- What is Ask a Librarian?
- How does Ask a Librarian work?
- When are librarians available to answer my question?
- Why should I use Ask a Librarian instead of a search engine like Google or Yahoo?
For more information, visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Ask a Librarian website or visit our MySpace page.
- What is Ask a Librarian?
- Ask a Librarian is a free online service that allows Floridians to chat live with a librarian for immediate assistance.
- How does Ask a Librarian work?
- When you click on the chat button, your question enters a queue for the on-duty librarians. Librarians answer questions in the order they receive them. Typically, depending on the expected traffic, between two and six librarians staff the Ask a Librarian desk during the hours we are available for live chat.
- When the librarian accepts your question, you are able to chat one-on-one with that librarian while he or she helps you find what you need by guiding you through the myriad of resources available. The librarian will go through these resources with you in real time.
- If the librarian cannot answer your question during the session, he or she may suggest other sources for you to try that cannot be accessed in the online environment or ask for your contact information so he or she or your local library may follow up with you.
- Once the session ends, you will be given the option to view and print your transcript or e-mail the session to yourself for later use. The transcript will provide links to all of the resources you visited during the session.
- When are librarians available to answer my question?
- We are available via live chat 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (EST). Email assistance is available 24/7.
- Why should I use Ask a Librarian instead of a search engine like Google or Yahoo?
- Librarians are experts at sorting through information and finding what you need from a credible source. With over 100 million sites on the Internet, searching on Google and Yahoo can return millions of Web sites filled with information that’s not quite what you were looking for. And often, those sites have questionable authority. With Ask a Librarian, you have a professional to help evaluate resources, access to great resources hidden from search engines, and access to full text journals and books.
- Studies prove that having a librarian assist you with your research can help you get better grades and save you time. Librarians will not only help you find information but will also help organize and evaluate that information. With so much information available, it’s important to sort out fact from fiction, and librarians can help.
- Ask a Librarian brings this valuable resource straight to you – when and where you need it.