NCknows November 2013 Monthly Report
Activity:
This Month: 2531 (coop coverage) + 606 (libraries monitoring their own queues) + 292 NCknows FAQ views* = 3137
Last Month: 2474 (coop coverage) + 583 (libraries monitoring their own queues) + 20 FAQs* = 3077
This Month last year: 2224 (coop coverage) + 679 (libraries monitoring their own queues) = 2903
Check your own traffic here: http://ncknows.philblank.net/gwentest/LibStats.php
* see comments for more info on FAQs
Comments:
BIG NEWS! New Schedule: NCknows now has a new program to handle the schedules! https://secure.volunteerschedulerpro.com/webterminal/login.php?user=NCknows
Like the previous schedule it will show which libraries have committed to staffing various shifts on an ongoing basis, but it also does a whole lot more.
- Libraries that can't make long-term shift commitments can see which shifts need staffing each week, and volunteer for them on a one-time basis.
- Sub requests can be made through the system, and all available libraries will automatically be contacted.
- Libraries can opt in or out of receiving automatic notices of upcoming shifts, available shifts, and sub requests.
- Multiple librarians from a single library can receive individual emails by listing the addresses with comma between them, and no space. (Ex: num1@library.edu,num2@library.edu)
- It is exportable to Google Calendar and other external calendars.
If you already have a regular shift, you are signed up and you can contact Gwen Exner at gwenexner@gmail.com for your username and password. If you're interested in looking at the possibilities, just go to the site and sign up for a new account.
Feedback on the usability of this schedule is appreciated. I feel it is a HUGE improvement from Google Calendar. Our resources for a calendar were limited but I think this software is well suited to our needs.
SMS: You can now text NCknows by texting your message to (919) 585-4262 or 919-58LIBNC. SMS traffic tends to not be very intense with virtual reference services but it is showing signs of picking up.
FAQs: Patrons are really starting to check out the FAQs, which is very exciting. I would love to recruit a team of say 2 or 3 volunteers to help us populate it with more questions.
If you are curious about them, check out this great example from Greensboro College, http://greensboro.ask.libraryh3lp.com/ . Will Ritter put it together there and has this to say:
The Libraryh3lp FAQ has been incredibly easy to use and edit! After learning the FAQ was available to us at Jones Library, I immediately added all the questions we had listed on a static FAQ page. Since then, I have been adding questions as I come across new questions from students at the service desk. After showing it to co-workers, there is some interest in making another FAQ for internal use as sort of a searchable, editable, internal library manual for anyone working at the desk.
I’m still very unclear on how to count FAQs. They are clearly not chats, of course, but they address the same questions. And if they do that effectively, what is the best way to reflect that quantitatively? The quantity of views on them is quickly rising (for this month I only counted the NCknows FAQ, if I counted others it would compete with the independent chat totals). Perhaps this requires closer study, any ideas?? For now, I will try to be as clear as I can be about the various sources of questions and answers. FAQ views are not yet integrated in your specific library’s monthly totals either.
For those who haven’t plunged in yet, here’s last month’s message:
Get Started with FAQs: Libraryh3lp has now enabled FAQs for all participating libraries. https://docs.libraryh3lp.com/faq-intro
I’ll be adding FAQ guides and documentation to the staff site shortly but wanted to roll this out now so interested folks could go ahead and start populating their FAQs in time for next
semester. Here’s a good way to get started:
FAQs: the patron side: http://www.screencast.com/t/orjKvlyhAxg
FAQs: the admin side: http://www.screencast.com/t/hsAwtV7Y7hC
FAQs: the librarian side: http://screencast.com/t/S2iNPyqXx
FAQs are curious things- they can be used in all sorts of ways and not just to answer the sorts of questions we get in one on one reference situations. I’m interested in seeing how folks adapt these to their library’s needs and also how we can use them collaboratively. We will also be adding links to FAQs in profiles starting next year.
Please! NCknows Options Form: I’m re-running this again so everyone can get one more chance before the year ends.
Every wonder if you are making the most out of NCknows many options? We now have a form that walks you through the level of options. Takes mere minutes and afterwards you can sleep well at night knowing you are up to date! Try it now (pain-free):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nWdkjAqYLBFV44L6DKbSbNqd4FGLBJ4Eax061oA9oWQ/viewform
Transcripts of the Month
A few transcripts to finish off the last monthly report of 2013. Let’s start with two transcripts that come from embedded widgets in NC LIVE databases. As you recall, we now allow libraries to embed their own widgets in NC LIVE’s Ebsco and Proquest databases. You can see from the referring URL field if they are coming from an Ebsco page. The first one is from CPCC’s Abby Rovner. (pictured are Abby’s cats: The gray stripe is Vela and the dark gray is Ollie.)
09:08 PATRON #1 yo
09:08 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Hi
09:08 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com How many I help?
09:08 PATRON #1 i need help writing a
casual essay
09:08 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Okay, have you chosen your topic?
09:09 PATRON #1 you have any good
ideas on a topic
09:09 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Tell me more about the assignment.
