Tag:

Staff

    Ask Us! | Reach Out to Our Library Chat Service

    by Junelle Mah
    written by Junelle Mah

    In Winter 2020, the University of Alberta plunged into the unknown world that was study/work from home. The University of Alberta Library was able to seamlessly transfer one aspect of our services out-of-office without missing a beat: our Ask Us! Library online chat service. We continue to help our community through this valuable online medium. Read on to find out what makes this chat service so awesome, besides the people who staff it!

     

    Your library help is just a click away!

    Our library chat service is staffed by our Information Service Specialists and Student Information Service Assistants (SISAs are students enrolled in their Master of Library and Information Studies with U of A’s School of Library and Information Studies). WE ARE NOT BOTS! We are here to support patrons with any library-related questions or inquiries they may have. Anyone can ask us a question online during our chat hours, it doesn’t matter if you’re affiliated with the U of A as a student, staff, or instructor, or if you’re alumni or member of the public!

    Our folks support our library chat service either from their office desks or their library’s main service desk.

    Our goal is to provide tips and tricks on where to find the answers you need that will allow you to comfortably navigate our systems on your own. That being said, we know that snags can happen (we experience them ourselves), and we are always here to help you with whatever question you may have –  big or small!

    A screenshot of our Legal Research (Law) subject guide with a chat pop-up window in the upper right-hand corner.

    Our most common questions usually involve how to search our website for a textbook, article, or database. We direct folks to our library subject guides for discipline-specific resources, as well as refer more in-depth questions to our librarians for 1:1 support. Another brilliant resource that we have at our fingertips is our citation guides to help ensure folks get their reference lists correct according to citation style.

    That being said, we know that sometimes folks don’t know where they can ask a random question and while some of our inquiries are not library-related, we will do our best to get you headed in the right direction. Our U of A Google skills are pretty exemplary and we have directed folks to our colleagues at the Registrar’s Office, Students Union, Health & Wellness Support and more!

    We are here for you! If you are in need of library support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on our chat service (or pop into any of our locations and see us in person)! We have a chat box on our main page, a pop-up that will appear on the upper right corner of your screen on any of our library site pages, as well a chat box on our Ask Us! page that will also show additional contact options and chat service hours.

    Thanks for the read! Love us on the blog? Chances are, you’ll love us on social media! Follow us, @uofalibrary, on Instagram & Twitter!

    This content is licenced under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Creative Commons licence.

    0 comment
    1 FacebookTwitterEmail

  • Scott Library History – Part 2

    by Erin Sanderman
    by Erin Sanderman

    Welcome back. The last post explored the first decade and a half of the Scott Library. We pick-up at the dawn of the World Wide Web, which would forever change how we access information in the library and beyond.  1995 to 2009 – The Internet transforms the information landscape A student walking into the Scott Library in 1995 would have found computer workstations intended for word processing and other basic functions scattered…

  • University of Alberta Librarians Take Position on Open Access Publishing 

    by Guest Author
    by Guest Author

    On April 19th, librarians at the University of Alberta endorsed a Position Statement on Open Access for University of Alberta Librarians, which demonstrates their commitment to open scholarship through their own professional practice and research.  Our engagement with open scholarship: The University of Alberta Library (UAL) has a long history of engagement with open scholarship: librarians support and promote faculty sharing research through well-established open repository and open publishing programs, invest in…

  • Staff Showcase: Digital Initiatives Project Librarian Sarah Severson

    by Hanne Pearce
    by Hanne Pearce

    At the University of Alberta Library, there are a great many staff that work either on the front lines or behind the scenes to make our library services happen. In our staff showcase, we hope to bring those staff into the spotlight to share who they are both as professionals and as people who care passionately about information, knowledge and learning. Sarah Severson is a Digital Initiatives Project Librarian so her work…

  • Librarian’s Role in Health Science Research

    by Guest Author
    by Guest Author

    This post was written by Health Sciences Librarian, Sandy Campbell with support from her colleagues at the Scott Library There has been a collective effort among researchers to promote science and research to help society make decisions as we navigate this pandemic. Perhaps, you follow “Science Up First” on Twitter and have seen this action in real-time. Shedding some light on the research process and science literacy is of benefit to society.…

  • Celebrating Chinese Culture | Honouring Tea, Part I

    by Junelle Mah
    by Junelle Mah

    As the University of Alberta Library highlights China and Chinese culture in this month’s blog, I feel very fortunate to write a two-part special on Chinese tea. Not only do I get to venture into my favourite section of Rutherford’s stacks (fourth floor, call range GV 2907), but I get to transfer a piece of my personal history into written word. Part One will introduce Chinese tea, as well as some of…

  • Staff Call-Out | What have I learned while working remotely?

    by Junelle Mah
    by Junelle Mah

    As we see another remote semester come to a close, it is sometimes surreal to think of how long we have been providing support for our U of A community from afar. We were curious to find out what kind of hacks, tips, or pearls of wisdom our colleagues had discovered after working from home, so we asked, What have you learned while working remotely? Doris Wagner, Librarian (Law, Sociology, MLCS, History,…

  • De-Stressing Tips from Library Staff | Part II

    by Junelle Mah
    by Junelle Mah

    It is widely known that library staff are always willing to offer helpful tips and advice…call it an occupational hazard! Lucky for us, we received such a wealth of self-care tips from our colleagues that we had to create a second part to our Fall 2020 Staff De-stressing Tips blog! To catch up on Part I, take a peek here… otherwise sit back, relax, and enjoy Part II! Eva, Information Services Specialist…

  • De-Stressing Tips from Library Staff | Part I

    by Junelle Mah
    by Junelle Mah

    First, a giant shout-out to everyone for all the hard work done thus far in our Fall 2020 semester. We are truly proud of you! We invite you to take some time to rest, relax, and focus on a little self-care before you battle on to end this term on a strong note. Our lovely library staffers offer up their de-stressing tips in Part I of a two-part special! David, Academic Librarian…

  • Finding Connections in Community and Space | An Alumna Looks Back

    by Junelle Mah
    by Junelle Mah

    Happy Alumni Week to one and all in our green and gold community. When you work on the campus of your alma mater, you can’t help but be surrounded by the nostalgia of your (now seemingly) carefree days as a student. Sure the faces and some of the buildings change, but the feelings of familiarity and good memories remain. As a proud Human Ecology alumna (with ALES, back when it was AgForHE),…

Newer Posts
Older Posts