December 2021
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A New Way to Connect in the New Year
In the new year, more students will be able to access AskAway thanks to a new tool: proactive chat!

After piloting this feature in the summer, the Proactive Chat Pilot Task Group brought forward a recommendation to the AskAway Advisory Committee, who gave proactive chat the green light for the service.

What?
  • Proactive chat is an optional feature in LibraryH3lp, AskAway's collaborative chat reference software, that institutions can choose to implement
  • It's a timed widget that pops-up on a webpage or in a database, inviting the student to chat; the widget is highly customizable (e.g. timing, colour, invitation wording, etc. can all be customized)

Who?
  • All AskAway participants will be able to take advantage of proactive chat as part of a phased roll-out (e.g. five libraries in the first May-June summer term and four libraries in the second July-August summer term)

When?
  • In early 2022, a survey will be sent to all participating libraries to gauge interest; a set of Best Practices, based on the Task Group's Final Report, will be available for local coordinators to use
  • In the spring, implementation will begin in phases

Where?
  • Proactive chat widgets can be embedded or activated on most library webpages, in LibGuides, EBSCO databases, etc.
  • They can be included on pages where there's already an AskAway widget such as a chat box or tab as well as on pages where there's no AskAway widget currently

Why?
  • Proactive chat is an effective tool for reaching out to students that haven't visited AskAway before; the Task Group found that 87% of proactive chat users during the pilot were new to AskAway compared with 52% of general AskAway users
  • To learn more about the pilot findings, see the Final Report on the Task Group page

Questions?
Increasing Visibility in 2021
In 2021, a priority for the service was to make AskAway widgets more visible online. To encourage this work one step at a time, local coordinators received a monthly Visibility Tip via email, now available on the AskAway website for future reference.

From March's tip "Connect with Students in the Discovery Layer" to August's "Consider a Chat Tab," the tips cover a range of topics on how to make AskAway more easily available to students. Thank you to coordinators who shared examples and inspiration for the monthly tips.

We'd love to hear from you!

Local coordinators, we invite you to fill out this survey and share your feedback on the Visibility Tip of the Month.
What Students are Saying about AskAway
"Fantastic help, got me to where I needed to be. No more foundering!!" Yukon University student

"This is a great tool. The fact that I get my answer to my question right away is amazing." Justice Institute of British Columbia student

"The librarian that helped me was wonderful! They were insightful and lead me directly to a website to find my answer. It was my first time using this service and I will definitely be using it again and recommending it to others!" Camosun College student

"I like that the service is anonymous for both the librarian and the user. I feel that it helps avoid anxiety barriers that might come up when seeking help. Thank you!" Okanagan College student

"The librarian was the best ever! Super helpful and very responsive. Also made the conversation seem personal with a little haha. LOVED IT." Douglas College student

"Very user friendly, thanks a lot!" British Columbia Institute of Technology student

"They gave excellent information regarding what I asked for. I will definitely use this again." University of Victoria student

"Keep up the friendly customer service!" Langara College student

"Keep it up supporting students like me." College of New Caledonia student
The AskAway Administrative Centre will be closed over the holidays (December 22nd, 2021 - January 3rd, 2022) but we look forward to seeing you in the new year.
AskAway is a service of the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN).
Questions? Contact the AskAway Administrative Centre.