The bulk of the May 9 SparkRef forum revolved around limiting ("throttling") questions from a class visit like Oregon's virtual reference service does. From that discussion we decided to take a look at possibly implementing throttling for our service. We quickly realized that there were several issues that we needed to think about. How many questions represent too many? What about types of questions? Should we let fewer complex questions through? What is a complex question? What is a simple one?
Providing service
Use this when writing about sessions with the public.
QuACK Meeting 4/25/2012
Cheryl (Chairperson) and Wendy (Secretary) were (peacefully) re-elected to three-year terms. Congratulations!
Don discussed his recent programs at the chapter conferences and is planning to share his presentation on the provider webpage.
Cheryl shared a draft of the QuACK procedures and asked committee members to review and comment.
Unresolved Questions
My time staffing the chat service is coming to an end very soon. I was not prepared for how much I would learn during this experience and it has been a great surprise to me!
As I look back through my notes, I find that I still have a few unresolved questions regarding chat reference service. It has to do with information literacy for students. Specifically, what is our role as KnowItNow24x7 librarians regarding K-12 students seeking help with homework questions?
Teens and Sex Information Pathfinder
SCOPE
Although some teens ask questions about sexual information as pranks on KnowItNow24x7, others ask in earnest. This pathfinder will help you provide authoritative resources on basic sexual health and more for teenagers.
Related content:
Working on approachability
My shifts have been relatively painless since my last few posts and that is good!
As part of my practicum experience, I am required to keep a log that lists what I work on and how long I spend doing it. I am also to include comments on skills practiced and knowledge acquired. Each time I add to it I am amazed at how much I’ve learned. It also reminds me of questions I’ve asked before or things I would like to work on.
When Teens Ask Instead of Attack
This blog post is one that is extremely difficult for me to write. It makes me feel even more vulnerable than any of the posts I’ve written so far. Yet, I feel that I should write it because it is a topic that I’m certain other KnowItNow24x7 librarians are interested in because they have or will experience questions like I did. Plus, I feel that as a librarian, someone who will be working with and before the public for my entire career, I must get comfortable being there and talking about my decisions.
Joining the Club
Don officially welcomed me into the club because I got called my first curse word, got a Very Poor rating, and on top of that, got a comment that said "YOU SUCK !!!!". It’s a club I would like to have have stayed out of, quite honestly, but I’m beginning to see that might not be possible.
Groucho Marx Dies: Old Newspapers via Google News
I was going through last month's transcripts and came across a session that had me intrigued. The patron's question was "I know that Groucho Marx died on August 19, 1977. Can you tell me the exact time of his death?" The librarian did an excellent job of suggesting resources; searching for a freely-available, authoritative death certificate or obituary posted online; and looking in available databases. As she found out, many databases only go back to the 1990s at the earliest. The patron was very appreciative and commented that "Although we could not find an answer ro my question, I found the librarian helping me very helpful and unbiased. They really tried to help me find the minutia I was searching for. They also left me with a few resources that I can search myself at my local library." It was a positive interaction but, unfortunately, didn't result in a definitive answer.
KnowItNow24x7 Provider Handbook
KnowItNow24x7 Provider Handbook
2nd Edition
Revised May 2012
Don Boozer, KnowItNow24x7 Statewide Coordinator
Getting comfortable working with teens
As I gain more experience in chat reference, I am inevitably gaining more experience working with teens. This isn’t surprising because a large percentage of KnowItNow24x7’s users are school-aged children. What was surprising to me at first was how frustrating they can be to work with, like getting a “no they sucked” response to my asking if the resources I sent were helpful. In the same breath, working with students can be so thrilling, and they are quick to include positive comments and ratings and show their appreciation. To help me get comfortable working with teens, I looked to the
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