A simple starting definition of digital/virtual reference is one quoted by Thomas Peters in Assessing Digital Library Services. Peters quotes a 1999 study by Janes, Carter and Memmott in which they define digital reference service as "a mechanism by which people can submit their questions and have them answered by a library staff member through some electronic means (e-mail, chat, Web forms, etc.), not in person or over the phone."
In Digital Reference Service in the New Millenium,Joseph Janes argues that regardless of the growth of commercial Q and A services, that the role of the librarian is largely the same as it has been - "...working with people to determine the nature of their information needs, identifying potentially valuable sources of information to help them satisfy their needs, evaluating those sources, and presenting them in a useful way." Nicholas Tomaiuolo reminds librarians that ultimately "The goal is to provide the same information, correctly verified and cited, that a traditional reference transaction should deliver." Suzanne Gray likewise sees digital reference as an outgrowth/extension of reference services, arguing that "Expanding services to accept the same range of questions accepted at a physical reference desk will enhance current services."
The ASU-West Remote Reference Team's charge was "to recommend a process or system for providing offsite reference service to ASU West students and other ASU West users."
Reference staff (faculty-status librarians, non-faculty librarians, and classified staff library assistants) want to increase the visibility and use of reference services by users and have identified off-site or remote access to reference desk staff as a way of enhancing our existing reference services.
Currently our library has no formal digital reference service. Individual librarian's e-mail addresses are available from the library's web-site, but as the ASU West Library - Reference Service Policy states, "At this time the Reference Desk does not offer e-mail reference." A centralized e-mail reference service can be used as an entry point into digital reference services. The Main campus does currently support an Ask a Librarian service (see the press release.)
Users have greater expectations of libraries today than ever before concerning rapid and quality access to information and service and remote reference services are being implemented by libraries around the world.
In our setting is instant service a goal? If yes, it it an achievable goal for this institution (given our staffing and resources, etc)?
Possibilities include e-mail reference, (real-time) chat reference, MOOs, MyLibrary interfaces, web contact center software, pushing of web pages, co-browsing, conferencing (video/audio), authentication, etc.
Ware, Howe and Scalese argue that the growth of virtual/online distance learning "poses a significant challenge to the delivery of library services." They note the success of online catalogs and databases but argue that "full evolution to virtual library services demands the addition of dynamic and interactive electronic reference services."
e-mail (ex. westrefdesk@asu.edu) distributed to subject liaisons
If we advertise a general e-mail address, however, there is the chance that users will use it instead of our standard form - which can result in less structured questions, etc.
Carter and Janes (in Assessing Digital Library Services) stress that "when designing a reference question intake form, librarians should consider not only what they will need to answer the question, but also what sort of automatic data analysis they may wish to do in the future."(265)
statistics: use of e-mail, chat (response time, etc)
Chat allows us to interact with users at their point of need
FAQ: scope
Policies: eligibility, response time,
Conferencing, chat/instant messaging, videoconferencing, authentication, MyLibrary Interface, (NC State, and U of WA), MOOs,
Make sure that question-answering policies, procedures, and services are clear in an accessible/obvious place on the library's web-site.
Our external policies should outline:
What audiences will be served (first priority to ASU students, faculty and staff)?
Will we provide these services to persons not affiliated with ASU?
If no, that is contrary to our existing reference philosopy. If yes, we will need to keep in mind that many of our licensed databases have restrictions against sharing full-text with non-affiliated users.
The scope of reference service provided (if we deem the question likely to involve a high degree of research time, will we direct the requestor to schedule a research appointment with the appropriate subject librarian?
The type of answers provided.
If we cannot determine that the requestor is ASU-affiliated will we be limited to using only free resources?
The expected turnaround time.
Should a response be sent to acknowledge receipt of the request?
Can we respond to non-English language questions>
The FAQ should summarize who to contact about problems accessing databases and connectivity problems.
Whether or not we will refer requestors who are not part of our audience to commercial sites or public libraries.
The importance of professional representation of the library. Regardless of the nature of the interaction, all of our interactions with users reflect on the library.
"The e-mail message represents the library."(Fishman 4)
How frequently we will check for questions
Forwarding of questions to other library staff for assistance.
Fishman reminds us that "Questions posed by e-mail can be forwarded in their entirety so that no detail becomes lost."
