The Wisconsin AskAway Virtual Reference Consortium is proud to be a corporate sponsor of Wisconsin Public Radio for the months of March, April and May 2009. You were able to hear the support announcements 45 times during those months, broadcast across the entire state and on both WPR radio networks. The 15 second spots were placed during all days of the week between 5:00am and 11:00pm, including during the popular "drive times". Here's the text of our initial support announcement:
Support for Wisconsin Public Radio comes from the Ask Away Wisconsin Virtual Reference Consortium, an online service staffed by librarians 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Answers to questions online at www dot Ask Away dot info.
The spots ran at random times and days so if you heard one, please zip me, mbeatty@wils.wisc.edu an email of when you heard our AskAway spot and where you heard it. I'll keep track of your emails and compile them and share with you with an idea of how broadly the virtual reference message was heard.
The AskAway WPR radio support announcements make a perfect opportunity for libraries all across Wisconsin to remind their patrons of the great online services we all provide including AskAway and BadgerLink as well as many other services. At the Strategic Visioning Summit of May 2008 there was universal agreement on working towards achieving the ubiquitous library. Development and promotion of these services go hand in hand for success. As you promote your services please let us know what you're doing and the success you have. We'll get your stories on the AskAway PR pages for all to share.
What are you waiting for? AskAway!
How's it going so far?
We've set up a survey process we want everyone to use in their QuestionPoint configuration. The survey should run for the whole month of May 2009 and will be pushed to all Wisconsin patrons who use the AskAway service, either Webform/email or Chat. See the details on setting up the survey at the
For the months of March, April and May the spot ran 45 times total on the two WPR networks. Here's what the line up was:
Ideas network:
Su 3/8 8:05am
Th 3/12 10:58pm
Fr 3/13 9:58am
Mn 3/16 10:58am
Tu 3/17 7:05pm
We 3/25 10:05am
Th 3/26 8:58pm
Su 4/05 7:05am
Su 4/05 9:58am
Su 4/12 8:05am
Su 4/12 10:58am
Th 4/16 5:25pm
Su 4/19 6:58am
Tu 4/21 9:58pm
Sa 4/25 6:38am
Tu 4/28 11:05am
Tu 5/05 12:58pm
Mn 5/11 11:05am
Th 5/21 7:58pm
Fr 5/22 7:58pm
Mn 5/25 7:05pm
Fr 5/29 6:58pm
News and Classical Music network:
Su 3/8 9:58am
Sa 3/14 8:38am
Su 3/15 9:58am
Fr 3/20 7:57pm
Sa 3/21 4:58pm
Mn 3/23 7:57pm
We 3/25 5:39am
We 4/01 7:57pm
Sa 4/04 11:40am
Tu 4/07 7:57pm
Sa 4/11 8:38am
Mn 4/13 7:57pm
Su 4/19 7:18am
Sa 4/25 7:38am
Su 4/26 3:58pm
Tu 4/28 4:18pm
Sa 5/09 10:58am
Th 5/14 7:57pm
Su 5/17 7:38am
Th 5/21 5:39am
Fr 5/22 8:58am
Fr 5/29 5:58am
Su 5/31 7:18am
Again if you heard one of the spots, please zip Mark Beatty, mbeatty@wils.wisc.edu an email of when you heard it and your geographic location at the time. Thanks.
Spring 2009 Survey
The Survey Monkey survey was created and enabled to pop up at the end of each session. The system required that each library involved turn on the popup in order to deliver the survey to users. During the month of May 2009 there were a total of 1700 transactions that should have initiated a survey pop up. Unfortunately the return rate didn't match that potential. Still the results are interesting if sparse
Number of returned surveys: 57
The overview results of those responses:
First time AskAway users: 74%
How did you find out about AskAway:
77% library website
9% librarian
10% teacher
7% relative or friend
Will you use AskAway again: 84% said yes
Were you satisfied with your answer: 85% said yes
Kind of patron:
52% WI public library patrons
25% college student
23% k-12 student
The overall survey results indicate that we're doing a reasonable job with the AskAway service and covering a broad spectrum of users. However the overall returns were entirely too low to judge the effectiveness of the WPR radio sponsor spots, or for that matter any PR efforts.
