ManyAnswers has many answers

AnyQuestions.co.nz, the on-line realtime student helpdesk, can now support study 24/7 with the addition of the ManyAnswers database.

The AnyQuestions librarians are available as usual between 1.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. every weekday at www.anyquestions.co.nz. But since they have to sleep sometime, and people might have a burning question at 3.00 a.m. you can get answers any time you need them using ManyAnswers.

ManyAnswers is an extensive bi-lingual database of answers previously provided by the AnyQuestions team, including:

• What are carbon credits?

• How does parliament work in NZ?

• What can we find about Matariki?

• How do whales communicate with each other?

Students can search generally, or by letter or date, or click on tag clouds of keywords generated by librarians and by students themselves. The tag cloud can also be imported onto public library and school library websites to provide students with another access way to information.

Search results provide answers, keywords for further searches, links to related topics, and a search tip on how to get better results next time using a variety of tools.

“It’s exciting to see AnyQuestions develop like this,” says Services for Young NZers director Geraldine Howell.

“Now we provide an even more comprehensive, 24/7 accessible service to support kids’ learning.”

www.AnyQuestions.co.nz and www.manyanswers.co.nz are collaborative services funded by the MoE. They involve public libraries from Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Manukau, Waitakere, North Shore, Hamilton City, Dunedin, Rodney and Waimakariri, Timaru, Hurunui District, The Sir Edmund Hillary Library Papkura and the National Library.