A Widget Goes a Long Way

Having a chat widget on your library website can draw in patrons when they need assistance. We have had the AskMN chat widget on the ELM website since July 2011. Since that installation we have seen a steady increase in questions being initiated via the widget rather than the chat form. In the past, when patrons were on the ELM website, we had a link to the AskMN service so patrons would click on the link which would take them to the AskMN website, http://www.askmn.org/. They would then need to click on the “Question on Any Topic” link or “College Research” link to ask their question and be connected with a librarian. Those steps would take the patron away from their point of need in order to ask a question. By adding the chat widget on the ELM website, we were able to eliminate the extra steps that took the patron on a journey to ask a question. In the interest of keeping the patron at their point of need, in August of 2012 we placed the AskMN widget within the ELM EBSCOhost databases, Gale’s PowerSearch databases, and ProQuest Newsstand Complete (accessible via http://www.elm4you.org/). On the same day the chat widget became available, patrons began using it. That was an indicator that we were reaching patrons at their point of need. Since then activity from chat widgets within the databases has grown. While I compile statistics for the AskMN FY14 Report, I have been intrigued by the growth of widget’s use. Currently, nearly 60% of all traffic for AskMN (via the AskMN and ELM websites, which does not include participating libraries usage) comes from the chat widget and almost 30% of all widget usage is from within an ELM database. The Minitex fiscal year ends on June 30, 2014. The AskMN FY14 report will follow soon after. As the AskMN service grows, we will continue to explore ways to identify usage and points of need to better reach patrons with intuitive technology and better connections to the information they seek.