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Set up cooperative chat coverage

If your library wants to participate in Cooperative chat coverage:

Join a group in which group members provide cooperative chat coverage for each others' patrons.
Wait for the group administrator to activate your membership.
Set up your library's chat coverage in the group. Although you can join up-to-5 cooperative groups, you can select only one of them at a time as your chat coverage group.

Cooperative chat coverage

In cooperative chat coverage, chat session requests from patrons of other group members are not forwarded automatically to your library. One or more of your librarians must be monitoring chat requests, with group coverage turned on, in order to receive them.

At any particular time, group members who are monitoring chat requests respond to requests from patrons of group members who are not monitoring requests. To help the group plan this coverage, each member provides daily coverage information to indicate the times when it needs coverage and the times when it will provide coverage.

When you are monitoring chat, you see chat session requests from your patrons. And, unless you turn off group coverage, you also see chat session requests from patrons of other group members who are not currently monitoring chat.

When no one at your library is monitoring chat, group members who are monitoring chat see requests from your patrons, their patrons and patrons of other group members not monitoring chat. When a librarian in the group joins a session with a patron, others who are monitoring see that the session is covered.

Set up your library's chat coverage

To set up your library's chat coverage:

Go to the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen.
Verify the time zone information for your library.
Select a chat coverage group for your library.
Provide daily coverage information for your library.

For additional information, see Related topics.

Go to the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen

You set up your library's chat coverage on the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen. To go to that screen:

	Action	Result or Note
1	Log on to QuestionPoint using your administrator authorization number.
2	If the Administration module is not displayed, click Administration at the top of the screen.	The system displays the Institution Administration Home part of the Administration module.
3	Click the Cooperative Groups tab.	The system displays the My Cooperative Groups screen.
4	Click the Coverage link below the tab.	The system displays the Coverage for Web-Form Questions screen.
5	Click the Chat tab.	The system displays the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen.
6	Go to Verify the time zone information for your library.

Verify the time zone information for your library

In order for your coverage information to be combined correctly with the coverage information of other libraries in the group, the time zone information for your library must be correct.

To verify the time zone information on the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen:

	Action	Result or Note
1	Look at the Time Zone information in the Chat Coverage area of the screen. If it is not correct, go to the next step. If it is correct, go to Select a chat coverage group for your library.	Note: The Time Zone information is taken from your library's profile. If the information is correct, it will contain your time zone in relation to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), as if standard time is in effect for your time zone. For example, the U.S. Eastern Time Zone is (GMT -5) and the U.S. Pacific Time Zone is (GMT -8). The information will contain an asterisk (*) if your location observes daylight saving time or no asterisk if it does not.
2	Click Profile at the top of the screen.	The system displays the Profile module.
3	Click the Inst Info link under the Institution Services tab.	The system displays the Institution Infomation screen.
4	In the Time Zone drop-down list box, select the time zone for your library.	Note: Select your time zone in relation to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), as if standard time is in effect for your time zone. For example, the U.S. Eastern Time Zone is (GMT -5) and the U.S. Pacific Time Zone is (GMT -8).
5	For Do you observe daylight savings in your area?, click Yes if you do observe daylight saving time or No if you do not.
6	Click the Save button.	The system redisplays the Institution Infomation screen.
7	Click Administration at the top of the screen.	The system displays the Institution Administration Home part of the Administration module.
8	Click the Cooperative Groups tab.	The system displays the My Cooperative Groups screen.
9	Click the Coverage link below the tab.	The system displays the Coverage for Web-Form Questions screen.
10	Click the Chat tab.	The system displays the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen.
11	Go to Select a chat coverage group for your library.

Select a chat coverage group for your library

To select a chat coverage group on the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen:

	Action	Result or Note
1	In the Select Group drop-down list, select the group and click the Select Group button.
2	If you want to view information about the group's coverage, click the View Group Week button. Otherwise, go to step 4.	The system displays the Group Weekly Coverage screen in a separate window.
3	Follow the instructions on the screen to view the information and then close the window.
4	If you want to select a different group, repeat steps 1-3. Otherwise, go to Provide daily coverage information for your library.	Note: Before you can select a different group, you must join the group and the group administrator must activate your membership.

Provide daily coverage information for your library

The system does not use daily coverage information to control chat coverage. At any particular time, group members who are monitoring chat requests respond to requests from patrons of group members who are not monitoring requests. However, to help all group members plan this coverage, you should provide daily coverage information to indicate the times when your library needs coverage and the times when it will provide coverage.

To provide daily coverage information on the Cooperative Chat Coverage screen:

	Action	Result or Note
1	In the View Day drop-down list, select a day of the week and click the View Day button.
2	For each time period listed for the day, select one of the following buttons: Select to indicate that your library does not plan to provide or need chat coverage. Select to indicate that your library plans to provide chat coverage. Select to indicate that your library plans to need chat coverage.
3	Click the Save button.
4	To provide coverage information for another day, repeat steps 1-3. Otherwise, go to step 5.
5	Click View Institution Week.	The system displays the Instutution's Weekly Coverage screen in a separate window.
6	Follow the instructions on the screen to view the information to decide if it is correct. Then close the window.
7	If you want to change any coverage information, repeat steps 1-6. Otherwise, stop. The task is complete.