There is therefore no need to summarize/explain question to third party.
The Library will need:
An interactive form
The form should be as specific as possible - requiring users to indicate their affiliation, grade level, scope of their project, research conducted thus far, etc.
E-mail reference does not allow for a dialogue between requestor and librarian
We will need to do some question negotiation/clarification (which in e-mail reference will equal time delays).
Neutral Questions: What have you done/searched so far? Can you explain your interest in this topic? What can you tell me about this topic?
According to results summarized by Katherine Stacy-Bates "adding more elements to the e-mail reference form resulted in questions that were better defined and better suited to the particular e-mail reference service."
Sarah G. Wenzel and Lisa R. Horowitz, MIT Libraries
Bibliography: For VRD Presentation in Orlando, Nov. 2001
Assessment of existing service through survey... could include questions about overall user satisfaction, utility/usefulness of service, clarity of response including reading level and tone, thoroughness of the response, authority of the information (were full citations provided), response time, willingness of the user to recommend or reuse the service.
Thomas Peters. Champaign, IL : University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science
ISSN 0024-2594, OCLC# 46615969.
[Hayden Journals Z671.L7173]
Table of Contents: Introduction - Thomas Peters; Evaluating Digital Libraries for Teaching and Learning in Undergraduate Education: A Case Study of the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype (ADEPT) - Christine Borgman et al.; Unobtrusive Data Analysis of Digital Reference Questions and Service at the Internet Public Library: An Exploratory Study - David Carter and Joseph Janes; Bundles in the Wild: Managing Information to Solve Problems and Maintain Situation Awareness - Paul Gorman et al.; Digital Libraries and Their Challenges - Daniel Greenstein; Evaluating Digital Libraries: A Longitudinal and Multifaceted View - Gary Marchionini; Current Opportunities for the Effective Meta-Assessment of Online Reference Services - Thomas Peters; Digital Library Evaluation: Toward Evolution of Concepts - Tefko Saracevic; Project Ethnography: An Anthropological Approach - Michael Seadle
R. David Lankes. Building and Maintaining Internet Information Services: K-12 Digital Reference Services. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, 1998.
ISBN 0937597465. OCLC# 42962202, 40760823.
Chat Reference: A Guide to Setting Up a Real-Time Reference Service.
Jana Smith Ronan. Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Developing Reference Collections and Services in an Electronic Age: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians
Kay Ann Cassell. NY, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1999.
Anne Lipow and Steve Coffman. Berkeley, CA: Library Solutions Press
Module 1: A Workshop Using VRD (Virtual Reference Desk) Software; Module 2: Developing Your Service Policies; Module 3: Planning the Design and Content of Your Reference System; Appendices
This manual addresses: average length of transactions, confidentiality, system-wide scripting messages, scheduling/staffing issues, assessment of client satisfaction, establishment of service scope (what won't you answer), working with licensed databases if not authenticating users, etc.
Abels, Eileen. The E-mail Reference Interview. RQ 35:3(Spring 1996), 345-358.
American Library Association. Management of Reference Services Committee, Management and Operation of Public Services Section. Information Services Policy Manual: An Outline (Library Reference Services). RQ 34:2(1994), 167.
Boyer, J. Virtual Reference at North Carolina State: The First One Hundred Days. Information Technology and Libraries 20:3(), 122-128.
Bushallow-Wilber, Lara; De Vinney, Gemma and Fritz Whitcomb. Electronic Mail Reference Service: A Study. RQ 35(Spring 1996), 359-371.
Bristow, Ann. Academic Reference Service Over E-mail: An Update. College and Research Libraries News 53(Nov. 1992), 631-632+.
Bristow, Ann and Mary Buecheley. Academic Reference Service Over E-Mail: An Update. C&RL News 57:7 (July/Aug. 1995), 459-462.
Cervone, Frank and Doris Brown. Transforming Library Services to Support Distance Learning: Strategies Used by the Depaul University Libraries. C&RL News (Feb. 2001), 147-149.
Coffman, Steve. Reference as Others Do It. American Libraries 30:5(1999), 54-56.
Crowther, Karmen N.T. and Alan Wallace. Delivering Video-Streamed library Orientation on the Web: Technology for the Educational Setting. C&RL News (March 2001), 280-285.
