LibChat Training Manual

To add a chat to analytics, you can either click the chart icon at the top right of your chat box or the box will appear automatically when you click "end chat." If you have already used the analytics button, the form will not appear by default. If you have a duplicate or dropped chat that you want to close without adding to analytics, click the X at the top right corner of the analytics box to close without entering statistics.

When statistics are analyzed, READ questions ranked 1 or 2 are considered directional and 3+ are considered reference. These links to the full READ Scale description and a short, printable READ Scale for day-to-day use:

• READ Scale
• Short READ Scale

The August 2019 meeting about READ Scale use is available here: READ Workshop

There are two main areas to export statistics from LibAnswers. The first is LibChat statistics, which draws from the transcript data. To access the statistics, follow the directions on this page: https://ask.springshare.com/libanswers/faq/1768

The transcript data shows system-collected information such as accurate date and time statistics as well as information about answerer and user technology. The other data we collect comes from Ref. Analytics and includes information added by the librarian answering the chat such as READ Scale. These numbers may be more accurate because librarians only count a single chat for users that are disconnected during chat and may count multiple questions within one chat. 

To access the Ref. Analytics data, follow the instructions on this page: https://ask.springshare.com/libanswers/faq/1721

Enter one Reference Analytics transaction per question answered. If the patron disconnects before answering a question, close the analytics box using the "X" in the upper right hand corner to avoid adding the transaction to Reference Analytics. If the patron asks more than one question over the course of the chat, you can enter each question as a transaction using the analytics button:

Answer
For chat, this will automatically include the transcript. AAL will automatically include the question and answer.

Duration
Take your best estimate of duration

Method
Choose "chat" for LibChat or "AAL" for Ask a Librarian tickets

Question Type

• Research/Reference: Questions about research, citation, search strategy, reference skills
• Holdings/Availability: Specific or known holdings searches or availability questions, interlibrary loan directions
• Policy: Questions about library policies or procedures including circulation, access, and library use
• Technology: Questions about library software or hardware, problems with technology
• Directional: Directions to a physical location, url for a virtual location, hours and contact info
• Patent/Trademark: Questions about patents and trademarks
• Ready Reference: Reference questions that can be quickly answered with information on hand
• PC Login: Assisting patrons with guest logins to the onsite computers
• Gov. Docs: Questions about government documents
• Law: Questions from law patrons, utilizing law resources, or referred to law
• Instruction follow up: Follow up on library instruction sessions
• Health Sciences: Questions about RBHS or the health sciences disciplines

Patron or On-Desk Location (optional): choose the location of the patron for virtual and off-desk interactions, choose your desk location for on-desk phone and in-person interactions

Patron (optional)
Patron group if the patron volunteers this information

READ Scale: see the box to the left for READ information