Milestones

July 2011

• 21 public libraries and 12 colleges trained and ready to start the Fall 2011 service

June 2011

• Jan Dawson steps into role as Project Manager

January 2011

• 70,000th question answered! (60,000 for askON and ONdemande, 10,000 for 4ReSrch)
• 867 askON info pros on staff

January 2011

• 7 new public libraries added to askON and ONdemande
• 6 new askON interns trained

November 2010

• 24 new askON interns trained

• 14 new askON interns trained; bringing our pool to over 30.

• Over 25,000 sessions held in 2009
• Over 13,000 sessions held between Sept. 09 and Dec. 09; up from 8,000 for the
  same period in 2008.

• askON CALL pilot to add voice to chat reference is launched
• Six Nations Public Library becomes an askON partner
• askON launches virtual training curriculum for staff, interns and partners
  

• askON partners with OLSN’s Virtual Online Community Library to provide virtual reference services to remote Ontario communities
• Dryden Public Library’s participation allows askON to extend public service hours to 9:30pmEST (Tues/Thurs)
• askON partnership with Pathways to Education (Ottawa) launched

September 2009

• askON returns to full service with increased hours and more than 20 new library partners, including the University of Toronto Libraries
• Dedicated college and university service begins

• Training workshops for partner site coordinators launch the training program for 150+ new askON staff
  

• First iSchool interns begin their askON training program 

• New askON partners identified for Fall launch
• Participation of several northern francophone communities (Hearst, Val Rity-Hardy, Moonbeam) allows ONdemande service hours to increase

April 2009

• Volunteer opportunity: iSchool reference students and recent graduates
• Ask Ontario Assembles Northern Advisory Group

December 2008

• KO’s inaugural Annual Report 2007/2008 released!
• Ottawa Public Library joins askON

June 2008

• Look who’s chatting now…
• Real-time information and research services branch out across Ontario’s public and post-secondary libraries!

April 2008

• askON adding new libraries for September!

February, 2008

• askON official website is up and running, log on and take a look around!
• askON Live Chat service is running now, try it!

January 2008

• Minister of Culture to launch askON library chat-based research service
• Service launched

November 2007

• Training starts

October 2007

• Service name selected– askON, ONdemande
• Technology selected – LivePerson
• Portal development and information templates
• Training framework developed; training plans
• Service Guidelines, Policies, Procedures drafted
• Initial site visits

September 2007

• 4ReSrch pilot launched
• RFP for technology issued
• Pilot sites selected
• Tentative schedule drafted
• Statement of shared understanding

August 2007

• Task force meetings continue
• Summit to determine vision and direction

June 2007

• Project coordinator hired Task Forces struck

May 2007

• Approval / Begin planning pilot project

January - April 2007

• Sector assessment
• Survey and sponsored research projects
• Focus groups/presentations (OLA, GTA, Hamilton, Waterloo, Sudbury, Ottawa, Barrie, Kingston, Mississauga, Association of Medium Sized Public Libraries (AMPLO))

September 2006

• Project manager hired
• Environmental scan
• Other collaboratives (BC, Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, etc)
• Current research, writings, resources
• Explored technology options and challenges and identified other projects / potential partners

June 2006

• Steering committee struck

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