LibraryH3lp mobile widgets are Boopsie compatible

<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B2xgjHr0wzM8ru4LwMD15HZgaQr5HwEjt7AbSLMnlb5o_hX7Hr06Ur0tcJr4UImej67hvqqgApPszbaTAcH7zmcnhoGhw-ldHX2HWW0Okk4d3Lh3rGeD4lqIQE87tvNqhMwNFLaAwMhP/s1600/boopsie_star_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B2xgjHr0wzM8ru4LwMD15HZgaQr5HwEjt7AbSLMnlb5o_hX7Hr06Ur0tcJr4UImej67hvqqgApPszbaTAcH7zmcnhoGhw-ldHX2HWW0Okk4d3Lh3rGeD4lqIQE87tvNqhMwNFLaAwMhP/s200/boopsie_star_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>In a recent post, we talked a bit about how widgets have URLs. Just a quick follow-up for those of you thinking of or already using <a href="http://www.boopsie.com/" target="_blank">Boopsie</a>. Our <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/mobile-widget" target="_blank">mobile widgets</a> are Boopsie compatible!<br /><br />Do you use other products you'd like to see integrated with LibraryH3lp? Send us an <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a> or leave a comment below and we'll see what we can do!</p>

In a recent post, we talked a bit about how widgets have URLs. Just a quick follow-up for those of you thinking of or already using Boopsie ...

New! In-place FAQ Editing

<p>Starting today, you can <a href="https://docs.libraryh3lp.com/faq-questions" target="_blank">edit your templates and FAQs directly in your FAQ site</a>. In-place editing provides good visual feedback and streamlines workflow. You can see changes instantly and make use of the powerful search feature to edit existing questions.  This update is in place on all LibraryH3lp servers and My Customer Cloud.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlXGir6ad4mL2OjmY7vkXdlE_nqqLRpGHY9KnxTMgNJMjywCDSA6Ik7uscInynOVEplhFU-zDPXznUjHCJtHoocDcKGqAU-q-SCF0fb2wys6Uj0hIyF1hL_-Ovq135vZcF-r0FAgGH7f1/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.21.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKlXGir6ad4mL2OjmY7vkXdlE_nqqLRpGHY9KnxTMgNJMjywCDSA6Ik7uscInynOVEplhFU-zDPXznUjHCJtHoocDcKGqAU-q-SCF0fb2wys6Uj0hIyF1hL_-Ovq135vZcF-r0FAgGH7f1/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.21.42+AM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">login icon</td></tr></tbody></table>To get started editing your <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/faq-intro" target="_blank">FAQ</a>, you'll need to login. Your FAQ site will pick up any existing login from the admin site or the webchat client. There is also a very small, subtle icon at the top right corner of your FAQ page that you can use to login. We went with subtle since you probably won't want your patrons to notice it.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IYR2VQvjMGAuKOZQBRNkaVIpEbwz5-ZS-akJj7DkaxoT7gdCpnLKb919ktxuhjjpzMdvKw7AcJjxcpARzEnkLHxG1kb9lQQeiSAkMO33OwGn-wTdgPdn0N_g-pCf8g-QmB6ey6LK-rUY/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.27.24+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IYR2VQvjMGAuKOZQBRNkaVIpEbwz5-ZS-akJj7DkaxoT7gdCpnLKb919ktxuhjjpzMdvKw7AcJjxcpARzEnkLHxG1kb9lQQeiSAkMO33OwGn-wTdgPdn0N_g-pCf8g-QmB6ey6LK-rUY/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-21+at+9.27.24+AM.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">edit & logout icons</td></tr></tbody></table>Once you're logged in, you'll see a small pencil icon in the top right corner, along with a logout icon. The pencil icon lets you turn on editing mode. From there, you hover over portions of your FAQ site to see the edit controls for editing templates and content.<br /><br />There is more to come.  Soon, you'll have tools that will let you create additional FAQ sites within a single account.  You'll be able to have a mix of public-facing and authentication-required FAQs. And, you'll be able to fully manage user permissions.<br /><br />If you have any troubles editing your FAQ, want to create a new (or additional) FAQ, or want to change FAQ-wide settings (CNAME, theme, queue, e-mail, authentication required), please e-mail support.<br /><br /></p>

Starting today, you can edit your templates and FAQs directly in your FAQ site . In-place editing provides good visual feedback and streamli...

