Niagara College Canada

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About askON

Hours:
Monday-Thursday  11-10 p.m.
Friday-Sunday  11-5 p.m.

Chat live with askON and get help one-on-one help finding research and information.

askON is a live, chat-based information and research service offered by libraries in partnership with Knowledge Ontario.

askON delivers immediate, interactive, and knowledgeable research help to Ontario students. Get help with research for term papers, assignments and other academic projects. Library staff is available to chat in real-time and help you:

• formulate research topics
• find library and online resources on your topic
• select and access appropriate resources
• evaluate information sources

The askON chat reference service is staffed by participating post-secondary libraries around Ontario. You may be chatting with askON staff from a different institution/library. We accept questions from students and faculty at other Ontario universities and colleges but may, depending on the question and staff availability, refer you to your local library.

There is a short survey at the end of your session. Please provide us with your feedback so that we can enhance, expand and improve askON.

Wait Times

Because we would prefer to teach students, the librarian can only serve two students at a time. If the service is particularly busy, you may experience a longer wait time. You may also consider connecting later.

Ask a Librarian Policies

This service allows to you chat online with a librarian who will be able to answer questions, assist you with research, and point you to useful resources. The librarian will be able to send you webpages and demonstrate how to use various library resources. Certain restrictions will apply to licensed databases for non-students.

Level of Service

Chat reference sessions often take 15-20 minutes. In certain circumstances, you may be referred to another source or contact who has the required subject expertise. More complex questions may need to be discussed in person at your institution's library, but we will try to provide you with initial suggestions to get you started.

The chat reference service is primarily intended for the students, faculty, staff and affiliates of the participating post-secondary libraries. We will accept questions from students and faculty at other Ontario universities and colleges but we may, depending on the question and staff availability, refer you to your local library.

Privacy Statement

askON collects only the minimum amount of information from visitors necessary to provide effective service. At the end of your chat you can print a transcript of your session or request it by email. Your email address is not stored and will not be used for any other purpose.

Learn more at askON.ca.

Knowledge Ontario

KO Mission & Objectives

Our Mission:

Knowledge Ontario will provide Ontarians with the digital tools they need to build stronger, healthier communities.

Our Objectives:

• Maximizing a common base of digital resources freely available to all.
• Creating transformational access to local, provincial and national culture and heritage resources.
• Helping to develop a more competitive Ontario with an innovative edge.
• Enabling a stronger, more integrated and effective library system in Ontario.
• Offering students and teachers access to curriculum support and enrichment materials.
• Building a better knowledge economy.

Guilding Principles of Knowledge Ontario Digital Services Development

1. A sensible collection reflects a knowledgeable collections policy.
2. Libraries are a sensible infrastructure for mediating community access to licensed content, and Knowledge Ontario is well positioned to promote the creation and dissemination of free content.
3. Authentication and authorization mechanisms must be within reach of all Knowledge Ontario partners, regardless of available systems and systems expertise.
4. Knowledge Ontario partners will retain some level of branding even when providing access to remote content.
5. A digital collection must be accessible and discoverable to all of its target audiences.
6. Preservation is fundamentally a commitment rather than a technology.
7. The best digital collections play well with others.
8. Virtual Reference, digital collection building, and many other technology-fuelled initiatives have established enough of a track record to make the effort of identifying best practices worthwhile.
9. A framework of "social software" has emerged to facilitate communications and interactions with the communities served by Knowledge Ontario partners.
10. A URI/URL is your contract with the world, persistent and sensible web addresses are what gives you the ability to leverage the web to tell your stories.