Staffing the collaborative desks

At the assigned start time, be logged in and online in your scheduled department. Respect other statewide librarians by actively participating throughout your scheduled hours.
You may monitor your local library’s chat in addition to the Statewide Ask a Librarian or Academic departments you are scheduled to cover. However, live chat and text questions received through the statewide departments take priority during that time.
If you are unable to cover an upcoming scheduled shift, contact your Site Coordinator and attempt to fill the shift within your library. If it cannot be filled internally, email the AskRef Listserv to request a replacement. If you learn at the last minute that you cannot cover a shift, or if you find yourself alone or with insufficient help on the desk, email the AskRef Listserv immediately.
Notify your Site Coordinator if a permanent schedule change is needed. Site Coordinators should contact the AAL Help Desk to implement schedule changes.
If your library will be closed for more than two weeks outside Ask a Librarian’s holiday closing hours, the Site Coordinator should contact the AAL Help Desk to arrange email forwarding.
Staff assigned to collaborative service should complete required onboarding and continuing training. Training should address the Springshare platform, statewide procedures, reference interviewing, accessibility, privacy, source evaluation, misinformation, and emerging information technologies.
Staff should regularly review Ask a Librarian announcements, training materials, knowledge base entries, canned messages, and service standards. [ala.org], [ala.org]

Accepting users

All staff members monitoring the collaborative desks should be familiar with the Springshare software. Consult the training materials on the Ask a Librarian Toolbox training page for current instructions, tips, and reminders.

While staffing the Statewide Ask a Librarian or Academic departments, you are responsible for answering live chat and SMS messages. Email is primarily answered by interns, but assistance from collaborative staff is welcome when workload and local responsibilities permit.
After logging in, identify the other librarians on duty and use available staff communication channels when coordination or assistance is needed.
Preview incoming chats and texts to identify the user’s library and general question type. However, accept users within 60 seconds to avoid missed chats. Do not wait until you have found or confirmed the complete answer before accepting the user.
While staffing Ask a Librarian, you may assist more than one user at a time. Consider handling multiple users when:
You are the only librarian staffing the service.
Your current user’s question is straightforward and another user is waiting.
A user has been waiting in the queue for longer than three minutes.
Use a greeting canned message for a professional introduction and identify your library to distinguish between local and collaborative service. Customize the greeting when appropriate so that it sounds natural and addresses the circumstances of the interaction.
Acknowledge the user promptly, even when additional research will be required.
Conduct an appropriate reference interview to clarify the user’s information need, intended use, preferred format, deadline, and sources already consulted when those questions are relevant.
Use clear, respectful, and accessible language. Avoid unexplained library terminology and assumptions about a user’s identity, education, reading level, disability, language proficiency, or technical experience.
Do not require users to disclose personal information that is unnecessary for answering their questions.

If you are still working with a user at the end of your shift:

Do not abruptly end an active transaction because a shift is ending. Complete the interaction, transfer it appropriately, or arrange follow-up.

At your discretion, continue helping the user if you determine that the transaction can be completed promptly.
If you cannot complete the transaction and Ask a Librarian is still open, transfer the user to another available librarian. Inform the receiving librarian about the question, research completed, resources consulted, and any follow-up promised. Tell the user that the transfer is occurring and what to expect.
If the question requires more in-depth research, offer to continue the transaction by email. Obtain only the contact information necessary for follow-up and provide a reasonable expectation for when the user will receive a response.
If you have an active chat, you may stop monitoring departments while that chat is active to no longer accept incoming chats. This will maintain the current connection with the user you’re helping and prevent new chats from coming in.

If the user is not a Florida resident:

Florida residents should receive priority in their use of the statewide service. Although use by people outside Florida is not prohibited, questions from Florida residents should be answered first, particularly during busy periods.
Assist non-Florida residents with straightforward open-web and general reference questions when service capacity permits. Refer users to their local libraries for account-specific, local, licensed-resource, or in-depth assistance.
For nonresident distance learners affiliated with a Florida institution, assist with the institution’s resources identified in the knowledge base and with appropriate open-web sources.
Whenever possible, provide an accessible text-based referral, such as a library website, email form, chat service, or contact page, rather than only a telephone number.