Did you know that your LibraryH3lp widget has its own URL?

<p>The most common ways of <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/putting-widget-on-page" target="_blank">embedding LibraryH3lp chat widgets on a web page</a> is via code snippets or iframes. But if you strip back all the HTML and JavaScript, a widget boils down to a simple URL.<br /><br /><a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/customizing-widgets-by-hand" target="_blank">Widget URLs</a> take patrons to your Ask a Librarian service with a single click and may be more effective in boosting engagement than only advertising links to your Ask a Librarian page.<br /><br />Widget URLs follow this format on the main US server:<br /><ul><li>widget attached to a queue:<br />https://libraryh3lp.com/chat/<i>QUEUE-NAME</i>@chat.libraryh3lp.com</li><li>widget attached to a user*:<br />https://libraryh3lp.com/chat/<i>USERNAME</i>@libraryh3lp.com</li></ul><div><br />We auto-detect mobile devices and send them a <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/mobile-widget" target="_blank">mobile-friendly widget</a>, so you can tweet regular widget URLs to your patrons who are more likely to be on a smart device.  But, here are what our mobile widget URLs look like, in case you'd like to see them on a regular computer:</div><div><ul><li>mobile widget attached to a queue:<br />https://libraryh3lp.com/mobile/<i>QUEUE-NAME</i>@chat.libraryh3lp.com</li><li>mobile widget attached to a user*:<br />https://libraryh3lp.com/mobile/<i>USERNAME</i>@libraryh3lp.com</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Widget URLs for regionals are very similar. Prepend the regional abbreviation (ca, eu, sg) to libraryh3lp.com in two places. An example for the Canadian regional server:<br /><br />https://ca.libraryh3lp.com/chat/<i>QUEUE-NAME</i>@chat.ca.libraryh3lp.com.</div><div><br /></div><div>And if you want to pimp out your widget, <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/customizing-widgets-by-hand" target="_blank">add some arguments</a> to your URL.<br /><br />*<span style="font-size: 85%;">Note: chats for specific users are treated as private conversations and are not logged, so they will not show up in Activity or Reports. They also can't be transferred. To provide logging and transfer capabilities for an individual, create a queue and assign only that one user to it.</span></div><div><br /></div></p>

The most common ways of embedding LibraryH3lp chat widgets on a web page is via code snippets or iframes. But if you strip back all the HTM...

