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Institutional queues supplement the collaborative AskAway queue. They allow those staffing the provincial AskAway service to see and respond to questions coming from their institution first.
To see and work with students from their institution first, service providers should select both their institutional queue and the general AskAway queue when signing on for their shift (see this FAQ). If service providers are busy, questions from their institution will seamlessly roll-up to the collaborative service after 40 seconds for an AskAway colleague to pick-up.
LibraryH3lp institutional queues are not designed to act as a standalone service: they're not available when the AskAway service is closed (the current schedule and operating hours are available here), separate statistics on how many questions are answered via the institutional queues are not captured, and those staffing only their institutional queues are not connected to their AskAway colleagues to arrange transfers or consult on questions.
For additional support for students, an institution may choose to staff their institutional queue in addition to their shifts on the collaborative service. These shifts do not count towards AskAway staffing commitments. If you require coverage for shifts staffing your institutional queue (but not the collaborative AskAway service) please communicate with your local coordinator or other service providers internally.