If the user asks a site-specific question:

Consult the knowledge base entry for the appropriate library and use as much relevant information as possible. Confirm that you are consulting the correct institution or branch when libraries have similar names.
If the knowledge base does not contain enough information, offer to transfer the chat to an appropriate librarian currently online or to forward it to the appropriate library as an email ticket. Telling the patron to call the library during open hours should be a last resort. The patron selected text-based communication, and the transaction should remain text-based whenever a practical option is available.
To assist with a personal library account, guide the user through the login process using text-based instructions. Never ask the patron to send a password, PIN, or authentication code, and do not attempt to log in using the patron’s credentials.
If the user does not know the library card number or PIN or cannot log in for another reason, follow the library’s knowledge base instructions, offer to forward the question, or provide accessible contact options.
If knowledge base information appears incomplete, outdated, or inconsistent with verified public information, do not guess. Explain the limitation, provide the best verified information available, and forward the question when appropriate.
Report outdated or incomplete knowledge base information to the appropriate Site Coordinator or to the AAL Help Desk.

Patron Follow-up:

Help as far as possible, but recommend the user’s local library when local expertise, account access, licensed resources, or in-depth follow-up is needed.
Offer to transfer or refer users through chat or email whenever possible. Telephone referrals should be a last resort because users joining chat have indicated a preference for text-based communication.
Not all questions can be resolved with a complete answer immediately. Explain when additional research, referral, or later follow-up would provide a better answer.
Refer patrons to relevant, reliable resources that may help, even when a definitive answer is unavailable.
If a transaction exceeds 15 minutes and requires substantial research, consider offering email follow-up. Apply professional judgment rather than treating the benchmark as a mandatory cutoff.
When forwarding a question, include the user’s information need, relevant context, sources already checked, assistance already provided, and any commitments made. Do not include unnecessary personal information.
Give the user realistic expectations about next steps and response times.
Whenever feasible, provide citations, stable links, resource titles, database names, or search strategies that allow the user to find the information again.

Non-responsive user:

Staff should attempt to maintain communication and should not end a chat prematurely. However, users may stop communicating without notice. When this occurs:

Send an “Are you still there?” message to attempt to reestablish communication.
Monitor the animated typing indicator or other available platform indicators showing that the user is active.
Allow a reasonable response period. Consider the complexity of the question, the user’s previous response speed, possible accessibility needs, and whether the platform indicates continued activity.
If there is no further activity, send a closing canned message inviting the user to reconnect, provide any useful resource or next step already identified, and close the chat.
Do not characterize a delayed response as intentional misuse unless the user’s behavior independently meets the inappropriate-use standards.

Closing the chat:

Use a closing canned message or customized response asking whether the patron’s question has been answered and whether clarification is needed.
If you plan to transfer the chat to an email ticket, confirm that you have gathered the necessary contact information and explained the follow-up process.
Confirm that the patron has received important links, citations, contact information, and follow-up instructions.
End with a courteous invitation to use Ask a Librarian again. Do not pressure the patron to indicate satisfaction.

RUSA identifies closure and appropriate follow-up as integral parts of a user-centered reference transaction. [ala.org]

Inappropriate Use of Ask a Librarian

If you believe a patron is using Ask a Librarian inappropriately (the original question crosses the line of acceptable behavior or subsequent messages become personal, invasive, harassing, threatening, vulgar, or otherwise inappropriate) take one or more of the following actions:

