The newest edition of Tales From the Co-Op is here! If you missed the most recent post in this series, be sure to catch up with the October Exchanges.
It's that time of the year where we like to take inventory of what we're grateful for and think about where we find fulfillment. We know that for librarians, there's often nothing quite as fulfilling as helping someone solve a problem. Here at Springshare, we find similar gratification in coming up with ways to make librarians' jobs easier, which is why we offer the LibAnswers 24/7 Chat Cooperative!
Your library website is open 24 hours a day, and with assistance from our Co-Op of MLS-degreed librarians, the resources it contains can be more accessible than ever. You can now offer research assistance, quick Q&As, and even locate info about that obscure topic a patron is thinking about at 3 in the morning. By joining the Co-Op, you gain access to a network of highly skilled information professionals, from all over the globe, to assist with your reference needs. You select the hours of coverage, so it is fully customized to fit the needs of your library. Are you short-staffed every weekend? Do you close early on Fridays? Help free up staff time and meet patron expectations by providing excellent service, no matter what.
Some of the features librarians love are:
- Seamless integration with LibAnswers FAQs
- Support for Spanish-speaking patrons
- Ability to tag a conversation for post-chat follow-up
- Useful analytics to help improve the program over time
We love to share what some of the five-star interactions our chat librarians have on a daily basis look like. Having access to personalized research assistance, even during the library’s after-hours, is incredibly valuable and may encourage patrons to become advocates for the library. One user recently shared that their librarian was “so helpful and kind! I appreciate the help and patience I received.” Privacy is important to us, so we have removed all personally identifiable information from these interactions and have used fun pseudonyms for patrons and librarians.
Spotlight on Librarian Excellence
The right information from a trusted source can change everything! With this series, we love to highlight some of the amazing interactions our chat librarians have with patrons every day. Read below to see how this patron went from overwhelmed to ready to roll over the course of one chat.
July 23, 2024 | 5:48 pm
Priya Patron: I am writing a research paper on why we still use private prisons. I need help making a thesis, then making a literature review. I have no idea how to make a literature review.
Leona Librarian: Let me find you information on writing a literature review to start with; it sounds like you also need information on writing thesis statements, and to find information on private or for-profit prisons, is that correct?
Priya Patron: Yes. more information would be awesome
Leona Librarian: This is a good description of a literature review: Literature Reviews – UNC Writing Center
Priya Patron: I am reading that now
Priya Patron: For the thesis, I know it needs to be more specific than "why are we still using private prisons?" but it seems to have many facets.
Leona Librarian: Here’s an article on thesis statements from Indiana University, but usually you do some preliminary research and reading before you write the thesis statement.
Leona Librarian: You can have a basic thesis and then sub-topics or claims that you address
Priya Patron: Those are both very helpful articles! How did you find them? That way I can find similar later.
Leona Librarian: They are from my collection of the best websites out there, but many universities have writing centers with handouts, so you can look for your topic and limit your search to .edu -- or you can ask us again.
Leona Librarian: Here’s the library research guide for Criminal Justice, so that you can search for articles on your topic *Link to institution’s criminal justice LibGuide*
Priya Patron: Okay, I will look at that in a moment.
Priya Patron: I found a topic and an issue. Read up on it. So, now I need a thesis and make sure I have enough supporting articles.
Priya Patron: Have I missed a step yet?
Leona Librarian: I'd look first at the database called Opposing Viewpoints. We're sort of skipping to the last one -- make sure there are enough articles. You really have to read a bit about your topic before you write your thesis statement
Leona Librarian: *Link to criminal justice LibGuide* Do you see the one called Gale: Opposing Viewpoints? Click on that, and sign in if it asks you to
Priya Patron: I am looking at the Gale website. I have probably spent 5 hours or so doing research in ProQuest and other websites as well.
Leona Librarian: So, do you think you've found enough information? I would search for ("private prisons" OR "for-profit prisons") AND "United States"
Priya Patron: I will look over those articles but, could we back track a little? I chose a topic and issue after reading for a couple hours. What’s the next step?
