HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04012014 - C.50RECOMMENDATION(S):
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the submission of an application from the Library to the 2014 National Association of
Counties' (NACo) Achievement Awards for LiveChat, the Contra Costa County online customer chat service.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The entry fee is $60 for each submittal. Contra Costa County Library is submitting one program for consideration.
The entry fee is paid out of the County Administrator's Office budget.
BACKGROUND:
In March, the National Association of Counties (NACo) invited counties to enter their 2014 Achievement Awards
competition. The program is intended to recognize innovative programs that modernize county government and
improve services to county residents. The deadline for entry is a postmark of March 31, 2014.
Awards are given in 21 categories including Libraries and Information Technology. To be eligible, the innovative
program must have become operational after January 1, 2009 and county officials and/or staff, as part of their official
duties, must have played a significant role in developing and implementing the program, with limited assistance from
outside technical experts and/or consultants. Eligible programs must offer a new service to county residents or fill
gaps in the availability of services and/or promote intergovernmental cooperation and coordination in addressing
shared problems. The Library proposes to submit the LiveChat online customer chat service for consideration for a
2014 NACo Achievement Award.
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 04/01/2014 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II
Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III
Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV
Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V
Supervisor
Contact: Cathy Sanford,
927-3201
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board
of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: April 1, 2014
David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: June McHuen, Deputy
cc:
C. 50
To:Board of Supervisors
From:David Twa, County Administrator
Date:April 1, 2014
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Library to Apply for the NACo 2014 Achievement Awards
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
Launched in February 2011, in coordination with County Administration, the Department of Information Technology,
and the Office of Communications and Media, LiveChat librarians help citizens quickly navigate government
departments and services online, connecting real-people with real-needs in real-time to the information they seek.
Whether they are looking for zoning information or to pay property taxes or find court forms or to report child or
elder abuse, library staff are able to quickly point visitors to the online information, department or service they need
to efficiently and effectively transact business with the county online.
The LiveChat service responds to 9,000 information requests annually and has helped in the redesign of the county
website, identifying popular services and frequently requested information to bring up to the homepage for easy
discovery. The Library works with other county departments to identify information and services that residents,
businesses and visitors are having difficulty finding and are asking about online.
The Library is uniquely positioned to provide the LiveChat information service for all county departments and to
tackle the shared problem all departments face in helping citizens locate county services online. On average each
LiveChat responder spend 27 minutes each work day, Monday through Friday, helping citizens with government
information requests. This is something librarians do every day when citizens come into the library or to the library
website to ask for help. By embedding the Library chat widget throughout the county website and all department
pages, the Library is able to come to the people, where and when they need help; and citizens are able to quickly
discover how their local library is ready and able and happy to help them find the local information, services and
resources they seek.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without a letter of authorization to submit an entry, a department will not be able to compete for a National
Association of Counties' 2014 Achievement Award.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
Not applicable.