Research Assistance via Chat
General Comments
The East Central Library provides assistance to library patrons through in person, telephone, email and chat options. Chat service provides an additional way for users to contact trained library staff for help in using ECC Library and its resources.
Responsibility for Software and Training
The Director of Library Services is responsible for selection of chat software, set up and training library staff in its use. Third party chat service may be used for additional hours of service
Guidelines
A chat provider is used for software and trained library staff are available many hours a week to respond.
Chat is available to all ECC Library users including students, faculty, staff and established community patrons.
Chat sessions should not exceed 20 minutes.
Chat is available through the library website, and embedded in Archway catalog, EBSCOhost results list and an option for Moodle.
Questions best suited for Chat service include:
Questions NOT suited for chat Service include:
Simultaneous Chats
Occasionally you may be answering more than one chat at a time. Tell the second chat with another chat and to please hold for a minute. If you believe it will be longer you can ask them to wait, come back to chat later, stop by physically, call or e-mail.
Schedule
Director of Library Services will set the staff chat schedule. Library H3lp is a multiuser queue system, more than one person can be logged in to answer a call. Ideally, chat will be available all hours the Library is physically open. Availability may be limited depending on staff schedules; however they may be revised depending on time of year and demand.
Third party chat answer service may be used for additional hours of service.
Etiquette
Do Not
Angry Users
Library H3lp
Library H3lp is the current provider (July 2017) of the chat software.
Chatstaff is the third party chat answer service (July 2107)
Hours of service are: Saturday 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday 10 am – Monday 8 am
Monday 5 pm – Tuesday 8 am
Tuesday 5 pm – Wednesday 8 am
Wednesday 5 pm – Thursday 8 am
Thursday 5 pm – Friday 8 am
Friday 5 pm – Friday midnight
Research Assistance via E-mail
General Comments
The East Central Library provides assistance to library patrons through in person, telephone, email and chat options.
Responsibility
The Director of Library Services is responsible for assigning library@eastcentral.edu to the library staff. Users may also contact library staff by their direct e-mail address.
Guidelines
E-mail provides an additional way for users to contact trained library staff for help in using the Library and its resources.
A general e-mail account, library@eastcentral.edu, is overseen by professional staff of the Library
E-mail is available to all ECC Library users includes students, faculty, staff and established community patrons.
Questions best suited for e-mail service include:
E-mail from outside of eastcentral.edu domain
Occasionally users may e-mail you from an address outside of the eastcentral.edu domain. You may respond to this e-mail but need to verify information before responding about specific to a personal account or library materials.
Schedule
Director may reassign responsibility on an as needed basis.
Etiquette
Do Not
Angry Users – bring to attention of Director, if needing to response in time, please