Reference Instruction and Collections  
 

Home | Ricswiki | Collection Management Website | Instruction Website | Back to Intranet

  

 Reference Chat Procedures
Purpose:
To provide students at the research workstations throughout the library with assistance from the reference desk via chat software. Students are unlikely to leave a workstation to ask for help. Reference Chat offers them the opportunity for obtaining help without losing their workstation. We are also alerted to when we should leave the desk to go to a specific workstation to help an individual.
 
Procedure:
 Effective 9/19/08 use this procedure:
 
When you come to the Reference desk, check to see if at least one of the terminals is logged onto the Reference Chat.  There is a link on one of the top toolbars on the browser that says "AsKNOW 129329".  
     
Logon with 129329, password refdesk.  
     
Select the primary Queue: CSUP.  It's the only Queue available. You will now be visible to Cal Poly Students via the Quidget.

When closing the desk, be sure to log out of the product, otherwise it will appear to the students that someone is available.

What the Students See:

1. From Library computers, they see an icon called "Live Chat Help."  Clicking on it takes them to: http://www.csupomona.edu/~asknow/ , which features the Qwidget prominently.

2. Off campus, if they click on the Ask A Librarian page, they will see the Qwidget featured on the side.

3. If they get the Ask Now bookmark and type in the URL http://www.csupomona.edu/~asknow/, again they see the Qwidget.

Based on text by Julie Shen (9/18/09)


Modfied by JSK  09/25/2008
University Library, California State Polytechnic University Pomona