Chat With a Librarian 24/7!

Who provides the service? Ask?Away is a consortium of Illinois libraries and is funded by the Illinois State Library - Secretary of State Jesse White with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).Ask?AwayIllinois State Library - Secretary of State Jesse WhiteInstitute of Museum and Library Services

What is AskAway? AskAway is an online reference service that allows you to chat with a librarian who can answer your questions assist your with online research help you navigate the Internet Illinois librarians and backup librarians elsewhere in the country monitor the service, providing you assistance 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year

Sounds great, but how do I use it?

1) Accessing the service Libraries throughout the state participate in the service, so visit your library’s website and look for the AskAway logo  OR Go directly to

Click here to connect to AskAway

2) Fill in the form and click submit

3) Start chatting! As soon as the librarian begins chatting with you, a split screen will appear with your conversation on the right side and recommendations for using the service on the left, like this…

Your conversation will appear here. What you say is in blue and what the librarian says is in black. To say something to the librarian, type your message and click send.

4) Enjoy the experience! The librarian has the ability to send you useful websites that will appear on the left part of your screen like this….

the site the librarian sent The address of the site appears in the response in purple

Co-browsing You and the librarian can co-browse – explore a web page together – to be sure you find the information you need.

As the librarian enters search terms in the Google search box, you can see them appear!

5) Ending the session When you have the answers you need, click on the End Session button. If you provided your address on the chat request form or during the session, a complete transcript of your session will be ed to you, like this one… End Session

Why chat reference works: It’s available when you need it – any time! It’s available where you need it – at your finger tips! It’s interactive, so you don’t just get answers, you get hands-on instruction You get personalized service from a reliable source, which is sometimes hard to find on the Web

Want your library to be included? Contact Debra Aggertt Illinois State Library Gwendolyn Brooks Building Illinois Virtual Reference Coordinator 300 S. Second Street Springfield, Illinois Phone

Go to to start chatting! We’ll see you online!