Springshare Products at UCI Libraries

To access the backend of LibAnswers go to
https://uci.libanswers.com/.
Login with your regular LibApps login/password (what you use for LibGuides, Appointments, LibInsight). 

To access the Tickets created by patrons or other librarians:

1. Click on the Answers dropdown menu
2. Select Tickets

When/Why will an LA assign a ticket to a librarian or functional expert?

1. The question needs subject expertise, no matter the status of the patron.
   • In Chat, the librarian helping the patron may have already created a ticket
     • Anna, Irene, and Kimberly (GML LAs) will see these tickets and determine the next best steps
   • The patron submitted a ticket directly (our “Email” service)
     • Anna, Irene, and Kimberly (GML LAs) will see these tickets and determine the next best steps
   • Chat transcript review of transcripts that were not turned into tickets by the librarian who helped the patron
     • Connor and Natalie (Ref LAs) review 24/7 Academic Cooperative answers to UCI chat questions and determine the next best steps
   • Maria (GML LA) reviews UC-answered questions (including UCI chat responses to UCI patrons)
     • Maria will assign any questions of concern to Cynthia, including all faculty questions and all graduate student questions
2. The question is asked by a UCI Faculty Member (self-identified on the question form).
   • All LAs (except Maria) determine the next best steps based on the process described below

Next Best Steps:

1. If the question may need subject expertise, no matter the status of the patron, the LA will:

   • Email the appropriate subject specialist/librarian

   • Ask the following questions

     • Are you available to answer this question?

     • Are you the appropriate person to answer this question?

       • They will usually provide a summary of the question or subject of the question in the email. They may also include the ticket number in the subject line as well as one or two keywords to describe the topic of the question. They may include the URL that links directly to the transcript in LibAnswers

   • If the librarian says “assign it to me, I’m available”

     • The LA will assign the ticket. 

     • The LA will Include in the Internal Note information like “Here is the ticket I emailed you about” 

   • If the librarian says “I’m not the best person to answer this question” and they provide another librarian/specialist, the LA will go back to the beginning of the process. 

   • If the LA is not sure who should respond, they will consult with Cynthia (if Cynthia is not available, they may consult with Antoinette or Becky Imamoto or another subject specialist)

2. If the question is from a UCI faculty member and it doesn’t need a specialist for follow-up  (example: VPN, do we own X and we do own it, account information, etc) the LA will:

   • Answer the question

   • Close the transcript

   • Send an internal note to the appropriate librarian, for example:

     • My internal note text is "This is an FYI that a faculty member in X Department used LibAnswers"

     • “Just a heads up that a faculty member in the X Department used our Ask a Librarian service."