Chat with a librarian 24/7!

What is AskAway?

AskAway is an interactive online service that allows you to chat with a librarian, much like Instant Messaging

Through chat, librarians can answer questions, assist in conducting online research, & help navigate the Internet

The service is monitored by librarians throughout Wisconsin, who receive backup from librarians elsewhere in the country, allowing you to access the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Why chat reference works:

It’s available when you need it – any time!

It’s available where you need it – at your finger tips!

It’s interactive, so you don’t just get answers, you get hands-on instruction

You get personalized service from a reliable source, which is sometimes hard to find on the Web

Sounds great, but how do I use it?

1) Accessing the service

Libraries throughout the state participate in the service, so visit your library’s website and look for the AskAway logo

ORGo directly to http://www.askaway.info/

2) Fill in the form* and click submit

*Different libraries may use forms that look slightly different, but every form should indicate which fields are optional or required & should allow you to log on anonymously, if you’d prefer not to provide any personal information

When you click submit, a new window will automatically appear letting you know where you are in line.

If you change your mind, click “End Session” to cancel your chat request

3) Start chatting!

As soon as the librarian begins chatting with you, a screen will appear that has your conversation on the right side and recommendations for using the service are on the left. To view the screen, go to the next slide.

Your conversation will appear here. What you say is in blue and what the librarian says is in black.

To say something to the librarian, type your message and click send.

4) Enjoy the experience!

The librarian has the ability to send you useful websites. If the librarian sends you a site, it will appear at the left part of your screen where the recommendations for using the service previously were displayed. To see how this looks, go to the next slide.

the site the librarian sentThe address of the site appears in the response in purple

Co-browsing

The librarian also has the ability to enable co-browsing. Co-browsing looks similar to when the librarian sends you a site but you can actually see what the librarian is doing as he/she does it. If you take any links or type anything on the site, the librarian can see what you’re doing as you do it. To see an example, go to the next slide.

As the librarian enters search terms in the Google search box, you can see them appear!

5) Ending the session

As soon as the librarian ends the session or you end the chat by clicking the End Session button, a transcript, including hyperlinks to the sites that you viewed during the chat, will appear. If you provided your email address when you filled out the chat request form or provided it during the session, a complete transcript will also be emailed to you. To view a sample transcript, go to the next slide.

Recommendations:

1. If you provide your email address to receive a transcript via email, you ensure that you have easy access to the answer to your question.

2. If you have a firewall enabled, it may prevent you from chatting with the librarian once you’re in the session. As long as you provide an email address and your question is clear, you will receive a transcript that includes the answer to your question, even if you have difficulties chatting.

3. You can use any type of browser to access this service, but co-browsing may not work with all browsers.

Go to www.askaway.info to start chatting! We’ll see you online!