Virtual Reference From Implementation to Appraisal

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Virtual ReferenceFrom Implementation to Appraisal
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Rise and Fall of the Reference Desk

• 20th century growth and expansion of library
  collections facilities
• development of reference practice sources,
  specialization in academic libraries
• Pre-Internet period reference librarian act as
  intermediaries
• organization of knowledge experts, understood
  classification and indexing, publishers
  formats, subject specialists, bibliographic
  instruction, reference collections
• Late 20th century transition
• electronic reference, database proliferation,
  research networks, communication technologies
• Internet the dawn of the 21st century
• new era of simplified access to information,
  eliminate the intermediaries, search engines for
  autonomous users, rapid response from desktop or
  mobile, digitalization and full-text searching
• Is face-to-face reference dying?
• Statistical decline, privatization,
  virtualization of services, changing
  expectations, Information ecologies
• Your thoughts??

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Live Virtual Reference Lets Chat

• Computer-mediated real-time reference service for
  remote users
• Timely, quick assistance in accessing and
  utilizing electronic resources
• Convenient, saves travel time, helps resolve
  basic barrier problems
• Personal service offered by friendly,
  knowledgeable people
• Not intrusive, comfort of anonymity
• Client-centred reference service for the techno
  literate
• Librarians present in the virtual world
• Not everyone agrees
• Chat not suited to a complex nuanced reference
  interactions
• VR software is clunky and unreliable
• Drain on limited staff resources, ongoing cost
• Underused, not enough traffic

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Virtual Reference Technology

• Chat reference software
• Web-based chat and pushing web pages
• Operator functions - sound alert, queue
  monitoring, pre-scripted messages and urls, call
  transfer
• Transcripts, surveys, reports
• Co-browsing of web, online catalogues, databases
• File sharing
• E-mail integration
• FAQs, Knowledge base
• Instant Messaging
• Basic chat and web page pushing
• IM aggregators
• VOIP
• Real-time conversation, webcam adds visual
  dimension
• Videoconferencing
• Complete audio video

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Virtual Reference in Academic Libraries

• Developed in large academic libraries from 2000
  onwards
• Propelled by early enthusiasts
• still in its infancy
• Survey of CARL libraries in 2004
• 18 of 27 CARL academic libraries had chat
  reference services
• 16 responses to survey
• 10 operating on their own, 6 operating in a
  consortium
• Extensive service hours average 40 hours for
  single libraries
• Marketed to students and faculty
• Financed largely from existing budgets
• Run by existing staff
• Staffing dominated by librarians
• CREPUQ Groupe de travail sur la référence à
  distance
• French language software

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Virtual Reference in Public Libraries

• Slower to penetrate, fewer early adopters
• Requires resources unavailable to many smaller
  libraries
• No clear target market
• Less autonomy in branch library systems
• Consortium model prevalent
• USA
• Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Montana, Ohio,
  Pennsylvania
• Canada
• British Columbia Ask Away
• Novanet
• Ask Ontario
• Toronto PL

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Virtual Reference at Concordia

• Pilot project initiated by a small working group
  in September 2003
• Service hours and librarian workload
• Choice of software and IT support
• Training
• Coordination and troubleshooting
• Promotion
• Evaluation
• Risks and rewards
• Less control in a virtual reference interaction
• Librarian stress comfort level
• VR software often problematic unstable
• Students like VR service
• More dynamic reference service
• Library management enthusiastic, public
  relations tool

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Virtual Reference Staffing

• Virtual Reference librarians
• Background and professional experience
• Keystone species of the information ecology
• Broad knowledge of information sources
• Develop good practice RUSA standards, research,
  collaboration
• Service commitment and motivation
• Staffing models
• Mixed staffing with triage
• Dedicated librarians
• Multiservice reference desk
• Part-timers, student librarians
• Pooling staff in a consortium
• Outsourcing

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Sustaining Virtual Reference

• Realignment of reference services
• Develop and promote virtual reference
• Rich and intuitive library web site
• Flexibility in staffing reference desk
• Librarians work as consultants
• Consortiums ??
• Administrative support
• Recognition of the training and workload
  implications
• Convincing IT staff to cooperate
• Formal coordination
• Promoting reference services
• Hiring and recruitment
• Pushing for better software

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Virtual Reference Service Implementation

• Service Planning
• Integrate with existing organizational
  responsibilities / New project team
• Identify librarians and staff / Reassign, Recruit
  and Hire / Outsource
• Choose software and organize IT support
• Maximize service hours
• Organize training and documentation
• Establish coordination and channels of
  communication
• Develop and publish service guidelines
• Tune in to VR developments and exchange
  information
• Clients
• Identify target populations
• Promote virtual service online and onsite
• Maintain quality of service
• Solicit and utilize feedback

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Virtual Reference Service Evaluation

• Measuring usage
• Number of calls, ratio of calls/ service hours
• Peek usage and low usage
• Length of calls
• User profiling
• Effectiveness of publicity
• Measuring user satisfaction
• User survey
• Transcript analysis
• Staff feedback
• Measuring quality of service
• User survey transcript analysis
• Live monitoring
• Overall
• Is usage growing, word-of-mouth happening ?
• Are staff properly trained engaged ?