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New library service answers inquiring minds
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It’s three o’clock in the morning and you’re
awake, desperately racking your brain for the answer to a question
that could complete the ten-page paper due in the morning.
AnswerXpress could be the solution. Anyone who needs that last bit
of info for an essay, or for any questions keeping people awake at
night, answerXpress is there to help.
Through answerXpress, BSU students can receive free on-line
assistance from a librarian, 24/7. The service is even available
during holidays when most libraries are closed.
AnswerXpress can be found on the Albertson’s Library home
page, or at answerXpress.com. An e-mail address is required in case
the librarian needs more time to find the information; they can
just e-mail the answer later. A transcript of the session will be
sent to the users by e-mail.
“AnswerXpress is extremely convenient. People can sit in
their house wearing their pajamas and receive assistance from a
librarian as if they were there in the library,” said Elaine
Watson, reference librarian at Albertson’s Library.
Despite sophisticated software, the service is user friendly.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Web site, 65 percent
of users say answerXpress is “very easy,” and 25
percent say it is “easy.”
Albertson’s Library joined with Boise Public Library and Ada
Community Library to share thirty-six hours a week of on-line time,
putting local librarians in cyberspace. The 24/7 chat reference
company covers the remaining hours, which is a network of over 300
libraries across the U.S.
Of the shared thirty-six hours, Boise State librarians cover
thirteen, six of which are global. University libraries across the
world are available through the service, including England, New
Zealand and Australia.
A convenient tool called the escort button is available to the
librarians. The escort button enables librarians to plug into a
user’s computer so that whatever information the librarian
finds will show up on the user’s computer screen
simultaneously.
Albertson’s Library, Boise Public Library, and Ada Community
Library were granted money to fund AnswerXpress, as well as
computers, printers, and scanners for each of the libraries. The
funding ends in November; however, each library will continue to
fund it by themselves for an additional year.
Rachel Perez
News Reporter
