Vancouver Public Library launches Just Ask! online chat service

by Michelle da Silva on September 19th, 2011 at 2:20 PM

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The Vancouver Public Library and a number of other libraries across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, and Sunshine Coast launched a new online service called Just Ask! on Monday (September 19).

Just Ask! is a chat-based service that allows users to talk to librarians and ask questions in real-time. The free service is available on library websites from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Mondays to Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

A chat-based service was previously available at libraries across B.C. starting in 2006; however, the government-funded service was closed in June 2010. Just Ask! was created by library staff associated with Public Library InterLINK, a federation of 18 libraries, to restore the chat-based service.

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