QuestionPoint: a New Live 24/7 Online Reference Service

The Cuyamaca College Library has recently joined a 24/7 online reference coop called QuestionPoint, a service offered through OCLC (Online Computer Library Center). QuestionPoint is simple to use. Just go to the Cuyamaca College Library website and click on Ask a Librarian: Live 24/7 Online Reference. You will then be asked to fill out a form, before clicking on 'connect.' After that, a librarian from somewhere around the globe will pick up your request and proceed to conduct a live chat session to serve your information needs. Not only can QuestionPoint librarians answer your reference questions on the spot, they also have the ability to 'co-browse' the Internet with you. This means they will be able to show you specific websites and subscription databases, as well as how to use them. Through this feature, you will also have the ability to share Internet resources with remote librarians. For example, Cuyamaca College library users can log in to locally-owned subscription databases, eReference books, and eBooks. From there, the remote librarian will be able to jump in and conduct a mini-lesson on how to use any of these sources. QuestionPoint librarians will also have access to our policy page to help with questions specifically pertaining to the Cuyamaca College Library. Questions that can't completely be answered by remote librarians will be forwarded to a Cuyamaca librarian for follow-up.

This pilot project is being offered by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges Learning Resources Cooperative (SDICCCLRC), a consortium of libraries from nine colleges in the San Diego and Imperial Counties region. These libraries have traditionally shared media resources. Now librarians in this group are working together to monitor QuestionPoint for San Diego area users. After hours QuestionPoint's 24/7 cooperative will pick up reference requests. Most 24/7 librarians will answer questions from somewhere in the United States, but students will occasionally encounter a librarian from another country.

So give this service a try and let us know what you think!

Kari Wergeland

Finding a Specific Chapter in an eReference Book

Do you find yourself avoiding electronic books--just because it feels like too much of a hassle? It's not as bad as you think. Once you get used to poking through an eReference book, you might even come to appreciate some of the features it has to offer.

This is the first installment in a series of posts on how to use eReference books more effectively.

Let's take a look at Gale's The Sixties in America Reference Library edited by Tom and Sarah Pendergast.

1. Go to the Databases A to Z page, located on the Cuyamaca College Library website under ‘More Sources’.

2. Click on: The Sixties in America Reference Library (Note: if you are trying to access this book from a remote location, you must use your Cuyamaca College username and password).

3. You can now go to a specific a chapter. To do this, click on ‘eTable of Contents.’


4. Then click on your chosen chapter.


5. The contents of the chapter should appear on the screen.

eReference is the Wave of the Future

The other day a sales representative for several publishing companies dropped by my office so I could preview some new titles. The first thing he asked was if we were still purchasing hard copy books. When I said “Yes,” with a note of surprise in my voice, he told me that some libraries will no longer look at print materials for their reference collections. The Cuyamaca College Library is not ready to take this leap just yet. But we have invested in a number of eReference books, and they do have some advantages over print materials.

The first advantage is access. eReference books are available to our users 24/7—and some titles are automatically updated by the publisher for a set period of time, say...five years. So an eReference copy is often more up-to-date than a print copy. Of course these electronic resources are accompanied by all sorts of useful tools, such as an email feature that allows students to email articles to themselves. In addition, the entire text of these books is searchable by keyword, something impossible to do with a hard copy book. However, some find eReference books difficult to use, especially if they need to read for long periods of time. And eReference resources aren’t always user-friendly to folks who aren’t regular computer users.

Still, the writing is on the wall, er...in cyberspace. eReference is the wave of the future. Because of this, I have decided to present a series of articles on these books. Some will highlight specific titles, and some will offer tips on how to use eReference materials more efficiently. For now, take a look at what we’ve got on our Databases A to Z page, linked to the library website. Special note: if you are trying to access these databases from outside the library, you must use your campus username and password.

-Kari Wergeland

Library Welcomes New Interim Dean

Connie Elder has taken over the Interim Dean of Learning and Technology Resources position, recently vacated after Larry Sherwood retired this fall. She brings a wealth of experience to the LRC, including leadership, teaching, and technology know-how. Many will already recognize her as an well-known figure on campus. She has been a full-time instructor in the Computer and Information Science department for a number of years. Along with her regular teaching duties, she has served as the department coordinator. In addition, she was instrumental in helping the college obtain a $882,804 Institute for Telecommunications Technologies (IT2), National Science Foundation grant. Before joining the Cuyamaca College faculty, she served as the Interim Associate Dean for Instructional Computing Services at Grossmont College. Meanwhile, a search is underway to find a permanent replacement.