Quality Team

Answerland’s Quality Team has provided best practices and tips for a quality reference experience, and recognized quality digital reference work.

Rubrics for Quality Interactions

Rubric for quality in chat reference

  1. A cheerful, welcoming tone
  2. A good reference interview (asking clarifying questions)
  3. Use of authoritative resources
  4. Good general communication skills
  5. Offering more help
  6. Gracefully concluding the chat transaction

Download the chat rubric reference card as a handy reminder.

Chat rubric reference card

Rubric for quality in email reference

  1. Answers should include a greeting
  2. A cheerful, welcoming tone
  3. Use of authoritative resources
  4. Good general communication skills
  5. Offering more help
  6. Sign with a signature that includes a name

Rubric for quality in text messaging reference

  1. A short answer, ideally no more than 160 characters. Longer answers that require a reference interview are also acceptable.
  2. In addition to an answer, the librarian’s message may include a brief web address to cite the source of the answer or to provide additional information.
  3. Sign with a first name in order to make a human connection with the patron.

Thank you to Answerland Quality Team members

  • Valerie Florez, Answerland volunteer
  • Heidi Senior, University of Portland
  • AR Renales, Answerland volunteer
  • Restarted and improved Answerland’s Mentor a Librarian program
    • Revive this past program and update it to support the current needs of Answerland librarians
  • Created best practices and tip sheets to support new and experienced Answerland staff
    • Corral and update existing best practices documentation, then create new documentation based on what Answerlanders want
  • Updated the Quality Team section of the Answerland website
    • Continue to revise the page to ensure it reflects current information and provides easy access to Answerland’s litany of quality-related resources
  • Generated tip sheet for giving Answerland feedback
    • Promote continuous improvement of Answerland reference transactions
  • Improved communication with Answerlanders about the Quality Team
    • Increase awareness among the Answerland group as to what the Quality Team is working on and how we can help Answerlanders with various quality-related questions and concerns
  • Recognized outstanding transcripts, Notable Transcript Awards
    • Continue the existing program to highlight and commend notable Answerland reference transactions
    • Continue documenting the notable transcripts on the Transcripts page as a training resource for Answerland librarians