ASKAWAY ADVISORY COMMITTEE Friday, January 29th, 2010 SFU Harbour Centre Rm 2540 – Reader’s Digest Conference Room 515 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC Teleconference participants call: 1.877.385.4099 Access code 1857723# Friday, January 29th 9:30 am to 12:00pm Refreshments served at 9:00 am Committee Members: Gohar Ashougian, UNBC/Small Universities Mary Anne Guenther, NIC/Rural Colleges/ Chair Jennifer Brownlow, VIU/Member-at-large Sybil Harrison, CC/Urban Colleges Kay Cahill, Public Library AskAway Coordinator (alternate) Leva Lee, BCcampus Anita Cocchia, BC ELN Ophelia Ma, UVic Carole Compton-Smith, CPSLD Todd Mundle, SFU Debra Flewelling, DC/Member-at-large Sunni Nishimura, AskAway Coordinator Sally Taylor, UBC Regrets: Cathy MacDonald KPU/Regional Universities; Melissa Lowenberg, Public Library AskAway Agenda 1. Adoption of agenda 2. Business arising from the minutes A. Suggested addition to the minutes re: technical issues over the summer 3. Items for Decision A. Service Continuity Plan 4. Items for Discussion A. BC campus funding request update B. Increase in post-secondary traffic – Strategy brainstorm C. Statistics showing AskAway value for institutions 5. Coordinator’s Report 6. Public Library AskAway Update 7. New Business 8. Next Meeting BC ELN AskAway Advisory Committee Minutes from September 25, 2009 In attendance: Anita Cocchia, BC ELN Debra Flewelling, Douglas/Member-at-large Mary Anne Guenther, NIC/Rural Colleges/Chair Leva Lee, BCcampus Katherine Miller, UBC (alternate) [recorder] Todd Mundle, SFU Sunni Nishimura, AskAway Coordinator Teleconference: Gohar Ashougian, UNBC/Small Universities Jennifer Brownlow, VIU/Member-at-large Sybil Harrison, CC/Urban College Regrets: Carole Compton-Smith, CPSLD; Melissa Lowenberg, Public Library AskAway; Ophelia Ma, UVIC; Cathy MacDonald, KPU/Regional Universities; Sally Taylor, UBC 1. Welcome to new committee members. 2. Adoption of Agenda 3. Approval of minutes from June 29th meeting In future minutes will be sent to committee for approval via email shortly after the meeting. 4. Business arising from the minutes: a) Items 4 & 5: Committee member turnover & Chair election process New members: Cathy MacDonald, Gohar Ashougian and Leva Lee New Chair: Mary Anne Guenther Turnover and election processes now detailed in Advisory Committee Terms of Reference. As the Steering Committee had already approved the process, the changes will not go back to them. ACTION: Page 2 of TOR: Sunni to change University Colleges to Regional Universities. MOTION: Approve changes to the AskAway Advisory Committee Terms of Reference. Moved: Debra Seconded: Todd b) Item 7: Feasibility of extended hours - TABLED From the Sustainability survey, Sunni reported there was interest from the partner institutions in extending hours. Two approaches identified to gather information on this need: survey of patron needs and a review of Public AskAway statistics for when the post-secondary service was closed. A process for reviewing Public AskAway statistics was being put in place, but when public BC ELN AskAway Advisory Committee – Minutes 2009/09/25 1 library funding cuts to AskAway were announced it was put on hold. Issue tabled to next meeting. c) Item 8: Contract signed with QuestionPoint Anita & Christina negotiated with QP. Creative and positive process. License started September 1st, 2009. Vendor is aware of what has happened with public library funding. Contract jurisdiction BC. (Does not impact location of servers.) d) Item 8: VR Trends Committee - TABLED Sunni reminded the group that the joint software selection committee wanted to continue to review software and other trends. Intent was to put a call out for interested people. Tabled until there can be a conversation on participation with Public Library AskAway. 5. Public Library AskAway Funding Update Public library AskAway funding has been cut as of March 31, 2010. Funding covered: full-time coordinator, software, auxiliary staff, and marketing materials and printing. Public Library service may need to make changes to funding by January in order to transition to a new model. There may be impacts on the Post-Secondary AskAway service as a result. It was noted that the current license term for the QuestionPoint software is September to August, which doesn’t match the funding timelines for public library or post-secondary AskAway. ACTION: For next software license negotiation, BC ELN Office will examine the feasibility of changing the license term. There will be Public Library AskAway Advisory Committee meeting on Friday October 2, which Anita and Sunni will be attending. ACTION: BC ELN Office will report back to Post-Secondary AskAway Advisory Committee and BC ELN library directors on results of Public Library Committee meeting, particularly on any potential impacts to Post-Secondary AskAway. 6. Sustainability: Cost-sharing request to participating libraries As determined at last meeting, cost-sharing funding request will go out to partner libraries in October to better match library budget timelines. BC ELN AskAway Advisory Committee – Minutes 2009/09/25 2 Assumption is that BCcampus funding will remain the same. Not anticipating any additional costs to the service – but this may change due to the public library funding changes. We appreciate the support of BCcampus – their funding makes the AskAway service at the post-secondary level possible! There will be an evaluation report for February 2010. Will be asking what BCcampus needs and will scope the data accordingly. ACTION: AskAway Coordinator and Chair will send out cost-sharing request to partner libraries, aiming for mid-October. 7. AskAway Pandemic Response Sybil explained there is an H1N1 staffing contingency plan at her own library. She reflected that AskAway is well-positioned to provide support to the library system in the event of a pandemic or major disaster. We may wish to consider how we can add more staff to the service in this situation, and what the triggers would be for that contingency plan. ACTION: Sunni will research whether other collaborative VR services have pandemic contingency plans. ACTION: Sunni, Sybil and Gohar will form a subcommittee to research other BC library contingency plans, and look at the feasibility of creating a contingency plan for AskAway. 8. Coordinator’s report Coordinator’s report is available for download: http://www.eln.bc.ca/askaway/documents/AACoordRep20090925.pdf ACTION: Sunni will amend Statistics to include the # of hours staffed and resend to Committee. 9. New Business - None 10. Next Meeting Dates will be sent out for a meeting in approximately 3 months. BC ELN AskAway Advisory Committee – Minutes 2009/09/25 3 AskAway Service Continuity Plan: October 2009 Prepared by AskAway Service Continuity Subcommittee: Gohar Ashougian, University of Northern British Columbia Sybil Harrison, Camosun College Sunni Nishimura, AskAway Coordinator AskAway Service Continuity Plan 1. Purpose The expectation of a 2009/10 pandemic outbreak of H1N1 influenza illuminated the need at many institutions and libraries for a service continuity plan in the event of a disaster. The purpose of this response plan is to determine how the AskAway service will respond • should significant staff absences occur at participating libraries. • should there be increased AskAway traffic levels as a result of increasing numbers of patrons working from home. 2. Responsibility The AskAway Advisory Committee, reporting to the BC ELN Steering Committee, and the AskAway Coordinator are jointly responsible for the implementation of the service continuity plan in the event of an influenza pandemic. 3. Preparedness In order to prepare for a possible disaster, two tools should be in place: 1. AskAway Contingency Team: A group of AskAway staff willing and able to provide additional hours in the event of a disaster. 2. AskAway Swap Board: A web-based tool allowing open shifts to be offered and exchanged by AskAway staff. 2 AskAway Service Continuity Plan 4. Dealing with staff shortages To ensure that AskAway service is maintained, the following minimum staffing levels are required: This represents a 17% decrease over normal staffing levels. For this model, staffing level reductions have been made on weekday afternoons (when there is more staffing capacity), Thursday evenings (quietest evening) and Fridays and Saturdays. Maintaining minimum staffing levels Libraries are primarily responsible for ensuring their scheduled shifts are covered internally. If a library is not able to cover their scheduled shifts internally, they should post their shifts to the eln-vrefservprov listserv and the AskAway Swap Board (Google Calendar) for other libraries to pick up if they are able. The AskAway Contingency Team, made up of volunteers from libraries and BC ELN auxiliary staff, will be tasked with covering any shifts that are not picked up by libraries within 18 hours of the shift. 3 AskAway Service Continuity Plan Reduction of Service Hours If minimum staffing levels cannot be maintained more than 90% of the time (i.e. minimum staffing levels not met more than 7 hours out of 67 per week), then the AskAway Coordinator will make a recommendation to the AskAway Advisory Committee that AskAway service hours be reduced. Recommended service hour reductions will be made in the following order to ensure minimum staffing levels are met while AskAway is open: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Cancel Thursday evening (6-9 PM) service. Cancel Friday and Saturday service. Reduce Sunday – Thursday service hours to 11 AM – 6 PM. Reduce Sunday – Thursday service hours to 1 PM – 4 PM. Close AskAway. All decisions to reduce service hours will be made by the AskAway Advisory Committee, in consultation with the AskAway Coordinator. The decision to close AskAway will be made by the Advisory Committee and the BC ELN Steering Committee. 4 AskAway Service Continuity Plan 5. Dealing with Increased AskAway Traffic In the event of an influenza pandemic, there is a possibility that AskAway traffic will increase as a result of increasing numbers of patrons working from home. The following chart illustrates the expected traffic levels for the 2009/2010 academic year, based on traffic patterns from previous years and actual traffic levels for September 2009. In the event of a pandemic, if there is more than a 40% increase over the expected traffic levels illustrated above, then the AskAway Coordinator will make a recommendation to the AskAway Advisory Committee to increase staffing levels. The decision to increase staffing levels will be made by the Advisory Committee. Once the decision to increase staffing levels is made, the AskAway Coordinator will identify times where extra coverage is needed, and will determine how many extra staff are needed for each time period. The extra shifts will be posted to the eln-vrefservprov listserv and the AskAway Swap Board for partner libraries to fill if possible. The AskAway Coordinator will provide additional AskAway training inperson or virtually if necessary to increase library staff capacity. 