If the information need appears legitimate but the interaction is not going well, ask another librarian staffing the desk whether the chat may be transferred. Briefly and objectively inform that librarian of the situation before transferring the user.
If you are uncertain whether the behavior is intentional, use the Inappropriate – No Question/Purpose Customer canned message to clarify service expectations and determine whether the problem results from miscommunication.
If you end the session because of the patron’s behavior, use the Inappropriate – Bad Customer canned message. Modify the message as necessary while remaining professional and concise.
If the patron is threatening or overtly vulgar, use the Inappropriate – Bad Customer or Inappropriate – IP Captured canned message. Use the Ban IP function when escalation is necessary, end the chat, and notify the AAL Help Desk.
Staff are encouraged to promptly end interactions involving persistent harassment, discriminatory abuse, repeated personal or invasive comments, threats, attempts to obtain staff members’ personal information, deliberate service disruption, or continued misuse after a clear warning.
Do not argue with, ridicule, retaliate against, diagnose, or publicly identify a patron.
Document serious or repeated incidents objectively. Record observable behavior, actions taken, and any operational impact rather than speculation about the user’s identity, intent, or mental state.
A difficult, controversial, politically sensitive, or emotionally charged question is not inappropriate merely because it creates discomfort. Distinguish between a challenging information request and behavior that disrupts service or threatens a person.

User in Crisis: Asking About Suicide, Mental Health, or Other Issues

Staff are information professionals, not crisis counselors. Do not attempt to diagnose, counsel, investigate, or provide clinical advice.

As quickly as possible, provide the approved crisis-response canned message.
Use calm, direct, and nonjudgmental language. Keep the interaction focused on connecting the user with qualified help rather than conducting an extended reference interview or attempting to provide counseling.
After providing the appropriate resources and encouraging immediate contact with qualified help, close the session.
Notify the designated Ask a Librarian contact and document the interaction in accordance with approved incident procedures. Include only the operational information required.

Customer Service Standards

General/Chat

Remain friendly, approachable, and responsive, and encourage users to ask for clarification.
Use the patron’s name when the patron has voluntarily provided it and when doing so feels appropriate. Do not require a patron to provide a name or use it in a way that feels scripted or intrusive.
Restate or summarize the question when necessary to confirm that you understand the patron’s information need.
Conduct an appropriate reference interview using relevant open-ended and clarifying questions.
Be patient with slow replies. Delays may result from connectivity problems, disability, use of assistive technology, language differences, limited typing or reading proficiency, multitasking, or other circumstances.
Use canned messages when helpful, but customize them so that they address the patron’s circumstances and do not sound dismissive or impersonal.
Demonstrate interest and empathy while maintaining professional boundaries. Appropriate responses may include: “I understand,” “Thank you for explaining,” or “That is an interesting question.”
Provide constructive feedback and progress updates during the search. During extended searches, update the user approximately every two to three minutes.
Do not use all capital letters. Use accessible formatting and emphasis sparingly.
Break long responses into readable sections, but avoid sending so many separate messages that the patron cannot easily follow the answer.
Use authoritative, relevant, and current sources whenever possible. Provide citations, links, resource titles, or explanations of the search process when helpful.
Help users evaluate authority, evidence, accuracy, currency, purpose, corroboration, and possible bias. Be alert to misinformation, disinformation, manipulated media, fabricated citations, and unverified claims. RUSA’s guidelines include source evaluation in response to the increasing presence of misinformation and disinformation. [ala.org]
Avoid terse, cold, blaming, or negative language such as “You should have” or “Why didn’t you?” Never imply that a patron should already have known the answer or resolved the situation without assistance.
Allow patrons to express frustration, but do not accept abuse, harassment, threats, or behavior that prevents effective service.
Never blame another staff member, library, institution, or vendor. Explain limitations factually and focus on possible solutions.
Explain search strategies when doing so will help the patron develop research, digital-literacy, or information-literacy skills.
Use Generative AI responsibly. AI tools may supplement brainstorming, research planning, information discovery, and reference service, but they must not replace the reference interview, professional librarian judgment, source evaluation, or authoritative resources. Verify AI-generated information before sharing or relying on it; do not use AI as the sole source for high-stakes information; do not enter patron information, account details, transcripts, research histories, or other confidential information into a public or unapproved AI service; and offer a reasonable non-AI option when one is available. ALA guidance states that AI use should have a clear public-service purpose, appropriate safeguards, preserved human judgment, and staff accountability. [ala.org], [ala.org]
Send a closing message before ending the chat and confirm that the patron understands the answer, referral, or next steps.