New Tag for Followup email behavior

<p>We've simplified the 'Tag for Followup' feature in the webchat client, making it more fine-grained and easier to set up¹.  This change is currently only live on the main US server; it is not yet on the regional servers in Canada, Europe, and Singapore.<br /><br />[Update Jan 23, 2012: This update is also now on the regional servers in Canada, Europe, and Singapore.]<br /><br />Quick feature review:  Tag for Followup facilitates later followup on questions that can't be answered during the chat session by e-mailing the chat transcript (along with optional note).<br /><br />The simplification lies in which email addresses are used.<br /><ul><li>The email address set for the queue (Queues tab in admin site) will receive Tagged messages, with one caveat. If the patron's chat widget specified a <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/profile-pages" target="_blank">profile</a> argument, then the email address for the profile's queue will be used <b>instead of </b>the queue's email.</li><li>The operator that clicks Tag for Followup will always receive a copy of a Tagged message, if that operator has an email address defined in the Users tab.  </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>To ease the transition to the new, easier method, we auto-populated queue emails system-wide.</div><ol><li>If the queue already had an email set, we left it alone.</li><li>If no queue email was available, we used the email set in the Users tab for the user that owned the queue.  </li><li>If no queue or queue owner email was available, we used the email set in the Users tab for the top-level admin user.  </li><li>If no queue, queue owner, or top-level admin email was available, we used the contact email from time of account registration.</li></ol><div><br />You can use the Queues tab in the admin site to view and change these pre-populated email addresses.  And, if we have auto-populated your queues with email addresses and you would prefer to start with a blank slate, please <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">email our support account</a>; we can reset them to empty to save you some clicking. <br /><br />If you have a lot of queues and you're a bit of a power user, you might find it handy to use our <a href="https://dev.mycustomercloud.com/queues.html" target="_blank">API</a> to retrieve a list of your queues and associated settings.  You can retreive a list using your web browser.  First, login to the admin website with your top-level admin user.  Then, visit the following URL:  https://libraryh3lp.com/2011-12-03/queues<br /><br />Still to come: the ability to see which chats were Tagged for Followup in the Activity area.<br /><br />¹Previously, Tag for Followup emailed the top-level admin user (typically this is the email account used to initially register the account) and any admin-equivalents.  It also emailed any email address provided in the user properties in the admin site for the queue owner AND the operator involved in the chat. </div></p>

We've simplified the 'Tag for Followup' feature in the webchat client, making it more fine-grained and easier to set up 1 .  Thi...

Using Summon? Integrate your LibraryH3lp chat service!

<p>Big news! You can now integrate your LibraryH3lp chat service within Summon®.<br /><br />The new LibraryH3lp integration is part of a <a href="http://www.serialssolutions.com/en/press_room/detail/serials-solutions-delivers-new-contextual-research-assistance-in-the-summon" target="_blank">larger suite of new features to provide contextual research assistance in the Summon Discovery Service</a>. Within <a href="http://www.serialssolutions.com/en/services/summon/features-summon-suggestions/" target="_blank">Summon Suggestions</a>, "embedded chat and reference widgets allow users to receive real-time help from reference staff without leaving the Summon user interface. Libraries can seamlessly integrate and customize chat and reference widgets in the Summon environment with easy to use administration tools."<br /><br />To learn more, check out the <a href="http://support.serialssolutions.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4698" target="_blank">Summon documentation</a>. And if you run into any snags, the fine folks at <a href="mailto:clients@serialssolutions.com" target="_blank">Serials Solutions® customer support</a> are available to help.<br /><br />Do you use other products you'd like to see integrated with LibraryH3lp? Send us an <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a> or leave a comment below and we'll see what we can do!</p>

Big news! You can now integrate your LibraryH3lp chat service within Summon®. The new LibraryH3lp integration is part of a larger suite of n...

