LibGuides: Public Services Manual: Getting Started

Getting Started

Logging in to LibChat

Go to LibApps Login @ York University
Enter your email address and password.
Near the top of the page, you will see LibChat: You are offline: Sign In
Click on Sign In to access the LibChat page.
Send a greeting to other operators to indicate your shift and role. This can be done by clicking on All York University Staff listed under Operators and typing your message into the text box.

Setting up your browser tabs

In preparation to answer patron queries, it is recommended that you have the following websites open in different tabs within your browser:

LibAnswers (for LibChat access) at https://yorku.libanswers.com
Ref. Analytics to log queries. See more in the Logging Chats section of this guide about signing in and how to log queries
York University Libraries website
Public Services Manual

Chat monitoring: staff roles

Patron questions should be monitored by all staff scheduled at the same time on the chat service. Questions are picked up based on query focus and staff role.

Below, the main roles of access services staff and reference services staff are outlined in terms of the primary query types each are responsible for in the first instance.

For more about query types and categories, consult the LibStats Coding Handout and other guides under Logging Chats.

First Line of Response by Question Type

Access Services Staff

Reference Services Staff

(1) Non-Resource

(2) Skill-Based Technical

(3) Skill-Based Non-Technical (except citation queries)

(2) Skill-Based Technical (technical aspects of research databases)

(3) Skill-Based Non-Technical (citation queries)

(4) Strategy-Level

Also act as back up for query types 1-3 where:

Access services staff are unsure of answer and refer it to Reference Services staff or ask for help via internal chat, e.g. trickier known item queries or non-resource questions where clarification needed etc.
Access services staff are at capacity (recommended 2 queries at once is optimal, and not to exceed 3 queries at a time)

Patron intake form

Chat Initiation

To initiate a chat, the patron needs to click on the Chat is online or Clavardage en ligne options (during posted hours) from the Ask & Services or other web page.
The patron will then see the following online intake form pop up and is asked to respond:

Picking up queries: steps & response times

You will hear a pinging sound when a new patron is there and a green dot will appear beside their name.
To see the patron query, click on the patron's name which will appear underlined.
Review the patron query before picking up the chat. Based on question type and roles, staff should decide who will pick up the chat in the first instance (see Chat Monitoring: Staff Roles tab)
Take time to review the question. Up to 30 seconds or 5 to 6 notification pings is okay.
The two main things to take note of are:
1. Make a quick diagnosis of what the patron wants, as indicated by their question, and what type of staff member is best suited to answer.
  
  If it is exceptionally busy, e.g., all staff are working with at least two patrons when a new chat comes in, let patrons know they may have to wait. It can be useful to send the recommended canned message for busy periods.
2. Open the Patron Information tab and take note of the patron status and faculty affiliation which appear in the Patron Information tab. This provides useful context for the patron’s question.
In this example, you can see Joe Smith has a query about finding articles on the topic of climate change and polar bears. Given this is a Strategy-Level query (4), Access Services should let Reference staff pick it up. However, if it were a query in scope for Access Services, they would pick it up first: