Responding to Patrons
- Greet the patron. For example: "Hello....Thank you for using Ask Us".
- Avoid using library jargon
- Answer questions within one business day. Exceptions: University holidays, University closure days.
- Close answers with a signature, and include your name and service group name. For example: "We hope the information we have provided will assist with your research.", or "Hope this helps."
Referrals
- Questions may need to be referred to staff inside and outside of LibAnswers. For detailed instructions, see Referring a Question Inside the System and Referring a Question Outside the System.
- Notify the patron that their request has been referred, and provide contact information.
- Contact the liaison librarian or expert to make sure of their availability and to notify them of the referral.
Spam
- Staff working in the Dashboard need to check the Spam tab, as there are often legitimate tickets there.
- To determine if a message is spam: 1. Check the patron's name on WatIAM White Page Search. 2. Assess the question type and sentence structure.
- Label spam messages. LibAnswers learns from tickets labeled spam or not spam.
Department Responsibilities
- ISR and Circulation staff work within the same Dashboard, collaboration is encouraged.
- Circulation staff handle circulation related questions, such as patron accounts.
- ISR staff handle questions that are beyond enhanced directional.
- Department responsibilities differ on weekdays, weeknights, and weekends. See Department Responsibilities for 9-5 and for Evenings and Weekends.
Recommended Actions
- When monitoring the Dashboard, check for questions periodically during your shift.
- You can set alerts so as to be notified that a new item as come into the Dashboard.
Schedule
- Email reference service is provided Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The expectation is to answer all questions from the day before 5:00pm.
- Shifts are assigned for a one week period. See the email reference schedule.