Coordinator’s Report
September 25, 2009 to January 29, 2010
Learner Feedback
“Excellent service and surprised it was available on weekends. One that accomidates my own
schedule. 5 Stars from Student” [VIU learner]
“i was just checking it out, and the guy who answered was cool.” [Douglas College learner]
“Both times I have used AskAway I leave speechless with the amount of dedication into answering
my questions they put. I am made to feel as if answering my question is a joy to them (whether or
not it actually is I'm sure it can't be fun!) but AskAway has redeemed my faith of the future of
libraries in an increasingly technological age. Truly a wonderful feature.” [UBC 3rd/4th yr]
“I think this service is wonderful. I am very impressed with the helpfulness and kindness of the
librarian. Bravo!” [KPU learner]
Service Update
Fall 2009 term (Sept 21 to Dec 11)
o
More than double the traffic! 8281 sessions in total this fall vs. 3963 in total last fall;
average of 103.5 calls per day this fall, vs. 49.5 calls per day last fall!
Spring 2010 term (January 18 to April 16)
o
Increased traffic so far: First four days of service have seen 63% higher traffic than same time
last year, but 24% less traffic than September 2009
o
Increased staffing levels: Libraries contributing 178 staff hours per week; 44 hours per week
provided by BC ELN auxiliary staff
o
Impact of Public Library service closure: first weekend just as busy as September 2009, which
was twice as busy as last January; therefore no apparent impact as of yet
Coordinator’s Report
Coordination & Support
Coordinated 2010/2011 Service Support Fee process
Communication & Marketing:
o
Supported UVic AskAway marketing drive with updated marketing materials
o
Developed & implemented communication for patrons and AskAway staff around change in
Public Library AskAway hours
o
Partnered with BCcampus staff to market AskAway on the BCcampus website
Staffing & Scheduling:
o
Launched Traffic Busyness Survey to determine if adjustments to staffing levels required
o
Completed Spring 2010 schedule with 7% increase in staffing levels in anticipation of
increased traffic
o
2 new contractors hired; 4 contractors renewed
Training & Support:
o
1 in-person and 1 virtual training session: 8 public/post-secondary folks trained
o
1 professional development session offered by UBC on Primo, new federated search tool
o
Trained and supported 2 private partners joining service on pilot basis: Quest University
Canada and Alexander College
o
Developing support materials for another major Qwidget update: Mobile!
o
Developed support materials and supported launch of Campfire group chat tool
o
Collaborated with UBC on communication around UBC guest login
Collaboration with Public Library Service & Other Stakeholders
Monthly virtual meetings with other virtual reference service coordinators: discussions center
around software, sustainability issues, sharing strategies; BC hosting February meeting
Conference call update with Virginia Roy of AskON: they anticipate losing their Ministry funding
in the next fiscal and are looking at sustainability models as well; very interested in what happens
with BC service and strategies for building collaboration and participation levels
Attended October QuestionPoint User Council meeting (QPUC): QP staff reported that they are
resolving technical issues and are looking forward to getting back on track with QP enhancements;
next QPUC meeting February 4
01/29/2010
2
Coordinator’s Report
Fall Term (Sept 21 – Dec 11 ) 2009
Sessions with Our Learners
Total
Sessions
With Other
Institutions
’ Learners
Total
Sessions/
Institution
0
0
1330
1330
120
111
130
274
284
51
569
579
620
213
264
4
6
137
100
143
55
61
College of New Caledonia
5
0
17
0
17
185
185
College of the Rockies
3
1
31
0
32
72
73
Douglas College*
7
38
613
356
651
294
332
Emily Carr University*
2
9
24
19
33
37
46
Justice Institute of British Columbia
3
0
0
0
0
108
108
Kwantlen Polytechnic University*
7
39
504
483
543
265
304
Langara College*
5
10
151
36
161
169
179
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
North Island College*
5
10
95
103
105
123
133
Northern Lights College
2
0
9
0
9
45
45
Northwest Community College*
3
4
73
64
77
152
156
Okanagan College*
5
14
282
229
296
207
221
Royal Roads University
3
2
35
0
37
126
128
Selkirk College
3
4
48
0
52
124
128
Simon Fraser University*
19
192
1502
857
1694
543
735
Thompson Rivers University*
7
13
247
240
260
267
280
Trinity Western University
5
2
47
0
49
197
199
University of British Columbia*
34
345
1127
1097
1472
1117
1462
University of Northern British Columbia*
5
23
316
334
339
174
197
University of the Fraser Valley*
5
36
455
398
491
210
246
University of Victoria*
16
50
403
200
453
623
673
Vancouver Community College*
5
7
47
13
54
205
212
Vancouver Island University*
5
14
404
299
418
223
237
Yukon College*
2
1
18
12
19
62
63
205
881
7274
5530
8155
7400
8281
Hours
Staffed
/Week
Handled
by Us
Handled
by
Others
via
Qwidget
BC Electronic Library Network
33
0
0
British Columbia Institute of Technology*
7
10
Camosun College*
5
Capilano University*
Institution Name
TOTALS
* Indicates libraries with Qwidgets on their websites
How to read this table: E.g. Camosun College had 51 sessions with Camosun learners handled by Camosun service providers (sp). 569 sessions
with Camosun learners were taken by sp from other institutions. 579 sessions with Camosun patrons were initiated via the Qwidget on the
Camosun website. There were a total of 620 sessions with Camosun learners. Camosun sp took 213 sessions with learners from other institutions.
The total number of sessions taken by Camosun sp was 264, including the sessions with Camosun learners and those with other learners.
01/29/2010
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