We'll look at creating another targeted survey for the fall.
It's all about them: Successful Virtual Reference Marketing
Tuesday July 24th, 2007, 10:30am—4:30pm
Pyle Center, Madison Wisconsin
Buff Hirko, former statewide virtual reference project coordinator with the Washington State Library and co-author of "Virtual Reference Training: The Complete Guide to Providing Anytime, Anywhere Answers" spent a day with AskAway participants working with us on Virtual Reference Marketing. Good marketing builds on a foundation of great customer service. But it's a big process—planning, defining goals, identifying audiences, branding, testing web site usability, getting staff buy-in, refining the program—and it never ends. This interactive workshop offered practical strategies and techniques for both small and large organizations, good and bad examples from Libraryland and the outside world, and resources for ideas and methodologies. Participants were encouraged to bring local marketing samples for evaluation. We heard brief examples from Mark Ibach and Bill Pardue two local experts on their endeavors to increase the visibility of AskAway in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Buff Hirko, former Washington statewide virtual reference coordinator and frequent speaker and writer on virtual reference joined us and discussed strategies for marketing your virtual reference service. Here's the two hand outs she provided for everyone:
The Marketing Working Group recently submitted the report above to the Reference Management Team (RMT) that details their past year's work publicizing campus-wide reference services.
For the first time a conscious effort was made to celebrate National Library Week in all campus libraries, with toolkits that emphasized the "Ask a Librarian" general reference service. The group also instituted a pilot project for public computers screensavers, interviewed IM/Chat patrons on their satisfaction and awareness of the service, and presented a poster session on their marketing plan at the WAAL conference. Future directions include partnering with campus groups to plan an "Ask a Librarian Day" and working with the new Campus Libraries Marketing Committee.
Nancy McClements for the Reference Management Team
Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Quotes
Nothing beats a good quote or story when you're promoting a service. That is what this area is for so everyone add your quotes on how great AskAway is here. The assumption has to be that all rights to use these quotes in any AskAway materials is completely OK.
"This is a really great resource for people asking reference questions in which they can be anonymous, whether it's about a health issue or whether it's about something they're embarrassed about or any other type of information they're not prepared to go up to the reference desk in the middle of the library and ask." - Megan Lott
"Sometimes I'm feeling a little lazy or it's 10:30 at night and I've got a pressing reference question that I can't figure out on my own and I don't feel like leaving my apartment and I just want to have this great easy access from home, and it's just so easy to pop on sitting in front of my television chatting with the reference librarian." - Megan Lott
"Thank you for answering my question! Wow! That was fast! What a wonderful service!! I am very impressed with your promptness and reliablility."
"I have contacted many people and organizations in my search for my ancestors. There are a lot of good folk in the genealogy business -- good people, good genealogists. My experience with you has been as good as it gets."
"To my brief inquiry I received unbelievable response. I cannot thank all of you enough for the time and research you put into answering my query. GREAT SERVICE!!!"
"Your librarians are awesome - they did a great job with my questions and helped me find the answers I needed!! Thanks again for all your hard work!"
"YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY AND MADE ME VERY HAPPY !!!! I just appreciate both of you for doing this for me, and I will follow through. Thanks for the information to further my quest. You just can't imagain how thrilled I am to have this photo !! You did good !!"
"Being able to submit a question which I don't have time to research and then receive a thorough response is an invaluable service. Sometimes, the response needed is more than just a quick answer. It might include several good websites for the patron to explore. No matter the question, simple or complex, I think the idea of getting professional help from a qualified, experienced librarian is an ingenious idea. I sure hope this form of communication continues!"
"This was great! - precisely the information I was looking for. With Google and Internet I think people put less value on libraries these days - but this really demonstrated to me that NOT everything is on the internet and libraries continue to provide a valuable and much needed service. I really appreciate you taking the time to find the information I was looking for."
"Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness!! I love you!! I have searched so long for any crumb of information on this woman. You have no idea how much this means. I'm actually getting teary-eyed. Of course, that could be the pregnancy hormones. ;-) Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Librarian: "Where have you looked for information so far?"
Patron: "this is my first place as a friend of mine told me about this and said that everyone on here is friendly and will help you to the best of their ability"
"well thank you so much! This should be enough information to get figure it out! Ive never used this interactive feature, but i will definitely use it agin!"
"This is an efficient and extremely convenient service!"
"The speed of the reply was remarkable. It would have been difficult for me to travel to ... obtain the information. I can't thank you enough."
"I have been trying for half an hour ... for my search and getting nowhere. I find it incredible that you in Wisconsin have done it. Many many thanks."
AskAway Week, September 8-12, 2008 PR materials:
AskAway Awareness Week Flyer
see all the materials below including a Press Release from State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster and the WI DPI. Use the TOC link to jump to the resources.
AskAwayAwarenessWeek.pdf Press Release from State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster and the WI DPI on Wisconsin celebrates virtual reference service Sept. 8-12 is ‘AskAway Awareness Week’
Askweek5.pdf 8.5x11 standard paper size Flyer, easy to print, easy to copy, easy to distribute and post
Edit them, put back to back with your own bookmarks, print them off yourselve and distribute away. Here's the sample:
AskAway Week, May 7-11, 2007 PR materials:
AskAwayAwareWeek2007PR.doc Post AskAway week Press Release wrapping up the winners activities, appeared in Channel Weekly, Vol. 9, No. 44 -- August 9, 2007
You can also find additional PR materials on the AskAway wiki'sPR Kitpage
PowerPoint Grab n' Go presentation. Use for presentations to patron groups, or set up on a kiosk: AskAway.ppt
PR materials available for order, contact Mark Beatty at WiLS for details:
Bookmark (.pdf): (created by Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College)
The Winnefox Library System has generously agreed to print bookmarks for $8.00 per 100. If you would like to order bookmarks, please email Renee Miller
AskAway promotional items are available from Janway at 5% off of list price. See their AskAway promotional page for more information. This includes magnets, pencils, buttons, etc.
It's the Library Matters website from the Alliance library system in East Peoria, IL. The prices are quite reasonable and the web site extremely easy to use. If a larger order is desired contact Mark Beatty and we will put together a group order. There will be a separate section on their web site specifically for AskAway posters in the near future.
Publicity materials prepared by the Publicity committee:
Bookmark (from Northern Waters Library System -- .doc)
Press release: "Doyle proclaims April 24 as "AskAway Day" (from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College)
"Advice Column" Advertisement: MS Publisher | PDF (from Edgewood College)
News release: "24/7 Information Service Now Available @ Your Library" (from Arrowhead Library System -- .doc)
Thanksgiving Break.doc Holiday Flyer (Thanksgiving) to remind patrons they can get reference service even when the library is closed for the holidays.
Video created by South Central Library System in 2006; originally only available in Flash format at askaway.info, but now available at YouTube so you can embed it anywhere on your library's web site!
Door signage during holidays and regular closings example, put in your own wording and URLs:
The building will be closed July 4/Thanksgiving/New Years/etc.,
But we're still open online!
For librarian assistance 24/7/365, click on the "Ask A Librarian Live Online" link at:
MySpace page and Facebook page for AskAway, created & maintained by Mark Beatty & Joy Schwarz (Winnefox Library System). If you or your library has a MySpace or Facebookbpage, send us a friend request!
Here's a copy of our recent Ask?Away Day PR programs that appeared on the Madison area Chanel 3, WISC-TV evenings news. You'll need QuickTime to view the small 30 second movie.
Use this document as a starter for grant ideas. List here your ideas for grants, other granting authorities we could use, the grant scope and other possiblies, the grants you've applied for and your success.
finalreport.pdf
Grant opportunities.doc
askaway.ppt
Kenoshanewsarticle0507.doc. Kenosha News: May 26, 2007
