QuestionPoint Members
1,968 Active SUPs (service unit profiles)
1,308 SUPs in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative
29 Languages can be handled by QuestionPoint libraries
6,509,396 Transactions have been received by QP libraries since 2002 (as of Feb. 28)
2,966,456 Patrons have asked questions via libraries with QP since 2002*
37,106 New patrons have asked for help via QP libraries' websites in February*
23,859 Active records in the Global Knowledge Base
516 Libraries have contributed active, searchable records to the GKB
*Doubtless these numbers are lower than actual, as they do not include chat patrons who have not provided email addresses or texting patrons.
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The QuestionPoint community increased by one country, Ireland, this past month. QuestionPoint libraries are now in 33 countries (listed by region):
Australia New Zealand --------------- China French Polynesia Japan India Thailand -------------- Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates ---------------- Botswana South Africa -------------- France Greece Germany Italy The Netherlands Spain -------------- Republic of Ireland |
United Kingdom England Scotland Wales --------------------- Croatia Serbia Slovenia --------------- Russia ------------- Canada Mexico United States ----------------- Jamaica Martinique Puerto Rico Trinidad & Tabago -------------------- Chile Columbia Peru |
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QuestionPoint Statistics for February 2011
45,702 Questions received via E-mail and Text Messages
51,610 Chat sessions requested
13,822 Chat sessions requested via Qwidget
49,478 Chat sessions accepted
10,380 Chat sessions requested at non-24/7 Reference Cooperative libraries
746 Sessions requested after hours at non-24/7 Reference Cooperative libraries
74 Most concurrent chat sessions (down slightly from 80 last month)
29 Average concurrent chat sessions
24/7 Reference Cooperative Statistics
65% Overall “Answering Percentage.” Cooperative libraries picked up 65% of all chat sessions, and Back Up staff picked up 31.56%, for a total of 96.56% pick-up. See Sessions Abandoned, below.
16,071 Academic sessions requested; Academic members answered 10,909 (67.88%)
25,159 Public sessions requested; Public members answered 16,003 (63.6%)
1,389 Sessions Abandoned (Patron disconnected before librarian picked up, may include some practice sessions)
February Questions of Note
The Global Knowledge Base continues to grow. This last month, 168 new records were indexed for searching. This KB, which is available for all QuestionPoint libraries to use and contribute to, is becoming stronger and stronger in French- and Spanish-language records. Remember that you can look up the answers to any of these questions, right now, by searching for keywords in the search box in the left margin on this blog.
Last month, for the first time, we had a contribution in Welsh! -- that is to say, in Cymraeg:
Q: A oes unrhyw gofnodion o Deithwyr/Romani Cymraeg ar gadw yn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru? [Trs: Are there any records of Welsh Travellers/Romany held at the National Library of Wales?] A useful website, http://www.valleystream.co.uk/romhome.htm, is offered as additional information. See KBID 205271.
The Biblioteca Nacional de España was asked this question:
Q: Soy una estudiante italiana y estoy buscando informaciones sobre un proceso inquisitorial en 1576 contra algunas mujeres acusadas por brujería en Montilla. Necesito precisamente las actas de este proceso hecho por el Santo Oficio de Córdoba. Los nombres de dos mujeres acusadas son Leonor Rodríguez (la Camacha), Isabel Hernández (la Lozana) y Catalina Rodríguez. Cervantes habla de estas mujeres en su novela "El coloquio de los perros". KBID 180967 provides three sources where this student can get information on the inquisition of two women, in Montilla in 1576, a case that was mentioned by Cervantes in his novel "El coloquio de los perros." Search for inquisitorial mujeres Montilla.
The French MACON Bibliothèque Départementale de Saône-et-Loire received this question:
Q: La question de la participation des citoyens aux actions des collectivités territoriales grâce aux possibilités offertes par les outils du web 2.0. The Paris Bibliothèque publique d'information provided a virtual bibliography for this inquiry about how the Web 2.0 has enabled the participation of citizens in territorial communities. See KBID 205180 or search for citoyens collectivités territoriales.
And from the New York Public Library, one of the most faithful contributors to the Global Knowledge Base, comes this question:
Q: Is a book that is copyrighted only in the United States considered to be protected by the copyright laws of England? To answer the question in KBID 204886, the librarian quotes an excerpt directly from the copyright law of the UK and provides comprehensive contact information for the Intellectual Property Office of the UK. Search for copyright laws england.
For the knowledge base records cited above, we are indebted to editors Larry Olszewski, Bernard Van Maarseveen, and Les Radis.
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