Leona Librarian: If you think you're ready, the next step is to write your thesis statement and then begin your literature review. You might want to be sure you have all the citations and permalinks for all your articles, and write your references list first, so it will be easy for you to refer to them as you write your literature review
Leona Librarian: Keep in mind the thesis statement is a statement, not a question. It has to be something that you can defend or prove.
Priya Patron: Okay, give me a couple minutes to read the literature review article you sent. I think that is my biggest roadblock so far.
Priya Patron: I’ll probably have a question after reading it
Leona Librarian: I'll be here
Priya Patron: Just finished reading the article. I am pretty confused about the organization part of the review
Leona Librarian: You should make an appointment with your teacher to go over that, but here's a suggestion: Literature Review: Organizing and Creating Information – Brown University
Priya Patron: I will dive more into that when I get there then. Thank you for the help! I feel so much better about the assignment. I don't feel like I am drowning anymore
Leona Librarian: Excellent!
*Links to institution's LibGuide removed for privacy
FAQ-tastic Interactions
When a patron starts a live chat, often it’s because they can’t immediately find the answer to their question on your website. You already know what your most frequently asked questions are, so using LibAnswers FAQs is a seamless way for chat librarians to provide info straight from the source!
August 9, 2024 | 8:23 am
Paulette Patron: Good morning, how do I access my voucher?
Liev Librarian: Hi, Paulette! Do you mean your bookstore voucher?
Paulette Patron: Yes please
Liev Librarian: OK. Give me a sec to find that for you.
Paulette Patron: Thank you
Liev Librarian: *Link to Institution’s LibAnswers FAQ*
Liev Librarian: Let me know if this answers your question.
Paulette Patron: Thank you
Liev Librarian: You're welcome! Is there anything else I can help with?
Paulette Patron: That is all thank you
Liev Librarian: You're welcome! Goodbye and thanks for using our service!
*Link to institution's FAQ removed for privacy
Curious Queries
Some questions take a little more back and forth than others, and often a niche question leads to millions of hits on a search engine. This librarian gave an excellent tip that will help set Peta Patron up for future academic success.
September 9, 2024 | 4:11 am
Peta Patron: How do I give peer feedback?
Lulu Librarian: Can you tell me more, Peta? I'm an "after hours" librarian from another university, so I'd appreciate it if you could provide some details to catch me up.
Peta Patron: We had to submit a video for our sociology class and now I have been assigned two "peer reviews" I understand that I have to view their video and give them feedback... but I honestly do not know how to do that.
Peta Patron: What kind of feedback should I give? I'm unsure.
Peta Patron: This is what the professor put on the rubric: Complete both assigned peer reviews with thoughtful and constructive feedback.
Lulu Librarian: So are you wondering about the technology side, like how to navigate your course website to get to where you give peer feedback?
Or are you more wondering about what content you can write that would be considered "constructive feedback"?
Peta Patron: I’m wondering more about what content I can write about
Lulu Librarian: Alright, thanks for clarifying
Lulu Librarian: I can find you some tips/advice webpages. A few moments, please...
Peta Patron: Thank you!!
Lulu Librarian: I did a search for site:.edu peer feedback constructive which tells Google to only show us results from .edu websites (aka usually websites from universities and colleges).
Lulu Librarian: And here's two results that came up that look helpful:
- Giving Peer Review Feedback – University of Arizona
- Giving Feedback for Peer Review – Purdue University
Peta Patron: I'll make sure to save that tip about the .edu google search
Lulu Librarian: Yeah! It's handy, you just type site:.edu in front of whatever you're going to Google (it also works with other endings, like site:.gov or site:youtube.com)
Peta Patron: I really appreciate it, THANK YOU!
Lulu Librarian: You're welcome, I hope that that's enough of a jumping off point for you to complete your assignment.
Peta Patron: Yes, it is, now I have some place to start! Thank you!
For more information about the 24/7 Global Chat Cooperative, contact sales@springshare.com.