December 2020
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Busiest Fall on Record
This November, AskAway had its busiest month on record with an average of just over 200 chat sessions per day. It's been a busy fall on AskAway but with the contributions and collaboration of the entire AskAway community, the service readily met the increased demand.

AskAway was open this fall semester for an additional 18 days, opening two weeks early when classes began on September 8th and extending service until December 18th. In the first two weeks of service, library staff responded to 2,428 chat sessions, supporting students and instructors in those critical first weeks.

The sustained increase in usage that the service has seen since mid-March continued through October and November, with an average 38% increase over the previous year. In October and November combined, there were over 11,190 chat sessions. In anticipation of the fall term, the Advisory Committee approved an increase to participating libraries' Base Staffing Commitments. This had a significant impact and the collaborative schedule had sufficient staffing to meet the demand while maintaining a high quality of service.

AskAway statistics, session data, and survey results are posted monthly on the AskAway website. For questions, please contact Cristen at the AskAway Admin Centre.
AskAway Visitor Highlights
"I love this service! I am working remotely now due to COVID and I use it all the time. The librarians are so helpful and friendly!!" UBC Graduate Student

"Thank you for having this service especially now during the pandemic." Okanagan College Student

"I never thought I would have such a wonderful experience with [the] online librarian. She was so nice and guided me to the exact point that I was looking for. Thank you." UFV Student

"Very helpful library community - thank you." Trinity Western University Student

"Both the librarians that helped me were great and friendly :)" BCIT Student

"Amazing help - very encouraging. Gave me clarity on the assignment while also boosting my confidence. Amazing!" SFU Student

"It was great to have help on the spot. I felt comfortable chatting with the librarian and welcome to keep asking questions when I needed clarification. Thank you!" University of Victoria Student

"You are awesome thanks!!!" Langara College Student

"I am so impressed by the librarian that helped me. I will tell my classmates about this and I will definitely use it in the future. Thank you very much." Camosun College Student
In the New Year
Early Opening in January
Virtual Reference Conference
AskAway will open two weeks early, on January 4th. While some institutions start classes January 11th, it will be valuable to have the service available to students and instructors who are back in the classroom the first week of January and for those who are preparing to return the following week.

As students continue to primarily attend class and access the library from a safe distance, AskAway is there to help with immediate and friendly research, citation, and reference support.
Mark your calendars for the North American Virtual Reference Conference, February 23rd - February 25th, 2021. This is a free and fully online conference.

The theme this year is Adaptability: Thriving in Uncertain Times and the keynote Resisting Achievement Culture with Slow Librarianship will be delivered by Meredith Farkas.

Registration information will be coming in early January 2021.
AskAway is a service of the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN).
Questions? Contact the AskAway Administrative Centre.