Transcript MD AskUsNow - QuestionPoint Wiki

Fall QuestionPoint Users Group Meeting
Library of Congress
October 17, 2006
Marketing Your Virtual Reference Service:
The Experience of
Maryland AskUsNow!
Joe Thompson
Project Coordinator: Maryland AskUsNow!
Baltimore County Public Library
410-887-6124 / [email protected]
About Us!
Maryland AskUsNow!
 Launched March 17, 2003
 33 partner library systems:
Academic, Public, & Special
 Staffed by over 300 librarians
in Maryland for 266 hours each
week
 First statewide participant in
“24/7 Reference” cooperative
 Maryland customers
accounted for 25% of all “24/7
Reference” usage
 Now participates in
QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference
 143,000 questions to date!
InfoEyes
 Launched January 2004
also participates in…
 InfoEyes is a question and
answer service for people with
a visual impairment or other
print limitation
 People can ask a question
about anything
 Questions may be:
• E-mailed via webform
using QuestionPoint
• Voice Over IP by request!
www.infoeyes.org
 Joe is the current InfoEyes
secretary and may be
contacted for info about
participating
How we have
promoted AskUsNow!
statewide:
• Grand opening 
• Getting a link on every library
home page (negotiate for “above
the fold”)
• Rocking memo holders, keychain
highlighters, pencils, post-it pads,
summer reading club question
“prompt” cards, a TV commercial
and of course… bookmarks!
• Staff pins during 1-year
anniversary: “Let me answer that.”
Grand Opening
March 17, 2003
 Press release
 Phone calls to local papers,
radio, and TV
 Postcard invitations to state
and local government
representatives
 Event with a big cake
 First “official” question
 A librarian in robe and bunny
slippers!
 Attendance by local media
 FREE publicity! It’s new once!
Local promotion:
Each partner library has a
project liaison who…
6. Maintains the currency of
1. Represents the partner
local library information
library at meetings & on the
used by the cooperative
listserv
2. Reports training needs
3. Monitors local performance
4. Maintains scheduling and
arranges substitutes
5. Monitors usage
7. Contributes
enthusiasm and
energy to make
the project a
success!
Get staff and
administration
support: They’ll
help promote it.
1. Before joining as a partner, the director of the library
must sign a “Letter of Intent.”
2. Each librarian who provides the service must attend a
one-day training class where we not only look at the
software and deduce the best VR model behaviors, but
hope that staff will embrace the service’s statewide
culture (i.e. customer service, quality, innovation)
3. Project Liaisons attend quarterly in-person meetings
Promotion
techniques used
by partner
libraries:
1. On the web
- Library web site (all over)
- Local Government
- K-12 school pages
- Local non-profits
2. School media orientations
3. College/faculty orientations
4. Instruction classes
5. Business cards
6. Closing announcement
7. Door of library when closed
8. Telephone hold message
9. Print receipts
10. E-mail newsletter
11. Calendar of programs
12. School paper/newsletter
13. Show commercial in branch
and ask local cable to show
as a PSA (This can really
work!)
Recent publicity
1. A back-to-school television spot for
AskUsNow! this September, with… bread
Recent publicity
2. Radio spot on Baltimore area
station Mix 106.5
Recent publicity
3. Bookmarks
Recent publicity
4. More highlighters
5. Festivals and conferences
• MACO: Maryland
County Officials
6. Certificates of recognition
given to every partner
library director for every
librarian who provides the
service. Signed by the
state librarian!
• Maryland State Fair
• Maryland state teachers
fair
• MEMO: Maryland’s
school media
specialists
Future publicity
1. Voice over IP
2. Target: Business
3. Target: College/University
Three reminders about publicity:
1. Ensure that you’re providing the best quality
service possible. Staff need to be perceived of as
friendly above any other trait. Reinforce that it’s
all about customer service.
2. Keep your funders and your partners aware of
what a great service you are all providing.
3. Guide realistic customer expectations when you
describe the service…
Guide Customer Expectations
First time users might expect the
impossible. Help them best understand
what it can offer. Examples:
1.
Although live and in real-time, answers are not
instant. It usually takes at least 5 minutes and
often longer for the librarian to find exactly what
you need.
2.
The service often gets very busy. If you contact
the service at one of these busy times, your
librarian may suggest writing you back later by
e-mail so that you don’t have to wait online.
Guide Customer Expectations
3.
Your librarian will likely ask you questions to
make sure you get exactly what you need.
4.
Like in a library, the same standards of
respectful behavior apply. If you are rude, you
won’t receive any help.
5.
As you type in your question, please give as
much detail as you can. Here’s a good example
of a question someone sent:
“I’m in 8th grade and writing a paper about
the crusades. I don’t know where to start. Can
you help me find some good websites?”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you for using Maryland AskUsNow! If you have
any further questions, please contact us again! You
can go ahead and select the End Call button if that’s
all you need. Bye for now!”
This presentation will be posted at:
www.askusnow.info/presentations
Feel free to contact me:
[email protected]
410-887-6124