Davenport, E.R. and R.N. Procter. The Situated Intermediary: Remote Advice Giving in a Distributed Reference Environment. Proceedings of the Eighteenth National Online Meeting Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 115-123.
Davenport, E. et al. Distributed Expertise: Remote Reference Service in a Metropolitan Area Network. The Electronic Library 15:4(), 271-278.
Dougherty, Richard M. Reference Around the Clock: Is It in Your Future? American Libraries 33:5(May 2002), 44,46.
Dougherty argues that virtual reference provides a tremendous opportunity for librarians to gain new users and supporters, but cautions the profession to concentrate on developing service capabilities instead of mere service availabilities.
Ferguson, Chris D. and Charles A. Bunge. The Shape of Servcies to Come: Values-Based Reference Services for the Largely Digital Library. College and Research Libraries 58 (May 1997), 260.
Fishman, Diane. Managing the Virtual Reference Desk: How to Plan an Effective Reference E-Mail System. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 17:1(Spring 1998), 1-11.
Based on "How to Manage a Virtual Reference Desk," presented at the Annual Meeting, Medical Library Association, Kansas City, MO. June 4, 1996.
Reports the experiences of the University of Maryland at Baltimore Health Sciences Library which has been providing e-mail reference since 1984.
Advantages: 24 hour access; reduced barriers; easy referral; option to build a Q&A database; new technology.
Challenges: Qs take longer to answer; no reference interview or nonverbal cues; administration; permanent record of transaction (privacy concerns).
Henderson, Tona. MOOving Towards a Virtual Reference Service. The Reference Librarian 41/42(1994), 173-184.
Simultanteously published in Librarians on the Internet: Impact on Reference Services, ed. by Robin Kinder. Haworth Press, 1994. 173-184.
Howard, E.H. and T.A. Jankowski. Reference Services via Electronic Mail. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 74(Oct. 1986), 300-304.
Hsieh-Yee, Ingrid. The Retrieval Power of Selected Search Engines: How Well Do They Address General Reference Questions and Subjects Questions. Reference Librarian 60(1998), 27-47.
Janes, Joseph and Charles R. McClure. The Web as a Reference Tool: Comparisons with Traditional Sources. Public Libraries 38(Jan/Feb 1999), 30-39.
Janes, Joseph; Carter, David and Patricia Memmott. Digital Reference Services in Academic Libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:2 (Winter 1999), 145-150.
The authors surveyed 150 academic libraries to determine which offered digital reference services. 67 were identified as offering digital reference services.
They defined digital reference service as "a mechanism by which people can submit their questions and have them answered by a library staff member through some electronic means (e-mail, chat, Web forms, etc.), not in person or over the phone."
Janes, Joseph. Digital Reference: Reference Librarians' Experiences and Attitudes. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 53:7(May 2002), 549-566.
Kaske, Neal K. Research on Digital Reference. portal: Libraries and the Academy 1:2(2001), 203-205.
Kasowitz, Abby; Bennett, Blythe; R. David Lankes. Quality Standards for Digital Reference Consortia. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:4(Summer 2000), 355-363.
Kautzman, A.M. Digital Impact: Reality, the Web, and the Changed Business of Reference. Searcher 7(Mar. 1999), 18-24.
Kibbeee, Jo; Ward, David and Wei Ma. Virtual Service, Real Data: Results of a Pilot Study. Reference Services Review 30:1(2002), 25-36.
Reports the experience of University of Illinois' real-time online reference pilot project (Spring 2001; using HumanClick's pro version).
Sessions limited to 15 minutes; transcript archive (using MS Access); information vs. instruction.
"These preliminary results suggest that demand for real-time online service follows the same usage patterns on-site/telephone service and does not necessitate re-thinking our staffing pattern, at least at this point."(31)
"Administratively, the biggest challenge was coordinating the traiing of all of the dieverse staff, and fitting the service into the regular workflow."(35)
Koyama, Janice Y. http://digiref.scenarios.issues. Reference & User Services Quarterly 38:1( ), 51-53.
Kresh, Diane. Digital Reference: Making it Work for You. American Library Association (June 2002).
Discusses the experiences of the Internet Public Library.