09:09 PATRON #1 im thinking maybe
should college football players get paid
09:09 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com What are the instructions?
09:09 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com That's a good topic
09:10 PATRON #1 well the assignment
is to write a casual essay with counter viewpoints that is 4 to 6
pages long and then the next essay is to propose a solution so i need
a good topic that has a solution
09:10 PATRON #1 thank you
09:11 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Okay, so the first essay is mainly about
the issue itself, exploring and describing both (or more) sides
09:11 PATRON #1 we need to write
about what casues it and how its a issue i just didnt know if you had
a better topic or where i should start
09:11 PATRON #1 yes exactly
09:12 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Football players and salaries is a good
topic, you should find enough sources to describe the issue.
09:12 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Give me a minute to look up what
databases your library uses
09:13 PATRON #1 ok well im on ebsco
host and ive found some articles i think im on the right track
09:14 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Ebsco is good. I'd also take a look at
Opposing Viewpoints
09:14 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com and Points of View
09:14 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com those 2 databases are geared toward the
pro/con assignments
09:15 PATRON #1 thank you so much
09:15 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com The trick is to focus on the description
for the first essay..
09:15 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com and the solutions for the second
09:15 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com You're very welcome.
09:15 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com Anything else I can help you with?
09:15 PATRON #1 no thats it just
wanted to make sure i was doing the right thing thank you
09:16 cpccar@libraryh3lp.com You're on the right track. Good luck and
have a great day. :)
09:16 PATRON #1 you ti
09:16 PATRON #1 you to
This one is from the Backup staff’s Alicia Wyatt. Notice that she sees the referring URL field and asks the patron specifically if they need help “...in Ebsco.” Pretty slick! Alicia says, “I do like to look at the referring url whenever possible. It can sometimes save a couple back and forth questions with the patron, making the session quicker and smoother.” (pictured: from Alicia,“Kids = a good justification for buying favorite children's books and adding to an overflowing library.”)
06:34 PATRON #2 got it thank you
06:34 ncaliciaw@libraryh3lp.com Great!
06:34 ncaliciaw@libraryh3lp.com Would you like help finding anything in EBSCO?
06:35 PATRON #2 no, I just need to
find 3 sources for my topic then an E book also
06:36 ncaliciaw@libraryh3lp.com After you find 3 articles, I recommend
going to this page to find ebooks:
06:36 ncaliciaw@libraryh3lp.com http://www.nclive.org/browse/ebooks
06:36 PATRON #2 ok thanks . anything
to make the search less over whelming
06:37 ncaliciaw@libraryh3lp.com What's your topic?
06:37 PATRON #2 it is a cause and
effect essay on how children are affected by divorce...
Finally, I think this is a nice one to end the year on. It is a virtual reference epic of Homeric proportion, overflowing with patient instruction. This level of service at this time of night during the busiest month of the year is truly unique. Thanks Keith!
00:14 PATRON #3 hello
00:14 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Hello
00:15 PATRON #3 I am looking for a
particular article for a magazine I found it about a week ago and
didn't send it by email like I thought I had but cant find it now
00:16 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. Do you remember anything about it?
00:16 PATRON #3 yes quite a bit
00:16 PATRON #3 it was in prevention magazine
00:16 PATRON #3 sarah Maloney was the
author I believe
00:16 PATRON #3 it was talking about
stress causing health problems in women
00:17 PATRON #3 I can tell you a few
from the list
00:17 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. And do you remember where you
had found the article?
00:17 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com What database?
00:18 PATRON #3 no
00:18 PATRON #3 i believe that's the
main problem
00:18 PATRON #3 i know it was a pdf though
00:18 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. Just a moment, I will see where
you can check
00:19 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com The first record in this list:
http://journalfinder.wtcox.com/waketech/search-title.asp?ucrit=prevention&x=-777&y=-295
00:20 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Shows you which databases have
Prevention magazine
00:20 PATRON #3 ok cool
00:20 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com your best bet would be to search those
00:20 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com with keywords that you remember
00:20 PATRON #3 ok thank you :)
00:21 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com No problem! Just let us know if you
still aren't finding it.
00:21 PATRON #3 ok will do
00:41 PATRON #3 hello
00:41 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Hello
00:41 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Were you able to find the article?
00:41 PATRON #3 I have been looking
around and still can not find it
00:42 PATRON #3 was it possibly
removed as a resource?
00:42 PATRON #3 it feels like I should
have found it
00:42 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com It is possible. Had you tried searching
by author?
00:43 PATRON #3 i don't know how to do that
00:44 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Had you tried entering the author's
name in the database you were searching?
00:44 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I am seeing if I can find anything
about the article
00:45 PATRON #3 yes I tried entering
her name but none of those are the article as well im not sure its the
same person it will say just sarah or just Maloney generally
00:46 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. I am trying a few things
00:47 PATRON #3 ok thank you :)
00:48 PATRON #3 it had a brief
introduction and then a list of 8 health problems women face due to
stress when i found it i believe I was using high blood pressure in
there but don't remember exact wording
00:50 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com No problem. Thanks for waiting. Still checking
00:54 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Thanks again for waiting. Sorry about the wait!