Texting (SMS)

Answer SMS messages when monitoring the collaborative queues as they appear in the chat dashboard.
When clarification is needed, provide useful general information with the clarifying question whenever possible.
Not all patrons have unlimited texting or reliable internet access. Keep responses concise and be mindful of the number and length of messages.
SMS messages should be answered within 12 hours of receipt.
Site Coordinators should configure an SMS autoresponse that notifies patrons when a text is received outside monitored hours.
A text-string time may be configured to separate questions from the same patron when they are submitted on different days.
When sharing a link, briefly identify the source and explain what the patron will find there.

Email

Email responses should be sent within 48 hours of the time the question was received.
Close a ticket when no further information is needed or when the patron has not responded within 72 hours. A patron will still be able to reply after the ticket is closed.
When transferring an email ticket to another library, add an internal note explaining the reason for the transfer, assistance already provided, and any commitments made to the patron.
Only claim a ticket if you intend to answer it. If you open a ticket but do not intend to answer it, unclaim it so other staff members know that it still requires attention.
Email responses should address the patron’s question directly and include appropriate citations, stable links, resource titles, contact information, or search strategies.
If additional research will delay the answer beyond the normal response target, send a brief status message when feasible.
Review all drafts for accuracy, tone, accessibility, confidentiality, and completeness before sending them.

Privacy

Ask a Librarian is committed to protecting personal information and the confidentiality of users’ inquiries.

Collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide service, conduct agreed follow-up, route a question, analyze service use, or meet applicable legal and operational requirements.
A name and email address may be requested when necessary for effective assistance or follow-up. However, patrons should be able to receive basic assistance without providing personally identifiable information whenever feasible.
Information such as educational level, intended use, or library of access may be requested when it is relevant to interpreting the question, identifying appropriate resources, or routing the request.
Personal information gathered before or during a transaction is confidential and should be used only for authorized service, assessment, security, records-management, or operational purposes.
Do not request, collect, retain, or share passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers, payment information, authentication codes, or other confidential credentials. Do not access an account using a patron’s credentials.
Limit the personal information included in transfers, internal notes, incident reports, and follow-up messages to what the receiving staff member needs.
Do not disclose patron questions, research interests, transcripts, account information, or identifying information outside authorized operations. [ala.org], [gpl.org]
Manage chat transcripts and ticket records according to applicable laws, institutional policies, records-retention schedules, contracts, and system settings.
Do not imply that an external website, database, or third-party service follows Ask a Librarian’s privacy practices. When relevant, remind patrons that external services operate under their own terms and privacy policies.
Springshare states that LibAnswers includes patron-data encryption and personally identifiable information scrubbing features and that Springshare does not share, sell, or distribute library or patron data. [springshare.com]

Communication

Refer to News and Announcement emails from the Ask a Librarian program for important information about holidays, service changes, training, software updates, and statewide procedures.
If you are unable to cover a scheduled shift, follow the coverage and escalation procedures provided under Staffing the collaborative desks.
Use Ask a Librarian marketing materials, including print materials such as bookmarks and notepads and online materials such as buttons, widgets, and logos, to promote the service.
Staff should contact the AAL Help Desk to report outdated knowledge base entries, broken links, recurring technical problems, inaccessible resources, misinformation trends, privacy concerns, and serious service incidents.
Participating libraries are encouraged to share effective canned messages, training resources, referral practices, accessibility improvements, and service innovations through approved collaborative channels.
Significant technology errors, fabricated citations, privacy incidents, discriminatory output, or other problems affecting patron service should be documented and reported through established channels.

Service Expectations