The world’s libraries. Connected. Session 4: 24/7 Reference Cooperative and staffing the 24/7 Reference Cooperative Queue Susan McGlamery, QuestionPoint & 24/7 Reference Cooperative Manager Monday 8 th December 2014

The world’s libraries. Connected. Session 1. December 1st Introduction to Enquire, what it is, local service, SCL Universal Offers and more. Session 2. December 2nd Let's get chatting - chat basics, using scripts, using policy pages Session 3. December 3rd Offline worlflow - answering offline questions, referring to colleagues Session 4. December 8th /7 Reference Cooperative and staffing the 24/7 Reference Cooperative Queue Session 5. December 9th Administrator training - new user accounts, running and interpreting reports, institution level information Session 6. December 10th Creating local services - Qwidget or full form, ad hoc or permanent and the form Training classes

The world’s libraries. Connected. Glossary of useful terminology QuestionPoint – this is the software that underpins the Enquire service Enquire – is the subscription service of 58 library authorities in England and Scotland participating in collaborative virtual reference Chat – online, real time Q&A sessions Offline – a chat session to be answered more comprehensively by later, or referred by our UK and US partners locally OCLC’s 24/7 Reference Cooperative - US Libraries who cover Enquire when UK staff are not online, supplemented by OCLC backup staff Local Services – these are configurable services over an above the Enquire stream, so use locally however you wish

The world’s libraries. Connected. Agenda 1.Introduction to the 24/7 Reference Cooperative 2.Who are the patrons? 3.Best Practices 1. Get off to a good start Pick up patrons promptly Cooperative greeting: setting expectations Understand the query 2. Send appropriate resources Identify the resources available to the user (policy pages) Pushing pages 3. Have a happy ending Final Satisfaction Q Follow up Ending the session

The world’s libraries. Connected. 24/7 Reference Cooperative 1.What is it? 2.Purpose of the Cooperative 3.Who are the patrons? 4.Overview of Coop policies and Best Practices

The world’s libraries. Connected. Enquire works due to the commitment and loyalty of the subscribing authorities. We are all cogs that contribute to a national virtual reference presence for libraries Libraries as partners

The world’s libraries. Connected. The mission of the 24/7 Reference Cooperative (the "Cooperative") is to provide high-quality information to the communities served by the cooperative network of member libraries (the "Members") in the most efficient manner possible. You are standing in the shoes of the Coop library (just as that library stands in your shoes, when you are offline) Mission of 24/7 Coop:

The world’s libraries. Connected. CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION 8 “Thanks for being available 24/7.” “I will definitely be using this for the rest of my academic career in high school and college!” “This service is wonderful !!! The librarians are so helpful and very nice. Please don't ever discontinue this service.” “9:00pm on a Sunday night and I get help from a useful librarian. Fantastic!” Denver Public library What patrons say about QP …

The world’s libraries. Connected. Who are the patrons?

The world’s libraries. Connected. No national US service, instead many (but not all) libraries belong to a statewide or regional service Who are the patrons?

The world’s libraries. Connected. Statewide/Regional Global Group Customers 11 Alaska QP Statewide Services States with QP public libraries Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Wyoming North Dakota South Dakota Nevada Utah California Arizona Colorado Nebraska Kansas New Mexico Texas Oklahoma LA Arkansas MS AL Tennessee Missouri Georgia FL SC N Carolina Iowa KY Illinois Indiana Ohio WV VA Penn Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan New York Maine VT NH MA RI CT NJ DE MD DC Hawaii Statewide services: MD, MN, PA, WA, OR, NY De facto QP Statewide Services

The world’s libraries. Connected. Language: spelling, idioms Education: Grades not key stages Government: Not accessed through local government –so ‘local questions’ are mainly about their library (renewal, holds, circ record) Instead of local councils, it’s City Hall (with mayors) US vs UK

