Online Reference with Flexible Staffing Options
Go 24/7 with Tutor.com's Librarians By Request™
It has been said, "Only librarians like to search—everyone else wants to find." You can help your users find the information they need when and where they need it by offering them Ask A Librarian™ online reference service. Whether you provide your own staffing, use Tutor.com reference librarians or do a combination of both, Ask A Librarian provides your community with the quality reference service they expect from your library.
With Ask A Librarian, reference interaction takes place using online chat. Librarians and users can share websites and print materials in a secure, stable environment. Our on demand reporting tool helps you track the success of your online reference program and manage your schedule, if you choose. You can see how often the service is used, what types of questions are asked, the most popular days and even hours—the information you need to evaluate your reference services rather than just tallying statistics.
Staffing Your Online Reference Service
Ask A Librarian gives you the flexibility to offer the type of online reference program that best suits the needs of your community. No matter whether you use your own staff, collaborate with other libraries for coverage or use Tutor.com's acclaimed Librarians By Request™ service, you can monitor the quality of responses to ensure your users are receiving the level of reference service that's important to you. Even better, our options help you implement a 24/7 service, which research shows has the greatest likelihood of success.
Your Staff
Manage your program completely in-house, staffing the hours important to your community using only your own staff.
Collaborative Staffing
Extend your hours and control costs by working with a group of libraries and librarians—a popular option for public libraries and consortia.
Mixed Staffing
Subscribe to librarian services from Tutor.com's Librarians By Request™ and offer patrons 24/7 access and/or online reference service in Spanish.
Our Staff
Subscribe to Ask A Librarian Express™ and Tutor.com will staff your online reference program 24/7. No software license or training is required and your program can be launched in a matter of weeks. Our librarians are an extension of your library staff, trained on your local resources.