Ask Why KY?

What is Ask Why KY?

Ask Why KY is a service available to residents of Kentucky to answer your questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is staffed by experienced librarians who can help you find the information you need.

Does the service cost anything? Are there any "after hours" charges?

No. As a patron of Kentucky libraries, the service is always free no matter when you use it.

How does the Ask Why KY service work?

When you click the link the talk to a librarian now, a form pops up asking for some basic information such as your home library and the question you have. This helps the librarian on the other end find an answer for you. When you click "submit," a program starts that connects you to a librarian in a "chat" session. You can "talk" to a librarian by typing in what you want to say and sending it. The librarian responds in the same way. The program also allows the librarian to show you webpages to help you with your question. The webpages show up on your screen where you can use them. More detailed help on how to use this service is available.

Will I get a librarian from my own library?

Not necessarily. Many Kentucky libraries are involved in providing the Ask Why KY service. The librarians take turns monitoring and answering the questions coming in. Each library is assigned specific days every month to answer the questions.

If this is a service of Kentucky libraries, why was my question answered by someone in Maryland?

Many libraries around the country want to offer this type of 24/7 service to their patrons, but find it almost impossible to do this by themselves. These libraries have joined together to help each other out. That's why there is a person on the other end of the line to answer your question, even when your local library is closed.

I asked my question and started the chat connection, but nothing happened. What's going on?

It takes a minute or so for the computers to connect up. It depends on how quickly or slowly the Internet is running at the time you logon. There is a librarian available who will answer your question, just be patient. He or she will respond as quickly as they are able.

I started the chat connection and waited, but nothing happened. I waited a long time, why didn't it work?

The problem may be the Internet program on your computer. The service works best with Internet Explorer. It mostly works with Netscape, but doesn't work at all with Mozilla, AOL or WebTV. If you're using Internet Explorer, check your settings. It may be a setting in the program causing the problem.

The chat program is moving so slowly today! I need an answer soon, but I don't have time to wait for the computer to catch up. What do I do?

Simply send the librarian all the information you can about your question, your deadline for having an answer and your email address, then close the connection. The librarian will find your answer and send it to your email.

Everything was going along fine until I tried to print (or bookmark) the website the librarian was showing me, then everything stopped working. What happened?

Trying to print or bookmark a website during an Ask Why KY chat connection will cause a disconnect. The program that makes the connection possible simply can't handle printing or bookmarking.

If I can't print or bookmark the websites the librarian is showing me, how will I get back to them later?

If you provide an email address, either at the beginning of the chat connection or at the end, you will be sent a copy of the transcript. The transcript contains everything you and the librarian said, as well as the addresses for every website the librarian showed you. You can copy the addresses out of the transcript, paste them into the address bar of your Internet program, and go back to any one of the websites you saw. More help on how to do this is available.

If I give you my email address, what do you do with it?

Your email address is only used to send you a copy of the transcript and/or additional information that answers your question. No personal information is ever given out. For more information, read our complete privacy policy.

My connection crashed. What now?

If you provided an email address, a librarian will contact you. If not, the librarian has no way to reach you. All you can do is to try again. More information is available on what may have caused the disconnect.