The world’s libraries. Connected. Spelling: -er, -or, -og in US is –re, -our, -ogue in UK US: catalog; UK: catalogue Words (jumper, chips, etc) Idiomatic Expressions See Tip: If you aren’t sure, ASK for more information or RE-STATE the question, to clarify Language

The world’s libraries. Connected. Grade structureAge Range US Education Level UK Comparison 1 st Grade6-7ElementaryYear 2 Primary 2 nd Grade7-8ElementaryYear 3 Primary (Key Stage 2) 3 rd Grade8-9ElementaryYear 4 Primary 4 th Grade9-10ElementaryYear 5 Primary 5 th Grade10-11ElementaryYear 6 Primary 6 th Grade11-12MiddleYear 7 Secondary (Key Stage 3) 7 th Grade12-13MiddleYear 8 Secondary 8 th Grade13-14MiddleYear 9 Secondary 9 th Grade14-15HighYear 10 Secondary (Key Stage 4) 10 th Grade15-16HighYear 11 Secondary 11 th Grade16-17HighYear 12 College 12 th Grade17-18HighYear 13 College Education. Unlike our Key Stages, the US uses a Grade system: Tip: Use the subject guides under Homework Help in the wiki to get started:

The world’s libraries. Connected. Homework help Related to individual library: circulation record, policies on returning books, ebooks College students who are using the local public library resources Fewer questions about local council issues Common types of questions

The world’s libraries. Connected. Preview patron information Who is the patron?

The world’s libraries. Connected. Who is the patron: Info Tab and “Policies” link

The world’s libraries. Connected. Info tab in chat monitor Where is this patron from?

The world’s libraries. Connected. From the Patron form

The world’s libraries. Connected. Policy Page: click on “Policies”

The world’s libraries. Connected. Public Library Policy Page

The world’s libraries. Connected. Policy Pages Template for each library in the Cooperative Information about your library to assist other libraries to answer your patrons’ questions Be sure it is up to date All policies within the same group are linked via drop down list For policies of groups other than those you’re monitoring, “Search Policy Pages”

The world’s libraries. Connected. 24/7 Coop Policies and Best Practices

The world’s libraries. Connected. 1.Policy page: to determine what library resources are available to that patron 2.Engage with the patron: Clarify the question Feedback: ask patron if this answers the question Final Satisfaction: before closing, ask if patron needs anything else 3.Use Follow Up by Patron Library resolution code (and be sure the patron has left an ) if you can’t provide a complete answer How to answer a Coop question

The world’s libraries. Connected. 24/7 Coop policies and best practices

The world’s libraries. Connected. Coop Policies

The world’s libraries. Connected. Best Practices

The world’s libraries. Connected. 24/7 Policies and Best Practice documents Find them on the QuestionPoint homepage or on the Enquire Staff Pages – Help guides, hints & tips

The world’s libraries. Connected. 1. Get off to a good start Pick up patrons promptly Cooperative greeting: setting expectations Understand the query 2. Send appropriate resources Identify the resources available to the user (policy pages) Pushing pages 3. Have a happy ending Final Satisfaction Q Follow up Ending the session Best Practices for Cooperative Reference

The world’s libraries. Connected. 1. Getting started: Select all queues available

The world’s libraries. Connected. How many librarians are on duty? What do the numbers mean? 1 queue: Local queue only 9 queues: Local service plus Enquire 40+ queues: Local service, plus Enquire plus 24/7 Reference Cooperative 130+ queues: QP Backup staff – monitoring Public Libraries and Academic queues for everyone in coop. They should answer as a last resort

The world’s libraries. Connected. When a session comes in: Pick up promptly

The world’s libraries. Connected.

Send a greeting immediately: Hello, my name is Mark, and I'm a reference librarian in the UK. Your library and my library are part of a cooperative service, and I am helping out your library as their staff aren't available to chat right now. I'm reading your question... Or Hi, my name is Jane and I am from the xxx library in the UK. I am reading your question now… Or Some libraries have a greeting script, using the name of their service, which you could adapt Get off to a good start: Greeting

The world’s libraries. Connected.

