QuestionPoint members’ perspectives

As Chasing the Sun (CTS) crosses institutional and international boundaries it really is a prime example of how much cooperation and thinking outside the silo can achieve…The QuestionPoint software supplier, OCLC, has been very supportive and really sees a service such as CTS as a way toward a collaborative future…I think CTS has helped put Australian health libraries well on the map…[with] interest from other countries.

—Sue Rockliff, Senior Librarian, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Chasing the Sun is a joint after-hours reference service of Australian Health Services Libraries and the SWICE library service of the UK National Health Service. Created to answer urgent clinical reference questions, Chasing the Sun won the award for, “Best Information or Knowledge Team in the Public Sector” at the International Information Industry Awards in London.

As a public library, even as we’re told to do more with less money, we’re asked, “Why aren’t you open until 10pm? Why not midnight?” We serve more and more lifelong learners and virtual workers. People working from home, on the Internet and at all hours. QuestionPoint with 24/7 lets us bring reference to these clients. Now I tell people our library never closes…you just need to use a different door.

And when people come in through QuestionPoint, we don’t just answer their reference questions, but introduce them to local databases and other specialized, local library services. What starts with an e-mail or chat session ends up with them coming in, getting a library card and becoming clients.

—Nancy O’Neill, Principal Librarian Reference Services, Santa Monica Public Library

One of the best aspects of QuestionPoint is how much you get back compared to your library’s contribution. It would be impossible for us to staff our 24 public, five academic and two special library systems for the entire day, every day of the week. As part of this larger cooperative we can provide service during all possible hours, even though our libraries only need to staff a fraction of the time. This is a great deal, especially in times of tight budgets.

—Joe Thompson, Project Coordinator, Maryland AskUsNow!

With QuestionPoint, used in conjunction with FirstSearch, we can provide high-quality reference responses for just about anything.

—Penny Wolboldt, Warren Public Library, Warren, PA

QuestionPoint is a successful digital reference system. It’s stable and easy to use.

—Lili Luo, Peking University Library, Peking, China

Chat is an excellent solution for handling low-level enquiries where a quick response is needed.

—Andy Dodd, Birmingham University

At the University of Wolverhampton, students find our chat service easy-to-use. QuestionPoint chat enables us to give friendly, on-the-spot assistance with anything from renewals to referencing, databases to dissertations.

—Wendy Haynes, Resources Librarian, Virtual Reference Project, University of Wolverhampton