Library chat surveys, University of Minnesota Duluth style

<p><br />Interested in using surveys to improve your library's virtual reference services? In this<br />post, we've partnered with the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Library to talk<br />library surveys. (Thanks guys!) They've been using surveys alongside chat this year and have interesting and actionable results to share with you.<br /><br />At the end of this post, we'll cover the mechanics of adding a survey to your widget. But first up, Doreen Hansen, Computer Systems Specialist, along with UMD Librarians Kim Pittman and Gabriel Gardner will take you behind the scenes to share how they apply survey results within their library to improve library services.<br /><br /><div><div><h3><span style="font-size: large;">A Tale of Two Surveys: How and Why</span></h3></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div>UMD Reference Librarians first offered chat service to patrons in 2004. After joining<br />forces with LibraryH3lp in 2008, we saw a significant increase in usage. However, after<br />that initial spike, our usage numbers began to stagnate (see charts). In order to uncover<br />the cause of our underwhelming usage statistics, we surveyed our patrons in the spring<br />and summer of 2012. We hoped that our survey results would give us insight into<br />users’ experience of chat and help us identify areas for improvement.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-r7IGvBByPRxFO7rR_MtQ0W8ML3qL_Dp7Yt2QPFBJzhvpLAdovZ3PxI2DzGuuusIadu4D8snqHqXiA1efWEEk4P-pAq8QKxU8B4r_stjRXYf41pFQmtp2cWjgYjrB9mQ95wmck42gu4w/s1600/chats-per-year.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: right; margin: 0;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-r7IGvBByPRxFO7rR_MtQ0W8ML3qL_Dp7Yt2QPFBJzhvpLAdovZ3PxI2DzGuuusIadu4D8snqHqXiA1efWEEk4P-pAq8QKxU8B4r_stjRXYf41pFQmtp2cWjgYjrB9mQ95wmck42gu4w/s320/chats-per-year.png" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrYgL87lbMqCIWSRggB8oUUnyOS2LI9sxuq2ad3yDWrAZGyC6EeBS1lJ0L61igzBntYHmP9b1ripqC6j074JD1u1ZraALLYPov4sIJzpb3ZduewH3xZZ6AdXO0cn4zkOTSns48F3Wbawe/s1600/chats-as-percentage-of-FTE.png" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin: 0;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrYgL87lbMqCIWSRggB8oUUnyOS2LI9sxuq2ad3yDWrAZGyC6EeBS1lJ0L61igzBntYHmP9b1ripqC6j074JD1u1ZraALLYPov4sIJzpb3ZduewH3xZZ6AdXO0cn4zkOTSns48F3Wbawe/s320/chats-as-percentage-of-FTE.png" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span><span class="s1">In order to learn more about current chat users and non-users, we created two surveys, both launched in the spring of 2012.</span><span class="s2"><br /><br /></span><span class="s1">One was linked right inside the top header of the patron's chat box via the <title> field within the widget designer. In addition to this eye-catching survey link, librarians also sent patrons a friendly invitation to take a short survey at the conclusion of each chat. </span><br /><span class="s1"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnfZDIl7MpoYdTxHGEqf-DS6JtDLf1O1BHzEq4_omAAYleqzydcaYAG3WBC_dwjL0moEoW-SMBpT-3uKDQ3u0M9UDXhoobJZEAiGYbVGlVve1IW1UNm0nbtZNJDFje1MdosvL3FohRfQ1/s1600/invitation-to-take-survey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnfZDIl7MpoYdTxHGEqf-DS6JtDLf1O1BHzEq4_omAAYleqzydcaYAG3WBC_dwjL0moEoW-SMBpT-3uKDQ3u0M9UDXhoobJZEAiGYbVGlVve1IW1UNm0nbtZNJDFje1MdosvL3FohRfQ1/s640/invitation-to-take-survey.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span><span class="s1">This survey asked the user to rate their satisfaction with several aspects of their chat experience, offer suggestions for service improvements, and rate their willingness to use the service again. </span><span class="s2"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5GsPK0CGEpvPb77_65th7U8nkaaS8ycihkkQSjolyZdjkzBto-_9fW1EedeCXm6ZO-OJL1VuBxJDMrZ4r4AKQIivwkmtlmJVJoiOtzSok25zo3rwLl6l4KAwk4e4R8hyphenhyphenM2WwXuy_d7zY/s1600/sample-survey-form.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5GsPK0CGEpvPb77_65th7U8nkaaS8ycihkkQSjolyZdjkzBto-_9fW1EedeCXm6ZO-OJL1VuBxJDMrZ4r4AKQIivwkmtlmJVJoiOtzSok25zo3rwLl6l4KAwk4e4R8hyphenhyphenM2WwXuy_d7zY/s640/sample-survey-form.png" width="409" /></a></div><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Our second, more comprehensive survey was targeted to anyone, whether they were previous chat users, were unaware of the chat service, or had known about it but hadn't tried it. This survey posed questions to patrons about their awareness of the service, previous use and satisfaction (if applicable), reasons for non-use (if applicable) and demographic characteristics. We promoted this survey in three places: on our library home page, on our "AskUs!" page, and on the digital sign at the library’s entrance.