TIP: Don’t use the Enquire greeting (ie “Welcome to Enquire, the national reference enquiry service)” with non-Enquire patrons! Using a greeting stating that you are answering from the UK on behalf of the patron’s library sets expectations for both parties: The patron may be more willing to offer a greater explanation and as the answering librarian, it may be that you need to ask for more information Greetings Tips

The world’s libraries. Connected. Ask at least ONE question, even if it is just to clarify what the patron needs If you are unsure what the patron needs, just ASK P: What is the turnover of Tree of Life? L: Could you tell me is Tree of Life some sort of business ? thanks Understand the query: REFERENCE INTERVIEW

The world’s libraries. Connected. Example: Reference Interview Patron: Facts on Tornado Jarrell, Texas. L: Hello, thank you for your question. I'm [Pat] from [name of library] in the UK covering the 24/7 Cooperative. I'll see what I can find. Do you know when this tornado happened? P: 27th of may 1997 im pretty sure L: Here's some information. I will also keep looking... [L sends webpage from NOAA] L: Here are photos taken shortly after the tornado... [L sends webpage]

The world’s libraries. Connected. Use the policy page to determine what resources are available Users expect that Qs can be answered by whomever picks up the chat, including Qs about the library Many local questions can be answered using the policy page: Does the library have this book/article? Locating resources using library databases (a card number or password is often available for chatting librarian’s use only) Policies on overdues, fines, fees, returns TIP: if the info is not on the policy page or library webpage, verify patron’s and code Follow Up by Patron Library 2. Send Appropriate Resources: Policy Page

The world’s libraries. Connected. Finding the User’s Library/location: Policy Page; Info Tab

The world’s libraries. Connected. Patron: does the library have a microfiche reader so I can access information about theatre history Librarian: Do you use the New York public library? Patron: New York Library of Performing Arts please Answer from the perspective of the patron’s library

The world’s libraries. Connected. P: My boyfriend needs to take an MCAT practice exam that will take around 5 hours. Would he be able to come to the downtown library, with his laptop, to use the internet? Thank you L: Hello, thank you for your question. I'm [Tom] from [name of library] in the UK covering the 24/7 Cooperative. I'll see what I can find. Which is his local library? L: Is it Seattle Public Library? P: The central library in Seattle, WA P: yes Example: Patron Information Tab

The world’s libraries. Connected. Most, but not all, of the libraries within a statewide group have their own policy page All policy pages of a consortia are grouped together Many libraries in the 24/7 Coop are not part of a group: New York PL, Brooklyn PL, Queens PL are all in New York City but are 3 separate library systems None of those 3 is part of Ask Us 247, which is a group in New York State (e.g., Buffalo, Syracuse, et. al.) Don’t make assumptions based on the queue name: check the policy page first, and ask if the patron if you are unsure Individual libraries

The world’s libraries. Connected. User goes to statewide service, Ask Here PA

The world’s libraries. Connected. Statewide Policy Page

The world’s libraries. Connected. Individual PA public library policy pages are grouped

The world’s libraries. Connected. Or, user came through his local library (Philadelphia)

The world’s libraries. Connected. Policy Page link connects to that library’s policy page

The world’s libraries. Connected. Link to library catalogue and databases Subject guides, arranged by topic (if available) Homework help resources such as tutoring Circulation: Fines, fees, holds Interlibrary loan and purchase suggestions Troubleshooting tips for PINs, etc Policy Pages for (practically) everything

The world’s libraries. Connected. Example: Policy Pages

The world’s libraries. Connected. Provide resources without doing their homework for them Some Coop libraries have scripted messages for homework help and/or subscribe to an online tutor service (see policy page and/or library scripted messages) Look on policy page for library’s homework sites/guides Dealing with US school kids

