LibAnswers Best Practices

Frequently Asked Questions

A searchable knowledgebase of FAQs are available to users as part of our Ask A Librarian service. FAQ entries are managed in the LibAnswers system and are publicly accessible via:

• The FAQs feature on the Ask A Librarian page
• The library website main menu: Guides & Tools > Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Team

FAQs are managed by the FAQ Team, a small group of library staff that are responsible for entries in their respective areas:

• Randy — Reference & Research Services
• Sherise, Brian, Anders — Electronic Resources & Systems
• Annie R. — Special Collections & University Archives
• Jared — Access Services

The FAQ Team ensures the quality, currency, and usability of all published FAQ entries. See the FAQ Style Guide for more information.

Submit an FAQ for review

The FAQ Team encourages all library staff to submit ideas for new FAQs. FAQs and answers can be submitted via Slack or directly in LibAnswers. All submitted entries will be reviewed by the FAQ Team prior to publication on the Frequently Asked Questions web page.

Submit an FAQ via Slack

The FAQ Team maintains a public Slack channel #faqs.

1. Check to see if your idea already exists on the public FAQ page
2. Post a message in the #faqs channel that includes a draft of your question and answer
3. A member of the FAQ Team will follow up with you

If you are not already a member of #faqs, feel free to join the channel.

Submit an FAQ via LibAnswers

Library staff that are familiar with the backend of LibAnswers are encouraged to submit FAQ entries directly in the system.

1. Create an FAQ entry

There are a few ways to create an FAQ entry depending on where you are in the LibAnswers system:

• Create an FAQ entry from a ticket reply
• Create an FAQ entry from a Ref Analytics transaction
• Create an FAQ entry from scratch

1. Go to the menu option Answers > Create and click on the FAQ tab
2. In the Group field, select "FAQs for Review"
3. Enter the text of the FAQ's question in the Question field
   • Use the Helpful Tools box to search the knowledge base explorer for any duplicative draft/unpublished FAQs in the "FAQs for Review" group
   • Optionally, you can use the Details field to provide more context to the question
4. Click the Save Question and Continue button — this will create your FAQ and take you to the FAQ editor page where you can start adding content

2. Edit an FAQ entry

After creating the FAQ entry, you'll need to edit it to add an answer:

1. Under the FAQ's Answer tab, use the rich text editor to add and customize the text of your answer
2. Click the Save Answer Text button each time you want to save your changes

3. Submit an FAQ entry for review

Once you're satisfied with your FAQ entry, you'll need to update the status and submit it for review:

1. Update the status
   1. Click on the Change Status button at the bottom of your FAQ
   2. In the Current Status field, select Unpublished and click Save
2. Submit the entry to the FAQ Team
   1. Click on the Edit button at the top of your FAQ
   2. In the Owner field select the FAQ Team member best suited to review and publish your entry:
      • Randy — Reference & Research Services
      • Sherise, Brian, Anders — Electronic Resources & Systems
      • Annie R. — Special Collections & University Archives
      • Jared — Access Services
   3. Check the box to Send email to new owner and enter a short note in the text field (e.g. Elisa, I created this FAQ for your review. Let me know if you have any questions. –Anders)
   4. Click Save Changes — this will send the email notification to the the new owner

You will receive notice from an FAQ Team member once your entry has been reviewed/published.