5 AskAway Service Continuity Plan Dealing with Increased AskAway Traffic cont… The AskAway Contingency Team, made up of volunteers from libraries and BC ELN auxiliary staff, will be tasked with covering any shifts that are not picked up by libraries within 18 hours of the shift. If extra shifts are not covered more than 10% of the time, or if AskAway auxiliary staff are working in excess of 45 hours per week (total for all staff), then the AskAway Coordinator will make a recommendation to the AskAway Advisory Committee to reduce service hours in order to increase staffing levels when the service is open. Recommended service hour reductions will be made in the following order depending on the amount of extra staffing available while AskAway is open: 1. 2. 3. 4. Cancel Thursday evening (6-9 PM) service. Cancel Friday and Saturday service. Reduce Sunday – Thursday service hours to 11 AM – 6 PM. Reduce Sunday – Thursday service hours to 1 PM – 4 PM. All decisions to reduce service hours will be made by the AskAway Advisory Committee, in consultation with the AskAway Coordinator. 6. Communications The AskAway Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that all AskAway partner libraries and service providers receive communication should it be necessary to implement the AskAway Service Continuity Plan. Communication will via the eln-vref and eln-vrefservprov listservs. The Chair of the AskAway Advisory Committee and the AskAway Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that all AskAway partner libraries receive communication regarding any changes to AskAway service hours. Communication will be via the eln-vref, eln-vrefservprov and eln-directors listservs. The Chair of the AskAway Advisory Committee and the AskAway Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that all AskAway partner libraries receive communication regarding any service closures. Communication will be via the eln-vref, eln-vrefservprov and elndirectors listservs. 6 AskAway Post-secondary Traffic Briefing Note January 29, 2010 Purpose The purpose of this briefing note is to begin a discussion on strategies for ensuring post-secondary AskAway is prepared for an anticipated increase in traffic. Issue Post-secondary AskAway traffic levels have doubled in the past year, largely due to the use of Qwidgets on library websites. As Qwidget usage increases, traffic levels will likely continue to increase. Background July 2008 AskAway library commitment levels reduced as staffing levels too rich for traffic levels at the time October 2008 AskAway Qwidget pilot project launched; all 4 pilot libraries see 44 - 333% increase in traffic levels Fall 2009 18 libraries using Qwidget; busiest term since AskAway started, with 109% increase over Fall 2008 traffic December 2009 Survey of AskAway staff to get their reading of service capacity for increased traffic Current Status Based on an anticipated traffic level increase and feedback from AskAway staff, staffing levels for Spring 2010 schedule were increased by 7%. The increase in staffing levels was largely achieved by increasing auxiliary staff shifts; SFU and UBC also volunteered to take more shifts. Traffic levels are expected to increase beyond the capacity of this 7% increase in staffing levels, for two reasons: 1. Increasing accessibility: QuestionPoint has just released news about two software updates that increase user accessibility: • • an update to the Qwidget which will enable users to ask questions from their mobile devices (iPhones, etc.). SMS text reference capabilities 2. Increasing user familiarity: As more K-12 users familiar with AskAway enter the postsecondary system, post-secondary traffic will likely increase. Key Considerations Library staffing commitment levels were set in July 2008 as a decrease from original commitments. Auxiliary staffing levels are now at the maximum level sustainable within the current AskAway budget. To meet anticipated increase in traffic a minimum of 12 additional hours per week (1 additional staff person for the 4 busiest daytime hours, Mon – Wed) would be required. 28/01/2010 Preliminary Approaches to Measuring Value January 29, 2010 Context Coming out of preparing the BC ELN annual report, moving into preparing the AskAway report for BCcampus, and in anticipation of updating the AskAway Adds Value Toolkit, we are looking at various approaches to measuring the value of AskAway to participating libraries. The following are two preliminary approaches to measuring value. The first compares trends over time for traditional reference questions asked and questions asked via AskAway. The second approach looks at the shifting balance of questions asked vs. questions answered on AskAway for each library. We are presenting these ideas for your input at Friday’s meeting. Rising Numbers of Reference Questions Being Asked The following chart was generated from reference question statistics provided by the Council of Postsecondary Library Directors (CPSLD). Questions asked via AskAway are collected as part of the reference question statistic for each institution. To examine the relationship between AskAway statistics and other reference statistics, AskAway statistics for each institution were subtracted and graphed separately. One interpretation of these statistics is that AskAway is not merely providing an alternative format for users to ask questions, but is contributing to an overall increase in the number of questions being asked. In-person, phone or email reference questions are not going down because users can ask their question via AskAway instead of coming into the library; users are asking more questions in general. 