Lagace, Nettie. Establishing Online Reference Services in The Internet Public Library Handbook, ed. Joseph Janes. NY, NY: Neal-Schuman, 1999. 153-183.
Lankes, R. David. AskA's: Lessons Learned from K-12 Digital Reference Services. Reference & User Services Quarterly 38:1(1999), 63-71.
AskERIC, IPL, Ask Dr. Math, ScienceNet, Ask Shamu.
Lankes, R. David. The Birth Cries of Digital Reference: An Introduction to this Special Issue. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:4(Summer 2000), 352-354.
Lessick, Susan; Kjaer, Kathryn and Steve Clancy. Interactive Reference Service (IRS) at UC Irvine: Expanding Reference Service Beyond the Reference Desk.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/paperhtm/a10.html
Real-time, face-to-face, desktop videoconferencing by University of California, Irvine Science Library. Pilot service - "Interactive Reference Service" (IRS) - 1997.
Lewis, D.W. Traditional Reference is Dead, Now Let's Move on to Important Questions. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 21:1(),10-12.
Lipow, Anne. Serving the Remote User: Reference Services in the Digital Environment. Information Online & On Disc (Jan 1999), 106-126.
Lipow, Anne. Thinking Out Loud: Who Wil Give Reference Service in the Digital Environment? Reference and User Services Quarterly 37:2(1997), 125-129.
Mahony, Alan P. The Net and Reference Services: Capture the Question. Wilson Library Bulletin 69:2(1993), 12.
Mardikian, J. and M. Kesselman. Beyond the Desk: Enhanced Reference Staffing for the Electronic Library. Reference Services Review 23:1(), 22-23.
McGlamery, Susan and Steve Coffman. Moving Reference to the Web. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:4(Summer 2000), 380-386.
Meola, Marc and Sam Stormont. Real-Time Reference Service for the Remote User: From the Telephone and Electronic Mail to Internet Chat, Instant Messaging, and Collaborative Software. The Reference Librarian 67/68(), 29-40.
Simultaneously published in Library Outreach, Partnerships, and Distance Education: Reference Librarians at the Gateway, edited by Wendi Arant and Pixie Anne Mosley. Haworth Press, 2000.
Details the authors use of Microsoft NetMeeting at Temple University Libraries.
Morgan, Eric Lease. See You See A Librarian Final Report.
Philip's goal is to investigate ways to close the gap betwen the ease of using e-mail and other Web applications and the perceived obstacles of student use of an academic library.
The authors explore what is needed to establishing an electronic reference service - information technologies and organizational concerns.
"Wheter the service is viewed as a nuisance or as part of a library's pro-active role in its respective community is a matter of attitude, not of technology."
Ross, A.M.; Miller, L.G.; Corse, E.L.; and D.N. Butterworth. Electronic Access to Document Delivery and Reference Services. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 13(Winter 1994), 13-20.
Ryan, Sara. Reference Service for the Internet Community: A Case Study of the Internet Public Library Reference Division. Library and Information Science Research 18:3(), 241-259.
Schankman, Larry
Schilling-Eccles, K. and J.J. Harzbecker. The Use of Electronic Mail at the Reference Desk: IMpact of a Computer=Mediated Communication Technology on Librarian-Client Interactions. Medical Reference Services Quarterly 17(Winter 1998), 17-27.
Simeoneaux, Laverne et al. The Library and You: Curriculum Integrated Library Instruction via the WWW. Campus-Wide Information Systems 16:3(1999), 89-94.
Sloan, Bernie. Electronic Reference Services: Some Suggested Guidelines. Reference & User Services Quarterly 38:1(1998), 77-81.
Sloan, Bernie. Service Perspectives for the Digital Library: Remote Reference Services. Library Trends 47(Summer 1998), 117-143.
Also available at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~sloan/e-ref.html
Sloan, Bernie. Working Towards Some Suggested Guidelines.
Smith, Karin. Delivering Reference Services to Users Outside the Library. 1999 & Beyond: Partnerships & Paradigms. Sep. 6, 1999.
Comments on the use of NetMeeting (Microsoft) videoconferencing software.
Stacy-Bates, Kristine. Ready-Reference Resources and E-Mail Reference on Academic ARL Web Sites. Reference & User Services Quarterly 40:1(Fall 2000), 61-73.
