| Patron Pages
To set up pages that your patron will use to enter the service there are both local considerations as well as the basic service considerations. Some libraries set up a page where the patron either directly enters a web form/email question or jumps directly into the chat service. Here's a link to a sample one I set up a while ago plus others: Some libraries have an "all encompassing here's all our reference service options to choose from" page. Such as UW-Milwaukee Regardless of your choice there are two elements that need to be set up for your patrons. A web form/email question form and a link to the live chat service. Live Chat Service Link This is the easy one. You simply need to create a specific URL that connects your patron to the 247Reference Live Chat service and at the same time identify your patron as coming from your library. Here's the steps:
Web form/Email Setting this up can be a bit more complex because there are many options. You might have noticed while looking over the links to the example pages above, you can have multiple entry boxes on the Web form. But since we're just trying to get you started we'll deal with the most basic. You can find out how to do all the options by studying the OCLC guidelines at: Because the Web form uses JavaScript and references directly to various OCLC servers there's specific coding that must be used in the web forms. In all honesty the fastest neatest easiest way to accomplish this is to simply "steal" the code of one of our colleagues web form sites and use it. Display the page, use view source, copy and paste the code needed. The simplest version of the colorful version is on my example web page: To perform this magic you need again one essential element. As above go to the IDs and URLs page to discover your Institution ID number. Then in the code you got from a colleague library or from the OCLC web site above, you need to insert your Institution ID number at the location in the code that looks like: <!-- Begin library hidden input field --> So you'll insert your Institution ID number where the "1" appears, or if you are copying code from another library replace their Institution ID number with yours. There's a whole lot of code so you might have to use your eagle eye to sift through it all to find that one specific spot. In general it's located more than 1/2 way through the lot. As usual if you are having problems contact Mark Beatty or your colleagues. There's a lot of experience among the Ask?Away librarians and they stand as your best first resource. Remember you can always ask questions at the Virt-Ref elist, which you should be subscribed to. If you are not please notify Mark Beatty. Send messages to: |
page design by Mark Beatty (WiLS), 2006