28/01/2010 Measuring Value Increasing Number of Libraries Obtaining Direct Cost Benefits from AskAway Shaded boxes indicate more questions asked than answered, i.e. libraries directly benefitting from the AskAway collaborative. One of the real benefits of looking at the shifting balance of questions asked vs. questions answered in this way is that it highlights where the Coordinator can provide further support to libraries to help them get the most from AskAway. Institution BRITISH COLUMBIA INST OF TECH* CAMOSUN COLLEGE* CAPILANO UNIV* COLLEGE OF NEW CALEDONIA COLLEGE OF THE ROCKIES DOUGLAS COLLEGE* EMILY CARR UNIV* JUSTICE INST OF BC KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIV* LANGARA COLLEGE* NICOLA VALLEY INST OF TECH NORTH ISLAND COLLEGE* NORTHERN LIGHTS COLLEGE NORTHWEST COMMUN COLLEGE* OKANAGAN COLLEGE* ROYAL ROADS UNIV SELKIRK COLLEGE SIMON FRASER UNIV* THOMPSON RIVERS UNIV* TRINITY WESTERN UNIV UNIV OF THE FRASER VAL* UNIV OF BRITISH COLUMBIA* UNIV OF NORTHERN BC* UNIV OF VICTORIA* VANCOUVER COMMUN COLLEGE* VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIV* YUKON COLLEGE* 2007/2008 Sept - Apr 2008/2009 Sept - Apr Answered Asked Difference Answered Asked Difference 196 149 68 109 72 368 54 122 249 229 0 69 49 68 243 98 94 635 169 209 198 1125 133 570 240 289 29 187 102 32 52 49 492 17 16 217 217 3 137 36 44 167 66 21 2054 72 92 177 1390 79 597 185 186 7 9 47 36 57 23 -124 37 106 32 12 -3 -68 13 24 76 32 73 -1419 97 117 21 -265 54 -27 55 103 22 417 245 209 228 35 490 58 172 485 250 0 220 71 182 239 147 121 936 345 269 326 1803 277 869 261 348 72 365 297 118 17 77 1182 13 11 747 298 1 205 54 79 292 98 44 2548 147 40 644 1862 67 620 49 363 14 52 -52 91 211 -42 -692 45 161 -262 -48 -1 15 17 103 -53 49 77 -1612 198 229 -318 -59 210 249 212 -15 58 * Indicates libraries that have Qwidgets on their websites 01/29/2010 2 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 3 For immediate release: December 21, 2009 Public Library AskAway virtual reference service hours will change January 4, 2010 AskAway, the province-wide virtual reference service, is a collaboration between public and post-secondary libraries in British Columbia. Earlier this year, public library directors in B.C. received notice from the Ministry of Education that provincial funding for public librariesʼ participation in AskAway had been cut as of 2010. Since then, many libraries have learned that they also face municipal budget reductions. Public libraries throughout the province contribute staff to AskAway. The Public Library AskAway Advisory Committee conducted a survey of public library directors in November 2009, and has learned that twenty-one libraries will be able to continue staffing AskAway from January to June 2010. Fourteen libraries will no longer be able to participate in staffing the virtual reference service in this period. As a result, public library AskAway hours will be changing on January 4, 2010. The service will be available from 10am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm Friday, and 12 noon to 5pm Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays and statutory holidays. Provincial funding -- $350,000 in 2009 -- supported the provincial coordination and staffing of the program for public libraries as well as management services and software. This funding remains in place until March 31, 2010. Depending on libraries continued ability to staff at the projected levels, the public library service will continue until June 2010. Post-Secondary AskAway is funded by its libraries in partnership with BCcampus, and this core funding for software and administration remains in place. In 2010, the provincial committee that oversees the Public Library AskAway service will discuss alternative models for the future of collaborative virtual reference among public libraries in British Columbia. Many public libraries indicated an interest in continuing to provide virtual reference in British Columbia, and we look forward to developing a new model for the future. For more information contact: AskAway – BC Public Libraries AskAway - BC Post-Secondary Libraries Christina de Castell Acting Manager, Online Information & News Vancouver Public Library Tel. 604-331-4058 [email protected] Anita B. Cocchia Executive Director BC Electronic Library Network Tel. 778.782.7004 [email protected] Melissa Lowenberg Supervisor of Support Services Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System Tel. 250-374-8866 [email protected]
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