zero.  Chatting librarians, please be sure to follow this procedure with every chat session:

- At the conclusion of a chat session, click the “End Session” button

- Then assign a resolution code

These steps should be followed even if the patron ends the session first.

Why end the session if the patron is already gone?  QuestionPoint retains the chat session until the librarian ends the chat, or for 4 hours, whichever comes first.  When the patron ends the chat but the librarian does not, this causes the chat session to linger on the QP chat tables until it times out. These lingering chat sessions may clog up the chat tables, which can cause issues.  For example, when the chatting librarian doesn’t properly end the session, there is no session length time recorded, which distorts statistics on average session length.

If you experience a browser crash or other technical issue which prevents you from clicking the End Session button, then reload the chat monitor (you may need to log into QP again) as soon as possible and re- launch chat.  Any patron chats that hadn’t been closed at the time of your browser crash should still be present in your chat monitor.  If the patron is still there and responds to your messages, you can continue the session.  If the patron is not responding or you see either (i) the “patron has ended” or (ii) “patron has disconnected” message , then click End Session, assign a resolution code and, if it is the end of your shift, log out of chat.  If the chat is no longer present in your monitor, there is nothing more for you to do.  The chat transcript will be available in the patron library’s Ask module.

It is also important to properly log out of the chat monitor once your shift has ended.  To properly log out of chat, click the  Logout button at the top right of the librarian chat monitor.  Simply closing the browser will not log you out. If you have a technical problem which prevents you from properly logging out, and/or  if your browser crashes for any reason while you are still logged in, you should properly log back in as soon as possible, select your queues, then log out by clicking the Logout button.  If the Logout button is not clicked, then the system will retain your autho and you will still appear to be logged in.   This means your chat forms and Qwidget will show the service as open, even if you have left hours ago.   If you or your librarians have neglected to log out at the end of a shift, be sure and check the Review Transcripts area for abandoned sessions (patrons who were not picked up).  These are identified as wait time =0 and session time =0.

It’s important to follow these rules for ending a chat session and logging out of chat at the end of your shift.  If you have questions, email OCLC Support (or ask your QP administrator).

Policy Page Day: October 4, 2013

This Friday, October 4, the Coop will celebrate Policy Page Day.  This is an opportunity to review your library’s policy page (and, if you are a group or BME administrator, ask your institution administrators to check their policy pages). Take your policy page for a spin – check all the links, be sure the information is up-to-date, and generally make sure it’s performing as expected. A library's policy page is one of the key resources that ensures the proper working of the 24/7 Reference Cooperative, and an informative policy page helps the Cooperative librarians do a better job answering questions for your patrons. In reviewing your policy page, please consult the Policy Page Guidelines: http://wiki.questionpoint.org/Policy+Page+Guidelines. To celebrate policy page day, please take a few moments on Friday to review your library's policy page and make sure it is consistent with these guidelines.

Questions or comments? I’ll be available via QP chat on Friday to answer any questions you have as you review your policy page. Just visit the QP Quality page at: http://www5.oclc.org/questionpoint/quality/ask.html where you will find the Quality Qwidget as well as an email webform and links to the Coop Policies. I’ll be staffing Quality chat mainly during UK business hours on Friday, so if you have a question and I’m not online, just send me a question via email (either through the Quality Qwidget or Quality email form) and I will get back to you. In fact, you can use this form anytime (not just on Policy Page Day) to send suggestions about policy pages or anything relating to the Cooperative. All suggestions and comments are welcome!

If you have any questions about your policy page, please come chat with me this Friday (October 4), or send me an email via the Quality webform. I look forward to hearing from you, and thanks in advance for participating in our latest Policy Page Day!

Notes d'installation 29 septembre 2013

1       Améliorations et corrections

1.1            Restauration de l’URL de la page de renvoi dans le Qwidget et le formulaire Web

Un problème qui empêchait l’affichage et le dévoilement de la page par le biais de laquelle les utilisateurs accédaient à l’utilisation du Qwidget v.4 ou  du formulaire de question par courriel de QuestionPoint a été résolu. Les bibliothécaires aux sessions en ligne et les utilisateurs du module Service de référence pourront voir l’URL de renvoi dans les informations sur l’utilisateur, et les rapports générés avec la fonctionnalité « Révision des transcriptions » comprendront l’URL de la page par le biais de laquelle l’utilisateur a accédé au service.

1.2            Correction des zones contenant le nom et l’adresse électronique de l’utilisateur dans le formulaire test pour session en ligne en ligne

Un problème qui empêchait l’affichage du nom de l’utilisateur et de son adresse électronique dans le formulaire test pour les sessions en ligne a été résolu. Dorénavant, lorsque les bibliothécaires testeront le service de sessions en ligne, ils verront ces informations dans les zones appropriées, ce qui leur permettra de tester la chaîne de travail complète, c’est-à-dire de la session en ligne jusqu’au module Service de référence.

1.3            Liens entre la Page de politiques et le WorldCat Registry

Un problème empêchait parfois de supprimer, dans la Page de politiques, le lien vers une zone particulière qui provenait d’une entrée précédemment liée du WorldCat Registry. Ce problème a été corrigé. La suppression de liens et les entrées de texte ont été restaurées et les personnes autorisées peuvent maintenant modifier les informations dans les zones. Un problème similaire empêchant la mise à jour des informations dans la zone « Adresse électronique pour les politiques » a également été corrigé. Il sera maintenant possible de modifier ou de mettre à jour l’adresse électronique dans cette zone.

1.4            Encapsulage des caractères dans les transcriptions XML par FTP

Les clients qui participaient à notre service de transcriptions XML par FTP pourront  dorénavant recevoir les transcriptions contenant des caractères « illégaux ». Ces caractères ont été encapsulés afin de prévenir le rejet de ces transcriptions.

2       Interruption de la co-navigation

Pour faire suite à l’annonce de la décision d’interrompre la fonctionnalité de co-navigation dans le service de sessions en ligne, le bouton de co-navigation a été supprimé de l’interface. Les bibliothécaires peuvent encore utiliser le bouton « Aperçu » dans l’interface de sessions en ligne pour ouvrir une fenêtre séparée et voir les adresses URL qu’ils veulent envoyer aux utilisateurs.

Les bibliothèques peuvent continuer d’offrir le formulaire « Sessions en ligne avec fenêtre d'affichage » aux utilisateurs. La fenêtre d’affichage permet aux utilisateurs de voir les pages Web correspondant aux adresses URL envoyées par le bibliothécaire dans le moniteur de sessions en ligne. 

Ce changement permettra aux bibliothécaires qui utilisent encore Java 6 version 7 de mettre à niveau leur version de Java afin qu’elle soit conforme à celle recommandée par leur administrateur de système. Il n’y aura plus d’exigences techniques reliées à Java pour les bibliothécaires utilisant le service de sessions en ligne de QuestionPoint.