</span><br /><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhR48ipN4E-w956JFOZ-PPwy7xgBsKedB4hVrXkWbUeKWyFEnqTczySP8LZoG3wgvDMK159RpK2ag0uhgo2o6bOXiqqTPcnsX-yO1LEp-M2260SMJkB0EEZJsWcjPHVwKWWPAYSrhyphenhyphen5jh/s1600/screenshot-homepage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhR48ipN4E-w956JFOZ-PPwy7xgBsKedB4hVrXkWbUeKWyFEnqTczySP8LZoG3wgvDMK159RpK2ag0uhgo2o6bOXiqqTPcnsX-yO1LEp-M2260SMJkB0EEZJsWcjPHVwKWWPAYSrhyphenhyphen5jh/s320/screenshot-homepage.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UMD Library home page with link to survey in lower left corner.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="p1"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 0; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPW0du2PnKL5mx8UqVPSpqbQRCwYuM-1g3FhPzKfrEXzBId-CDEPn-kJh7nVqA7tHfd87C6zkNEvVq2qxtfa0_hOSehA-Snh-_jqXdE4a9rdBNeR4sj9whQDeWavL_Nwd468YYTdfS85t/s1600/screenshot-homepage-survey-link.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin: 0px auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPW0du2PnKL5mx8UqVPSpqbQRCwYuM-1g3FhPzKfrEXzBId-CDEPn-kJh7nVqA7tHfd87C6zkNEvVq2qxtfa0_hOSehA-Snh-_jqXdE4a9rdBNeR4sj9whQDeWavL_Nwd468YYTdfS85t/s320/screenshot-homepage-survey-link.png" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of survey link</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="clear: both;"></div><br />We chose to use Google Drive to create these surveys because of its simplicity, shareability, and the snazzy charts that we could easily produce from our results. Using Google Drive also allowed us to create a “branching” survey which led users to different questions based on their responses. To our knowledge, Google Drive is currently the only free survey software with this capability.<br /><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p1"><h4><span class="s1"><b>How We Used Our Results</b></span></h4><div><span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><div class="p1"><span class="s2"></span><span class="s1"><i>Dropped Chats: Embedded vs. Pop-out Widgets</i></span><br /><span class="s1"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">After launching the survey, one problem became clear immediately: our embedded widgets were causing us to lose some users mid-conversation. Patrons would click a link sent by librarians or perhaps leave or refresh the page, losing their connection. While we had suspected that this might be the case, our survey results confirmed this. Switching all our widgets from embedded to pop-out was an easy fix, resulting in a notable decline in the number of lost connections and survey complaints.</span><span class="s2"><br /><br /></span><span class="s1"><i>Response Time</i></span><br /><span class="s2"><i><br /></i></span><span class="s1">After compiling survey results, we noted other common issues experienced by users. Several users commented that librarians were slow to respond to their questions - an issue confirmed by our LibraryH3lp statistics. In order to improve this aspect of our service, we plan to discuss user expectations at future librarian training meetings, and explore options for providing back-up chat coverage should the librarian staffing the desk become too busy to answer promptly.</span><span class="s2"><br /><br /></span><span class="s1"><i>Lack of User Awareness</i></span><br /><span class="s2"><i><br /></i></span><span class="s1">Given our declining chat usage, we were</span> unsurprised to find that the majority of those surveyed had not previously used our chat service. Of those non-users, approximately half were not aware that the service existed. To address this lack of awareness, we are in the process of putting more widgets where our users are: our databases, online research guides, 404 pages, and our course management system, Moodle. In the future, we hope to add widgets to our mobile site (using LibraryH3lp’s mobile widget) and our link resolver pages. </div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEmqmjeyhm669gMKGukL1HWQuywY58c0KP3QZ8QVm_juqQEdUqvWJVS3U9cStrDWQPt7I3j8ZWsKwyhyphenhyphenVtcHxSr4jStqVE_IX15LEGKJIGAuKzU-eTUyRojLePMgVzLxjjcfQEJK0MoOH/s1600/pie-chart-have-u-ever-used.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEmqmjeyhm669gMKGukL1HWQuywY58c0KP3QZ8QVm_juqQEdUqvWJVS3U9cStrDWQPt7I3j8ZWsKwyhyphenhyphenVtcHxSr4jStqVE_IX15LEGKJIGAuKzU-eTUyRojLePMgVzLxjjcfQEJK0MoOH/s640/pie-chart-have-u-ever-used.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Bhyphenhyphen-7JEEzg9JkIWwuuK3SPN5Qy_XINABu9B4f9aQQd8txt22qi9aX2t1CN-ih7sIOoh0VfETmB2hgzrBBrlTycR5M_KTqhjfrS2fymFvN6bJpCpN307w7ig6SLfYyhYrNzBelC6AldAd/s1600/pie-chart-prior-2-survey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Bhyphenhyphen-7JEEzg9JkIWwuuK3SPN5Qy_XINABu9B4f9aQQd8txt22qi9aX2t1CN-ih7sIOoh0VfETmB2hgzrBBrlTycR5M_KTqhjfrS2fymFvN6bJpCpN307w7ig6SLfYyhYrNzBelC6AldAd/s640/pie-chart-prior-2-survey.png" width="640" /></a></div><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">In addition to adding more widgets, we are strategizing new promotional efforts across campus to increase awareness of our chat service. This may include posting fliers in the dorms, advertising in our campus student newspaper, and redoubling our efforts to promote our chat service in library instruction sessions.</span><span class="s2"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 0; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsbudUk5pKTQbQ_x4V4481WpHXcak1xfrUdkTzibUl3m9lF4aKIbCUgwtdX-vrTKBVAnd1e4cixY_zI-g1p8qrmqsgR94DFi8C_C-karLrJ4RNVOaCQsNQSpjspMtIKzmMIsNJL5_UISV/s1600/meme-1-baby.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsbudUk5pKTQbQ_x4V4481WpHXcak1xfrUdkTzibUl3m9lF4aKIbCUgwtdX-vrTKBVAnd1e4cixY_zI-g1p8qrmqsgR94DFi8C_C-karLrJ4RNVOaCQsNQSpjspMtIKzmMIsNJL5_UISV/s1600/meme-1-baby.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">example of a meme used in our promotional flyer</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 0; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6Kx-LLiYdzYQxV71gXT-z_QFeDcZauuB1bDM-2sMFdLoDJFFAiNxQth5TD2O8XwoQoWmtSyMldI_aG2DA1_i-H7Q6fYuBPbc8qMEqray7WZwf09ZIDqF8eGFvfuCDnoAXIfeDoI5o7hF/s1600/meme-2-texting-in-car.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6Kx-LLiYdzYQxV71gXT-z_QFeDcZauuB1bDM-2sMFdLoDJFFAiNxQth5TD2O8XwoQoWmtSyMldI_aG2DA1_i-H7Q6fYuBPbc8qMEqray7WZwf09ZIDqF8eGFvfuCDnoAXIfeDoI5o7hF/s320/meme-2-texting-in-car.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another example of a promotional meme</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div></div><div><h3><span style="font-size: large;">Adding a survey link to your widget</span></h3></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div>Now that Doreen, Kim, and Gabriel have got you all excited about using surveys to improve your library's services, let's talk about how you can add a link to your survey in your widget's title.<br /><br />The simplest way to do this is to include a hyperlink as part of your <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/basic-widget-customization">widget's title</a>. For example:</div><div><br /></div><code>Ask a Librarian <span style="float:right; text-align: center; font-size: 12px;">How did we do?<br/><a href="http://link-to-survey">Let us know!</a></span></code><br /><code><br /></code>or<br /><code></code><br /><code>Ask Us! <span style="padding:4px;background:#ff0;color:#032b3c"> Take our <a target="_blank" style="color:#032b3c" href="http://z.umn.edu/chatsurvey">brief chat survey</a></span></code><br /><div><br />And if your title needs more room, you can add a wicked CSS hack. For example:</div><div><br /></div><div><code>#layout {<br />  top: 40px;<br />}</code></div><div><br /></div><div>The result should look something like this:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2LN89qYKWMhVf78Td_5PLfwBQSiin5WxorPQf3BjYIgeG-WFe7JrnXGqy6Yu2KYNFEXf3MoiK8dCCuCxlKuqKAior5aODUbL8E7_qtQs6q7VOKkqlcIaqI7XYXtMn2_2bz94hPigRx3X/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-31+at+8.56.06+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2LN89qYKWMhVf78Td_5PLfwBQSiin5WxorPQf3BjYIgeG-WFe7JrnXGqy6Yu2KYNFEXf3MoiK8dCCuCxlKuqKAior5aODUbL8E7_qtQs6q7VOKkqlcIaqI7XYXtMn2_2bz94hPigRx3X/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-31+at+8.56.06+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And here is the <a href="http://www.d.umn.edu/lib/index.htm">University of Minnesota Duluth Libraries' widget</a> with survey link:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ8Z7kJle5neRrfmehqoHAJpGFJNrEay9X8TxCcfUy5M31kdyFryDfJcoQAhnaaJlwAuXZm6gtWnlMwiK_sDyZ6cpEgE5CTOJBHAH37Y-vQP_6iC6WRnQstErZZfaKeuM2LjWwzVJ04As/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-31+at+11.42.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQ8Z7kJle5neRrfmehqoHAJpGFJNrEay9X8TxCcfUy5M31kdyFryDfJcoQAhnaaJlwAuXZm6gtWnlMwiK_sDyZ6cpEgE5CTOJBHAH37Y-vQP_6iC6WRnQstErZZfaKeuM2LjWwzVJ04As/s320/Screen+shot+2012-07-31+at+11.42.33+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /><h3><span style="font-size: large;">How does your library use surveys?</span></h3><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Do you use surveys (chat or otherwise) to improve your library's services? Or maybe you have questions for Doreen, Kim, and Gabriel? If so, please post a comment. We'd love to hear from you!<br /><br /></div></div></p>

Interested in using surveys to improve your library's virtual reference services? In this post, we've partnered with the University ...

FAQ on regional servers + New password protection feature!

<p>Our <a href="http://docs.libraryh3lp.com/faq-intro.html" target="_blank">FAQ module</a> is now available on the LibraryH3lp servers in Europe, Canada, and Singapore, in addition to our main US server.<br /><br />The FAQ module lets you quickly and easily build a <a href="http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-feature-for-patrons-searchable-faq.html" target="_blank">searchable, browsable knowledge base for your library</a>. Plus, real-time chat and an offline e-mail form are automatically integrated so that patrons can get answers directly from you. It's one more thing included at no additional charge with your unlimited, low flat-rate LibraryH3lp subscription. More bang for your buck. Better virtual reference service for your patrons.<br /><br />And now for that new feature. Each FAQ offers the option of password protection so that only your librarians have access to your knowledge base. A couple LibraryH3lp libraries were interested in using the FAQ as an internal knowledge base for librarians rather than as a resource for patrons. We thought that was a fantastic idea! To enable password protection for your FAQ, click on the 'Require login?' checkbox in the Pages tab of the FAQ module in the admin site. <br /><br />We want to hear from you! Build your own FAQ. Try it out. Collect feedback from your librarians and patrons and <a href="mailto:support@libraryh3lp.com" target="_blank">let us know</a> how we can make it better for you.<br /><br />Oh! And one last thing. If you are building a FAQ and don't mind sharing, please leave a link to your FAQ in the comments below. We've been getting quite a few requests to see what other libraries are doing with their FAQs. We'd appreciate any inspiration you'd care to share.<br /><br /><br /></p>

Our FAQ module is now available on the LibraryH3lp servers in Europe, Canada, and Singapore, in addition to our main US server. The FAQ mod...