| BEFORE BEGINNING VIRTUAL REFERENCE: Step 1
Check you computer to make sure it is up to system requirement. System Requirements for Librarian PC are: Ø Pentium 200 MHz or higher Ø 128 Mbytes RAM Ø Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or higher, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows ME Ø Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5 (IE 6.0 is not yet supported) Ø 56K or better internet connection Ø AOL, Netscape, and Web TV browsers are not supported System Requirements for Patron PC: Live (Basic) queues have the following requirements: Ø 28K or better Internet connection Ø Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, Netscape 4 or later browser Interact queues will add collaboration on pages using SSL, dynamic content, and other advanced features but adds the following constraints: Ø Client machines must be configured to allow JavaScript and cookies (see the Verify Browser Configuration section, pg. 4.) Ø Netscape and IE browsers on the Macintosh are not supported |
||||||
| BEFORE BEGINNING VIRTUAL REFERENCE: Step 2
Follow "Recommended System Configuration for the Librarian Desktop" on pages 12-17 of the LSSI training manual. If you have any questions about this please contact your virtual reference librarian mentor, post a questions to the wrlcref listserv, or email Avril Cunningham Stillion at avril@gwu.edu. |
||||||
| 1.
Check the virtual reference calendar at calendar.yahoo.com. Sign in with ID and password distributed on the wrlcref listserv by Vera Fullerton via e-mail titled " Virtual Reference Pilot - Scheduling" on March 29, 2002. Please keep the virtual reference calendar updated with your hour shifts. If you need to switch shifts please contact other virtual librarians via the listserv wrlcref@yahoogroups.com to accomplish a trade. After trade is accomplished you must make changes in the virtual reference calendar at calendar.yahoo.com |
||||||
| 2.
Read the wrlcref listserv e-mail daily. Please send tips to share, shift reports, and information other virtual librarians may find useful during their virtual reference session directly to wrlcref@wrlc.org |
||||||
| 3.
Report technical issues or LSSI configuration problems to David Bietila at bietila@wrlc.org. Please cc wrlcref@wrlc.org to keep other virtual reference librarians informed of problems that have already been reported and are being worked on. |
||||||
| 4.
Remember to log in go to wrlc.virtualreference.net. Log on with your first initial in caps, last initial in caps and rest of your last name in lower case Use the password distributed by David Bietila via e-mail titled "Virtual Reference Announcement" on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 4:38 PM. |
||||||
| 5.
After logging in, please go to the Session Inbox to pick up all 6 queues. Highlight AU, CU, DC, GA, GW, MU in blue by hitting SHIFT and clicking all 6 queues. Use the blue + sign to move over to the monitor category. Click Monitor and all 6 queues are routed to your session inbox. If you see the message "Rep 'Librarian' is already logged in. Please log in as a different user. Click here if you want to force the log out", this means that the previous librarian has not logged out or is still in the middle of helping a patron/monitoring a queue. Click on Librarian Monitor to see if a call is indeed in progress. *We recommend not placing a check mark in the box "I am available to assist patrons" unless you want all new customers to automatically be picked up. Rather, leave the box unchecked and you will able to pick up a patron in the queue when you are ready to assist them. |
||||||
| 6.
Please use the University of Florida chat suggestions as guidelines for your virtual reference service. If a patron's question requires a licensed database, escort the patron to www.aladin.wrlc.org and ask the patron to validate themself. NEVER VALIDATE A PATRON WITH YOUR OWN NUMBER. You may push the script "Database Log In " to prompt the patron to log in to the databases s/he is authorized to use. If you are unfamiliar with the patron's database resources, you may push the script "Not Familiar" and explore with the patron. Alternatively, if you are not comfortable exploring with the patron, please redirect the patron to their consortium school with a subscription to the database and recommend they consult a librarian more familiar with the resource. |
||||||
| 7.
George Mason virtual patrons should be automatically sent to the separate GM Ask A Librarian service. LSSI has registered the IP address and Aladin Log Ins to their separate queue and service. Should you have a virtual patron who identifies as a George Mason patron, please go to http://library.gmu.edu/ and highlight the Ask A Librarian button. Encourage the patron to use this service. |
||||||
| 8.
Suggested Time Limit: We do not currently have a suggested time limit stated on the Ask A Librarian home page. Research from the virtual reference pilot project indicates an average session is 13 minutes . This is not a hard and fast rule, but a guideline. Librarians may use their own judgment in this area. If there is nobody in the queue waiting and the patron is willing to stay connected, the transaction may go longer. Also, based on our pilot statistics, a patron will not wait more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds for their call to be picked up. If you are helping a virtual patron and another patron is waiting, please consider using the script "Is this enough to get you s tarted?". You can always take the email or phone number and get back to a patron or alternatively ask them to log back in for further questions. If you feel comfortable, you may also pick up the second patron and toggle between both patrons in separate browsers while searching and answering questions. The Virtual Reference Working Group will be evaluating the number of calls received during shift and will make adjustments to this policy if warranted. |
||||||
| 9.
Try to become familiar with the set of databases that many, but not all, WRLC libraries have in common. Consult the help guides or tutorials.
|
||||||
| 10.
Use the WRLC Libraries Information and Web sites page at http://www.wrlc.org/guidetolibs/guideintro.html to find reference, circulation, and Interlibrary Loan phone numbers as well as general policies relating to each WRLC library. Please refer circulation questions to the circulation number of their home institution. Circulation phone numbers can be found at http://www.wrlc.org/guidetolibs/guideintro.html. Remember, you may also show a patron how to log in to their MyAladin record to view preliminary information about their circulation record, such as which books they have checked out, CLS requests, and web document delivery articles that are available. |
||||||
|
||||||
| 11.
If you refer a patron to a WRLC library for walk in service, please check the "Library Regulations". Copy and paste the library regulations text and send to patron so they are aware of materials they must bring, i.e. WRLC library ID’s or procedures they must follow, such as signing in at the front desk . The Library Regulations can be found at http://www.wrlc.org/guidetolibs/guideintro.html under the link Summary Library Information |
||||||
| 12.
Please configure your settings in the Session Inbox to "play sound when patrons are waiting". The system will make a doorbell sound when a patron arrives in a queue and will continue to play until the patron is helped. Also configure your "pop to front" setting as "on first arrival". The session inbox screen will automatically pop to the front of your desktop when all the queues you are monitoring are empty and a patron arrives. Please refer to pg. 20 of the LSSI manual for further explanation. |
||||||
| 13.
Please take note of whether the patron you are helping is in [B] Basic or [I] Interact mode. This indicates which features of the LSSI system you are able to use during the session : live chat, escort, co-browsing etc. To review your patron's mode, check under the Attendees box on the lower left hand corner of the Librarian Console for a [B] or [I] . |
||||||
| 14.
Please log out properly when your shift is ending. If you are still involved with a customer at the end of your shift, at your discretion, you may continue to help the customer if you determine that the question can be closed out quickly. Or, if you cannot complete the transaction and the customer would like to continue, offer to transfer the patron back into the queue (i.e. "place them on hold") where the next librarian will pick them up. For detailed instruction please consult page 55 of the LSSI manual. When you finish your session with the patron either by ending the call or transferring, please go to the Session Inbox screen and click the Log out button [X] located at the top right hand of the screen. |
||||||
| 15.
Thank you for your willingness to staff the virtual reference service! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to email the group at wrlcref@wrlc.org. You will find a lot of help among your virtual reference colleagues. |
