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Tag: Ask-Wa

Ref22: Mastering the Reference Interview

Ref22: Mastering the Reference Interview

Did you miss out on the live Ref22 webinar this week? Never fear! All Ref22 sessions are archived and available on the website at Ref22: Archived Sessions. For our October session we had Christa Werle  from Sno-Isle Libraries talking about mastering the reference interview. Check it out! Whatever our official status, our users think of us all simply as “the librarian.” Join us during October’s Ref22 to discuss how library staff of all levels can engage (and sometimes disengage) our…

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Thoughts on Innovation in Reference Services

Thoughts on Innovation in Reference Services

Last Friday I had the pleasure of [virtually] being part of a panel at the WLA / PNLA conference in Victoria. The panel was called “Reference Service Innovations: Present and Future”, and my fellow panelists and I were given some excellent questions to consider. Since I wasn’t sure how the technology would play out (I was a virtual presenter on a panel that was otherwise physically present AT the conference), I recorded the questions with my answers and sent them…

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WSL Updates for August 12, 2010

WSL Updates for August 12, 2010

Volume 6, August 12, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) ASK-WA LAUNCHES SMART PHONE APP 2) FULL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DENVER LIBRARY CONFERENCE 3) TRANSFORMING LIFE AFTER 50 4) ACTIVATE YOUR LYRASIS MEMBERSHIP NOW 5) FALL BOOK BUZZ 2010 6) FREE FUNDRAISING E-BOOK 7) FREE ONLINE CE EVENTS NEXT WEEK

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Dec 2009

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Dec 2009

Ask-WA Statistics – December, 2009 December tends to be a slower month for Ask-WA, mainly because academic traffic drops off so sharply during the holiday breaks. In numbers: Email questions received: 3319 Chat sessions requested: 3474 Chat sessions accepted: 2883 Qwidget requests (% of total): 791 (22.8%) On a positive note, our answering percentage rose from its dangerously low 74% last month up to 83% in December, which is ideal. The best part is that this higher ratio is due…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Nov 2009

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Nov 2009

Ask-WA Statistics – November, 2009 Ask-WA slowed down a bit in November compared to October, but since we were super-extra busy in October, that isn’t saying too much. November numbers were still well ahead of September, August, and July numbers, especially in terms of chat sessions requested. In numbers: Email questions received: 3743 Chat sessions requested: 4912 Chat sessions accepted: 3645 Qwidget requests (% of total): 965 (19.6%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 74% for the…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Oct 2009

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Oct 2009

Ask-WA Statistics – October, 2009 Ask-WA picked up significantly in October, beating September and August in every category. Except Qwidget requests, which remained about even, percentage-wise. In numbers: Email questions received: 4287 Chat sessions requested: 5303 Chat sessions accepted: 4343 Qwidget requests (% of total): 1282 (24.2%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 81.9% for the month, which is down nearly 5% from September (probably because of the increased traffic), but remains well over the goal rate…

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Ask-WA Goes Primetime

Ask-WA Goes Primetime

Ask-WA had its television debut last Friday night on Komo News! All the video they took was from the UW, but they covered the service well, and in a very good light, and mentioned all the key points. Check it out! If you’re not in the know, Ask-WA is a statewide cooperative of libraries – academics, publics, and specials – offering 24/7 virtual reference service to all the residents of Washington State. If you want to give it a try,…

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Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Sept 2009

Ask-WA(tch): Stats, Kudos and Comments for Sept 2009

Ask-WA Statistics – September, 2009 Ask-WA maintained a busy service during the month of September, and chat picked up slightly over August as schools came back into session. In numbers: Email questions received: 3707 Chat sessions requested: 3457 Chat sessions accepted: 2993 Qwidget requests (% of total): 848 (24.5%) As a cooperative we maintained an answering percentage of 86.6% for the month, which is a good 2% over last month, and remains well over the goal rate of 75%. Keep…

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Ref22: Using Screencasts in Virtual Reference

Ref22: Using Screencasts in Virtual Reference

What: Ref22: “Using Screencasts in Virtual Reference” When: Tuesday, October 13th, 8:30 – 9:30 am PST Where: Wimba WA_TrainingRoom1 Tuesday, October 13th, we will host our very first webinar in what will be a monthly series called Ref22 (it’s “22” because it’s the 2nd Tuesday of every month). Ref22 is meant for reference and virtual reference librarians in particular, and will cover a variety of interesting and practical topics. This month we are happy to feature Lauren Ray, Educational Outreach…

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Join Ask-WA for Free in 2010

Join Ask-WA for Free in 2010

Dear libraries of Washington State, Are your users on the internet? I’m willing to bet that a lot of them are. Do they use chat software to communicate? IM tools like ICQ and AIM have been around since 1996/1997 (respectively), and companies like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! all provide IM services. Chat and IM aren’t new, and lots of people use them to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues. Chat and email are probably the two most-used methods for online…

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