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Wasn't That a Party!
by Dave Funk, Paterson Library, Confederation College
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askON Demo at Paterson Library
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Over the past decade askON staff have fielded thousands of questions from local, remote Ontario campuses and Distance Education students in need of research help. askON's unique on-line service has provided students with immediate and qualitative information by knowledgeable professionals.
The Paterson library has supported askON since its inception and is celebrating this 10 year milestone by joining with similar OCLS colleges and holding a staff birthday party. But, it was decided early on in the planning stages that we would like take the $25 celebration cheque OCLS sent us, convert it into "metric dollars" and use it to include the end beneficiaries of askON; namely the STUDENTS.
So, over the lunch break of May 3rd, Paterson's
askON technicians planned an "open"
birthday party. Along with advertising and promotional flyers was the opportunity for students to meet the local askON "behind the scenes" helpers.
For the inquisitive mind, computer terminals were set up for students to try out
and interact
with a live, on-line technician. For many students, this was the perfect time to be reminded of what askON had to offer and very timely as final exams and assignments were being issued. One appreciative student was heard to comment, "Holy $&#*, I can get this kind of help? %#+@!"
And, what would a birthday party be without birthday cupcakes. During the 1 hour celebration/demonstration over 200 patrons discovered more about this outstanding virtual assignment helper and the great folks working behind the scenes.
In a post event roundtable discussion, library staff came to several conclusions:
- Based on the positive student feedback, there is more that can be done to provide this service:
- Step up with promotional inserts in college calendars/handbooks, etc.
- T or Polo shirts with featuring askON logos and slogans
- Continue with creative (in-house) TV ads
- Set-up askON demo stations at orientation sessions
- Pop-up askON stations around campus including at the regional level campuses
- Pursue more feedback at monitoring our askON use and promotion
- What we learned?
- You can sell anything better with cake
A new working slogan: "askON, and you shall receive."
Happy Birthday askON, and many more!
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askON 10th Anniversary Party Update!
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Library & Media Services Staff at Fanshawe College
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askON 10th parties are in full swing across the province, and libraries are celebrating with cake, cookies, and pizza parties. Some have used the occasion to market the service, opening the celebration to students and staff beyond the library. We've seen pictures of delicious looking cakes and awesome library staff, and we've loved reading your reflections about the service. Check out some of the highlights, below.
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askON party at Conestoga
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Best thing about the service:
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"Working with students - they are eager to learn
!" (Georgian)
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"I like the community of fellow askON members. It's great to meet them in person at a conference" (Seneca)
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"You have one hour and you get to play with everyone's toys" (Conestoga)
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Durham College celebration
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Favourite interactions with students:
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"The questions when you can teach them something and you see the 'ah-ha now I'm finding what I'm searching for' moments are the best chats" (Fanshawe)
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"I always like the visitors who you can see growing more confident in their research over the course of the transaction!" (Centennial)
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Centennial's party
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Favourite interactions with askON Staff:
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"Dave from Confederation has terrific quips for a Friday aft
ernoon
shift! Very enthusias
tic" (St. Clair)
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"Love the camaraderie formed between regular shift mates. Love my Tuesdays with Caroline from Seneca!" (Conestoga)
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"Every shift! Knowing that awesome people have your back when you need it!" (Lambton)
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Georgian College celebration
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Memorable questions:
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"Visitor looking for scholarly sources on the cost of body parts on the black market" (Durham)
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"John loves local questions. He dealt with gentrification in Toronto. He was amazed at the scope and complexity of askON questions and virtual reference can lead to a variety of sources. It can be a rabbit hole!" (St. Clair)
What's next for askON?
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Library staff at St. Clair College |
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More integration with the Learning Portal
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Face-to-face opportunities for askON folks
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Increased local promotion
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askON's 20th!
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Another Year of Excellent Service
The 2017 askON Evaluation results are in, revealing another year of excellent service. The service has once again broken traffic records, with
10,759 questions received in 2017, a
34% increase over 2016 traffic. Analysis of traffic to the service since 2009 has shown that traffic to askON has increased by over
200% in three years as a result of service enhancements since 2015, including the transition to LibraryH3lp, launch of askON text, and adoption of proactive chat. As traffic has increased, the number of reference questions has kept pace.
65% of all questions to the service in 2017 included a reference question and
84% of reference questions involved an information literacy component.
The quality of askON service remains high according to both transcript analysis and the results of the askON Satisfaction Survey. 98% of visitors reported that they were satisfied with the service they received, and 67% reported that they received better information than they could have found on their own.
Transcript analysis shows that askON staff provide excellent service across all areas, including approachability and interest, patience and listening skills, reference interviews, consulting sources, and communicating search strategies. Results suggest that askON staff and interns could benefit from further development in the areas of asking questions and developing search strategies. Regular training will ensure that askON continues to provide exceptional reference service.
Visitors use the service for
many reasons, but convenience tops the list. Many visitors report that asking for help online makes sense for them because they are searching for online resources (35%) or researching off campus (50%). Others simply prefer online services (40%), while some visitors have shared that online services are a more comfortable way for them to ask for help due to anxiety, language barriers, or disabilities.
The most common way that visitors report learning about the service is by seeing a button on the library website (58%), confirming that strategic placement of the button on the library website continues to be the most effective way to raise awareness of the service. Use of proactive chat further increases awareness, and wide placement of the proactive invitation may be an effective strategy for increasing traffic for colleges that wish to do so.
The service owes its success to the skilled team of college askON staff, the strategic direction of the askON Steering Committee, and the dedication of participating libraries who have made askON the thriving service that it is today!
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Publication Alert: Looking for Past Newsletters?
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askON, a service of Ontario Colleges and Ontario Colleges Library Service (OCLS)
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