Ask? Away Basics - Free Webinars Available

AskAway is an online information service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is staffed by librarians from across Wisconsin, the United States and the United Kingdom. These librarians are online to help you find resources to satisfy your academic, professional, and personal information needs. You can access AskAway from anywhere there is an Internet connection including home, school, work, the library, or wherever there's Wi-Fi access.

Are you a librarian interested in understanding how to use AskAway? Join us for the free webinars (using Live Meeting) starting Feb 24th from 10am-11am and continuing the first Thursday of the month at 10am-11am. No registration is required.

February 24th - http://tinyurl.com/4foo759
Why AskAway? An Introduction to the AskAway virtual reference service

• What is AskAway?
• What unique value does it offer?
• Who provides the service, who uses it now and who can use it?
• How does it work?
• How is quality ensured?


March 3rd - http://tinyurl.com/4neooxv
AskAway Email service

• What is the AskAway Email service?
• How does it work?
• Who uses it?
• How to publicize it?


April 7th - http://tinyurl.com/4rw7ltx
AskAway’s Spanish-language Chat service

• How does it work?
• Who staffs the service?
• What resources are available to support the service?
• What agencies/organizations do we partner with?

May 5th - http://tinyurl.com/4sxu9c5
Chat service basics
• How do I pick up chat questions?
• How do I conduct an online reference interview?
• How do I send links to a patron?
• How do I end a chat?


June 2nd - http://tinyurl.com/4dvrct4
Email service basics

• How do I pick up email questions?
• How do I respond to email questions?
• How do I refer email questions to other librarians/agencies?


July 7th - http://tinyurl.com/6gbky2x
Marketing the AskAway service
• How should I talk to patrons, staff and board members about AskAway?
• What is my audience?
• How do I post links to AskAway?
• How can I build support?
• How do I reach out to the community?


August 4th - http://tinyurl.com/5tw9cs5
AskAway statistics for administrators and librarians

• How do I view statistics posted by DPI ?
• How do I download, view and interpret local statistics?• How do I review chat transcripts?
• How do I follow up with other libraries and QuestionPoint Quality Control?

For more information contact Martha Berninger at martha.berninger@dpi.wi.gov