Observations from Feb. 1999.
Considers title of services, steps from library homepage to service page, turnaround time, how questions are routed...
Stahl, Joan. 'Have a Question? Click Here': Electronic Reference at the National Museum of American Art. Art Documentation 17(Spring 1998), 10-12.
Still, Julie and F. Campbell. Librarian in a Box: The Use of Electronic Mail for Reference. Reference Services Review 21:1(), 15-18.
Stormont, S. Going Where the Users Are: Live Digital Reference. Information Technology and Libraries 20:3(), 129-144.
Straw, Joseph E. A Virtual Understanding: The Reference Interview and Question Negotiation in the Digital Age. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:4(Summer 2000), 376-379.
Sutton, S. Future Service Models and the Convergence of Functions: The Reference Librarian as Technician, Author, and Consultant. In The Roles of Reference Librarians: Today and Tomorrow, ed. K. Low. NY, NY: Hawthorn Press, 1996. 131-133.
Tenopir, Carol and Lisa Ennis. The Digital Reference Work of Academic Libraries. Online 22(July/Aug. 1998), 26-28.
Tenopir, Carol and Lisa Ennis. The Impact of Digital Reference on Librarians and Library Users. Online 22:6(1998), 85.
Tibbo, Helen R. Interviewing Techniques for Remote Reference: Electronic Versus Traditional Environments. The American Archivist 58(Summer 1995), 294-310.
The authors consider the problems of e-mail reference, such as anonymouse users and those who provide vague questions/minimal information. They encourage Aska managers to clearly and upfront state the service parameters to users, and remind librarians that the ultimate goal is to provide information equivalent (including citations) to that given at the physical reference desk.
Tomaiuolo, Nicholas. Aska and You May Receive: Commerical Reference Services on the Web. Searcher 8:5 (May 2000), 56-62.
Tomer, L. Christopher. MIME and Electronic Reference Services. The Reference Librarian 41/42(1994), 347-373.
Viles, Ann. The Virtual Reference Interview: Equivalencies. A Discussion Proposal. Paper distributed at the IFLA Discussion Group on Reference Work, Bangkok, 1999.
Simultaneously published as Reference Services for the Adult Learner: Challenging Issues for the Traditional and Technological Era, ed. Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah. Haworth Press, 2000. 171-179.
The authors discuss the "Telebase Help Desk service."
Weise, F.O. and M. Borgendale. EARS: Electronic Access to Reference Service. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 74(Jan. 1986), 41-44.
Wilson, Myoung C. Evolution or Entropy? Changing Reference/Suer Culture and the Future of Reference Librarians. Reference & User Services Quarterly 39:4(Summer 2000), 387-390.
Wilson argues that "the advance of information technology, particularly the Internet, has altered the values, attitudes, and beliefs of contemporary library users and, as a consequence, the microculture of library users." She concludes that libraries must alter their reference service philosophies in order to provide "optimum services appropriate for the Information Age." Wilson discusses the limitations of the physcial reference desk, the relative decrease in the amount of questions posed at the desk, and considers the importance of user convenience/preference.
Zumalt, Joseph R. and Robert W. Pasicznyuk. The Internet and Reference Services: A Real-World Test of Internet Utility. Reference & User Services Quarterly 38:2(1998), 165-172.
"The AskA+ Locator is a database of high-quality "AskA" services designed to link students, teachers, parents and other K-12 community members with experts on the Internet."
Compiled and maintained by Gerry McKiernan (Iowa State University Library), is a categorized listing of libraries that offer real-time Library reference or information services using chat software, live interactive communications utilities, call center management software, customer interaction management software, Web contact center software, bulletin board services, interactive customer assistance system, or related Internet technologies.
' The article summarizes the ability of this "real-time text interface" to "push" pages and gather statistical data and notes that LivePerson requires no software installation
Depending on whether we decide it is both necessary and worth the investment (time and resources) to pursue any sort of service beyond a centralized e-mail account (example: westrefdesk@asu.edu) we may not need to use any software beyond what we currently use for e-mail (Microsoft Outlook).
Sotware options: Customer-interaction software, Web contact center software, etc.
Notes that many libraries were not technologically equipped to handle videoconferencing in the mid/late 1990s due to poor bandwidth and inconsistent video/audio.
