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 of 75%. Keep up the good work! The email aspect of the service continues to enjoy plenty of traffic, though the chat service blossomed this month and beat email by over 1,000 questions. Qwidget traffic remains consistent at around 1/4th of the total chat traffic.

The word cloud highlights some of the most-used words left in survey comments throughout October. The larger the word, the more it was used, so it’s nice to be able to easily pick out (because of their size), words like: great, helpful, wonderful, excellent, useful, impressed, nice, easy, and love.

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From the IMLS Press Release:

“The report highlights a steady increase in library use over the last 10 years, with patrons accessing an incredible range of information resources and programs across the country. Recent national news reports suggest that public library use is even more pronounced in the last 6 months as a consequence of the economic downturn. In these difficult times, people are turning to a trusted, relevant community resource for vital information and support.”

The report includes a number of key findings to assist the library community, and policymakers, at the local, state, and national level, in making decisions to better their communities.

Check out the full report here.