00:55 PATRON #3 no problem
00:58 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see a STAY-CALM SOLUTIONS from Stress
Survivors.
00:59 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com by a Mahoney, Sarah
01:00 PATRON #3 that is not it but i
think i typed the last name in wrong :/
01:00 PATRON #3 Mahoney is right
01:00 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Great!
01:00 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I believe that was the problem
01:00 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Was that not the same article?
01:01 PATRON #3 no
01:01 PATRON #3 i will look some more
though hopefully the name will help
01:01 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. I was looking in Academic Search Complete
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com if you enter Prevention
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com in the first search window
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com and change the field to SO Journal name
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com and then enter: mahoney
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com in the second window
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com and change that to AU author
01:02 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com it may help narrow it down
01:02 PATRON #3 ok thank you
01:03 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Was that where you were searching?
Academic Search Complete?
01:06 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I also see: the real-life stress survival guide.
01:07 PATRON #3 i just pulled that up
gonna look at it real quick
01:08 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Sure thing
01:12 PATRON #3 ok im not sure if it
is the exact same article but it does have the same exact quote, so it
must be it thank you so much for your help....btw can you point me in
the direction to source this correctly for MLA format
01:13 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Great! And no problem. I will see if I
can find something to help with the citation
01:13 PATRON #3 ok thank you
01:14 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com You're welcome. This resource is very
good: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
01:14 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com You would want An Article from an
Online Database (or Other Electronic Subscription Service)
01:15 PATRON #3 cool thank you I have
to find one more can u stick around a min til i find it
01:16 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Sure, no problem! We'll be here all night.
01:21 PATRON #3 ok I found the other
one...thankfully I had the title of the article would that be in the
same source format for MLA as the first one
01:22 PATRON #3 its a long name I can
paste it here if you like
01:22 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Did you also find it in Academic Search Complete?
01:22 PATRON #3 no...well maybe
01:22 PATRON #3 i had a few different databases
01:23 PATRON #3 the name of the article is:
01:23 PATRON #3 U.S. Postal Service:
USPS Needs to Clearly Communicate How Postal Services ...
01:25 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. The way you would cite it
depends on how you accessed the copy you are citing
01:26 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com For example, for the first one, were
you able to pull the article up in Academic Search Compete? Or
someplace else?
01:27 PATRON #3 is there any way to
tell which database I got it from
01:30 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I can't exactly say for sure. For the
first one, if you pull it up in Academic Search and use the quote from
the article you pulled up then you would fine citing that one
01:30 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com However, if the article is available in
more than one database there isn't any way for me to say which one you
originally accessed it in
01:30 PATRON #3 what if it was from
Masterfile or MAS or one of the other databases
01:32 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I can check and see which databases the
second article is in
01:32 PATRON #3 ok thank you
01:35 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Was this the second article?
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-04-803
01:35 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com For the first one, I would just cite it
as whatever database you are finding it in now
01:36 PATRON #3 ok...no that isn't the
right one...let me see if I can give you more info I think the second
one is in masterfile
01:38 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. Had you tried searching by title
in Masterfile?
01:38 PATRON #3 I found a button on
the right that has citing this is the MLA format for that article:
01:38 PATRON #3 Goldstein, Mark. "U.S.
Postal Service: USPS Needs To Clearly Communicate How Postal Services
May Be Affected By Its Retail Optimization Plans: GAO-04-803." GAO
Reports (2004): 1. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
01:42 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. It looks like according to that
citation it can be found in MasterFILE
01:42 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I am double checking
01:43 PATRON #3 ok thank you
01:44 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com No problem. I believe that citation
should be correct. I am double checking
01:45 PATRON #3 thank you once again
for all your help
01:46 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com No problem at all! Thanks so much for
your patience
01:48 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Because this appears to be a specific
kind of government report, I just want to make sure the prepared MLA
citation is correct
01:49 PATRON #3 ok i await patiently :)
01:56 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com Thanks again for waiting. I believe the
MLA citation provided by Masterfile should be correct. Would I be able
to have a staff member email you back to confirm this?
01:56 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I'm afraid I'm not seeing a clear
answer from the resources I am seeing.
01:57 PATRON #3 that would be great
although im printing this up in a few hours for turn in at school
02:01 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I see. Would it be possible to stop by
the library on your way?
02:01 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com It looks like they open at 7:30
02:02 PATRON #3 I may be able to but I
have a class at 8
02:02 PATRON #3 Ill just roll with the
punches...if I get some off I will be ok with it
02:04 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com I believe you should be OK using
Masterfile's citation, but I'd advise double checking with the manual
for how a GAO report should look.
02:05 PATRON #3 I will check my lb
brief to confirm it looks the same thank you :)
02:05 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com You're welcome! And feel free let us
know if we can help with anything else.
02:06 PATRON #3 ok will do have a
great night/morning
02:06 nckeithg@libraryh3lp.com You too! Have a good one.