The QuestionPoint User Council (QPUC) was formed in the spring of 2007 as a successor to the Transition Task Force, which was formed at the time of the merger of QuestionPoint and 24/7 Reference. The mission of the QPUC is to:

1. Provide feedback to the QP team regarding strategic directions for QuestionPoint, especially as it relates to the environment of library virtual reference services;
2. Advise the QP Team regarding the software, including being a sounding board for new features;
3. Act as a liaison to the membership, including:
   -- assisting the QP Team to more effectively communicate with the QP community

          -- running user group meetings at conferences and assisting QP Team at virtual UG

             meetings

Use this link to submit your feedback to the Users Council.

 Nancy Huling, Chair

  University of Washington

          Nancy Huling has been Head of the Reference and Research Services Division in the University of Washington Libraries since 1993. The University of Washington Libraries joined the Library of Congress’ Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) in 2000, as one of the first 16 libraries involved in Pilot Phase 2 and participated in the beta testing of QuestionPoint. The University of Washington uses QuestionPoint for its major information and reference email service and is a member of the Washington State collaborative QuestionPoint group. Since January 2002, the University of Washington has offered chat reference in collaboration with Cornell University using 24/7 Reference services.

 Lisenka Akse

 Al@din (Netherlands)

          Lisenka Akse works as a project consultant for the Netherlands Public Library Association. She is involved with al@din the digital reference network of the Dutch public libraries, since 2002. She graduated as an information specialist/librarian in 1998 at the Haagse Hogeschool. After that she worked for Probiblio (a regional organisation for public libraries) and Expertisecentrum Laurens (a knowledge centre for public libraries about ICT).

 Stewart Bodner

 New York Public Library

           Stewart Bodnerhas been with the New York Public Library for thirty-five years. He is the Helen Bernstein Chief Librarian for Periodicals and Journals and the Associate Chief of the General Research Division. Stewart is a member of the Nylink Council and the OCLC Members Council where he currently chairs the Reference Services Interest Group.

As a member of QuestionPoint since 2000, the NYPL participates in electronic reference activities on a global scale. The Ask Librarians Online chat and email reference service allows anyone, regardless of location or affiliation, to gain access to the NYPL. The Library is especially interested in growing the local and global knowledge bases to assist future generations of researchers.

 Beth Cackowski

  QandANJ

 Laura Gottesman

  Library of Congress

 Bill Hansen

  US Army Armor School Research Library

          Bill Hansen is a native of New York and a graduate of Providence College with a BA in History. Additional education includes an MA from the University of Denver School of Librarianship and post-graduate work at the University of Kentucky in Educational Policy Analysis (ABD).

He was commissioned July 1970 and served in US and Germany and released from active duty March 1974, with the rank of 1st Lt. to attend the University of Denver. After graduate school he worked as a librarian at the John C. Hart Memorial Library in Shrub Oak NY, 1975-77. In March of 1977 he began his career at the Armor School Library.

Bill is a member of the State Advisory Council on Libraries appointed by Governor Paul Patton and a founding director of the Kentucky Library Network, Inc. He is a former member of the Kentucky Virtual Library Advisory Committee and Past President of the Virtual Library Users’ Group. Bill is the Group Administrator of the Defense Digital Library Research Service (DDLRS) project, a world wide digital reference service using OCLC’s QuestionPoint. He is a Paul Harris fellow of Rotary International and an Assistant Scoutmaster. He lives on a small farm in Breckinridge County where he and his wife Margaret raise beef cattle.

 Vince Mariner

  Ask Here PA (Pennsylvania)

 Erica Ryan

  AskNow (Australia)

          Erica Ryan is the service coordinator for AskNow (www.asknow.gov.au), a collaborative virtual reference service operated by National & State Libraries Australasia (www.nsla.org.au). She has held a variety of roles with the National Library of Australia since 1989 and is committed to providing quality end-user access to library collections.

Marilyn Parr

 Library of Congress

          Marilyn K. Parr is head of the Digital Reference Team and Public Service and Collections Access Officer for the Library of Congress. She has numerous years of reference experience with both the physical texts and virtual reference. Her academic interests involve the Early Republic and she regularly reviews books about the period and gives talks about the relevant Library of Congress holdings. Dr. Parr holds degrees from the University of Minnesota (BA), Unversity of Maryland (MLS), and Geroge Washington University (PhD).

 Mary Peterson

 Chasing the Sun (Australia-UK medical librarians) 

 Michele Pye

 AskAway (British Columbia)

          Michele Pye is the Co-Chair of the British Columbia public library virtual reference service, AskAway. A collaboration between public and post-secondary libraries, AskAway launched in October 2006 and has exceeded all initial targets, winning the 2007 British Columbia Library Association Merit Award and the 2007 BC Innovation Judges’ Award from the Educational Technology Users Group. As the Coordinator of the Virtual Library, Michele oversaw the Vancouver Public Library’s participation in the Library of Congress’ CDRS, the Library and Archives Canada’s Virtual Reference Canada, and VPL’s own successful virtual reference service—Homework Help and Find It Now. Having presented at conferences, including the Virtual Reference Desk, ALA, and BCLA, Michele also teaches ‘Information Retrieval Concepts and Practice’ at UBC’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies.

 Harriet Shalat

  New York Public Library

 Julie Strange

 MD AskUsNow (Maryland)

          Julie Strange is the Operations Supervisor for Maryland AskUsNow!, the statewide VR service in Maryland. AskUsNow! has been a participant in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative since January 2003 and is provided by 19 public library systems, 11 academic libraries and 3 special libraries including two law libraries and the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Julie sits on both the QuestionPoint Users Council (formerly the Transition Task Force) and the QuestionPoint Advisory Board. She is also a member of the American Library Association (ALA) Reference and Users Services (RUSA) Reference Services Section (RSS) Cooperative Reference Committee serving as a liaison to the Virtual Reference Committee until 2009.

A 2006 MLIS graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Julie previously worked as a reference librarian for the Humanities and Women’s Studies Libraries at Rutgers and as a research assistant with Dr. Marie Radford (Rutgers) and Dr. Silipigni Connaway (OCLC) on their research project, Seeking Synchronicity exploring customer satisfaction and virtual reference services.

 Joe Thompson

 MD AskUsNow (Maryland)

          Joe Thompson is the Statewide Project Coordinator of the Maryland AskUsNow! service, a participant in the 24/7 Reference Cooperative since January 2003. This localized service is provided by 19 public library systems, 5 academic libraries and the Maryland State Law Library. Marketing of the service has proven very successful, with over 30,000 live chat question sessions submitted to Maryland AskUsNow! in just the first year.

A 2001 MLS graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, Joe has worked in the role of reference librarian since 1997, when he began as a Library Associate at the Towson branch of BCPL. Beginning with the coordination of a pilot “Homework Help” project between two Maryland public library systems in 2001, Joe has now provided and managed virtual reference services for over three years. Joe has been a presenter at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference, ALA Annual, and the College of DuPage teleconference series.

 Joy Schwarz 

  Winnefox Library System, Oshkosh, Wisconsin