The world’s libraries. Connected. 30% to 40% of use of VRS in US is probably from school age kids (9 y.o. to 17 y.o.) doing homework “Class bombs” can occur consult “rude patrons” policy [section of Policies] Several statewide groups (i.e. PA) promote heavily in the schools Tip: Look at library’s policy page for Use Homework Help section in the Ready Reference wiki to find good US homework sites Send appropriate resources: Homework Help

The world’s libraries. Connected. Homework help? Use the Policy page

The world’s libraries. Connected. For information on a topic: Many libraries have subject guides

The world’s libraries. Connected. Worst case scenarios: Rude, nonsensical, or swarming Rude Patron policy: section of the Coop Policies Positive: "I would appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of language if we are going to continue”, not Negative: "we don't tolerate that kind of language” Problem patrons

The world’s libraries. Connected. Before closing, ask the patron if the question has been answered (“Does this completely answer your question?”) or if additional information is needed. If the request cannot be adequately answered during the session, code the session for Follow Up If Follow Up is needed, before ending the session: Verify address Ask for deadline Send Goodbye message from Patron Library, not Enquire (if no good bye script, just thank the patron for using the service) Never add descriptive codes to a 24/7 session, the local library will add them as appropriate to their institution 3. Ending the session

The world’s libraries. Connected. Answered: no additional information is needed by patron. Follow Up by Patron's Library: In most cases, use this code anytime followup is needed. Lost Call: If the patron never responds and does not have an address. Do not use Lost Call if the patron left an address; instead, use Follow Up by Patron's Library. Resolution Codes

The world’s libraries. Connected. Assign Resolution Code; Do not use descriptive codes for non-Enquire patrons The only 2 Resolution codes to use are: Answered – you consider it answered Follow up by Patron’s Library – sends it back to the patrons local library for follow up. You do not do offline research for 24/7 sessions

The world’s libraries. Connected. L: I haven't heard from you in a while. If you need anything else please come back to us. Thank you for contacting the 24/7 Cooperative. I hope you will use the service again soon. It would be very helpful to us if you would complete the survey. Goodbye. What resolution code should the librarian use? Disconnected Patron: Section of Policies

The world’s libraries. Connected. Going deeper into their site via Policy Pages: example

The world’s libraries. Connected. Sample session

The world’s libraries. Connected. Patron info tab

The world’s libraries. Connected.

Librarian checks patron’s catalogue…

The world’s libraries. Connected. Subject browse for author

The world’s libraries. Connected. Search by author name

The world’s libraries. Connected. Keep the patron informed of your progress

The world’s libraries. Connected. Librarian finds item

The world’s libraries. Connected. Librarian sends link to book, asks for feedback

The world’s libraries. Connected.

Message from Nancy Buck (ADMIN): Thank you, yes, there IS a problem with the catalog at the moment! Great that you caught that! --Michele, Grateful Librarian in Virginia, USA Reply from librarian re catalogue problem:

The world’s libraries. Connected. Quality

The world’s libraries. Connected. Quality assessments:

The world’s libraries. Connected. In the question –Refer To– box pick as follows and type in a comprehensive assessment

The world’s libraries. Connected. However, we also get it wrong: the most often cited issues

The world’s libraries. Connected. Working through a specific question:

The world’s libraries. Connected. Working through the query:

The world’s libraries. Connected.

Click on Databases in the header (the header reflects completed information)

The world’s libraries. Connected. Following the link from Databases, A – Z list:

The world’s libraries. Connected.

The world’s libraries. Connected.

I've just finished my first 24/7 session!! It was great!! I managed to answer one question, pointing a library user to their appropriate website. The sense of achievement. The sense of power!! Of nation talking to nation!!! Er, I'm going to lie down in a darkened room for a little while.... And this is what one of you said after their first question:

The world’s libraries. Connected. Questions about this presentation? If you have any queries about this, or any other presentation, please , detailing which presentation it is you have a question regarding to: