Outline??

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???????????????- ??????????

• ????????
• ?? ?????
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• ????? ????

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Outline ??

• Trends in Reference and Library Service
  ?????????
• Impact of Internet ??????
• What is Digital Reference Service (DRS) ??????
• Quality of DRS DRS???
• Developments of DRS DRS ???
• Email ????
• Web Form ????
• Video Conferencing ????
• Ask-a-Service
• Real Time ??????
• Collaborative Digital Reference Service
  ?????????
• HKUSTs Experiences in CDRS ????????
• Commercial Services ????
• Now, What About Us?

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1. Trends in Reference and Library Service
?????????

• ARL Reference queries handled per librarian,
  6-15 dropped in 1998/99
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Reference statistics for all academic libraries
  10 decreased from
• 1994-1996
• Anne Lipow- Early signposts ??
• Decreased circulation statistics ?????
• Fewer walk-in users ???? ?
• Staff cant keep up ?????????
• Reference desk eliminated ?????
• Outsourcing on the rise ???
• Reduced Reference service hours ?????
• Search engines automated reference librarian
  ??????
• Need for large building and staff decreased
  ??????? ???????

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2. Impact of Internet ??????

• Strategies Group Survey 100 million or one half
  of all adults in U.S. use the Internet in 1999,
  54 ? from 1998
• M2 Press wire, November 21, 2000 380 million
  Internet users worldwide. China is adding 2
  million new subscribers a month. By July 2001,
  800 million
• Carol Temopir and Lisa Ennis (1998)
• In the digital age, the biggest change is
  increased user expectations. Increasingly, users
  expect to be able to find everything online,
  full-text. Technology lets us do much more, but
  it also increases expectations about what we can
  do ?????, ?????????????????
• A survey was conducted on 150 academic library
  web sites in 1999, 45 (67) survey libraries
  offered digital reference service

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3. What is Digital (Electronic, Virtual)
Reference Service? ??????

• Answering the questions of users via the Internet
• OR
• Internet-based Reference Service
• OR
• Ask-AN-Expert (AskA services) are
  Internet-based QA services that connect users
  with individuals who possess specialized subject
  or skill expertise. Current DRS offer 2 main
  types of expertise-subject matter (providing
  mostly factual information) and process
  (providing mostly resource referral and
  instruction). Virtual Reference Desk
• ??????, ???????. ???? ?????????

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4. Quality of DRS according to VRF DRS???

• Accessible- email or web-based query forms
  ?????
• Fast turnaround e.g. 100 within 1-2 working
  days ??
• Clear response policy ???????
• Interactive e.g. real-time reference interviews
  ???
• Instructive ???
• Authoritative ???
• Training to prepare experts ????
• Private ??
• Reviewed ????
• Publicize ???

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5. Developments of DRS DRS ???

• Email ????
• 1994 ALA Guidelines for Electronic Mail Reference
  Service
• -Describe the services offered ????
• -Types of questions handles, not handled
  ????????
• -Frequency the mailbox is checked ??????
• -Response time ????
• -Confidentiality ??
• -Priorities ????
• -Others how statistics are kept
• how service is evaluated
• ?? ???????????

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5. Developments of DRS

• Email ????
• Pros convenience and privacy
• Cons delay and no reference interview
• Email Reference Sites by Bernie Sloan

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5. Developments of DRS

• B) Web Forms ????
• Internet Public Library (IPL)
• Opened in 1995
• Hosted by University of Michigan School of
  Information, Dr. Joe James
• Over 10,000 patrons each day, receive 25-35
  questions a day
• Over 35,000 Internet resources, pathfinders, FARQ
• Patrons submit questions via web form or email,
  software system QRC, Quirk
• Staff and volunteers pick questions to answer,
  sent answers back via email, a few days gt 3 days
  
• Questions sent to archive, message tracking
  history ??, ??? ?

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5. Developments of DRS

• C) Video Conferencing UC Irvine ????
• Apple VideoPhone Kit
• - software
• - camera
• - microphone
• - color conferencing capability
• - fast connection to the Internet
• - Timbuktn program (a document sharing
  capability allowing the librarian to log into the
  same Medline session as the remote user)
• Audio, video, chat window, whiteboard
• Students comments excited about this
  high-tech, demand document delivery of full-text
  articles

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Developments of DRS

• D) Ask a Service
• Virtual Reference Desk VRD
• - sponsored by ERIC, US Dept of Education,
  supported from White House Office of
  Science Technology Policy
• - General information and K-12
• - Ask A consortium
• - Ask A Locator
• - VRD Learning Center

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Developments of DRS

• E) Real-time Reference Service ??????
• About 30 academic research libraries,
  government, public libraries
• They use 20 different real-time digital chatting
  software
• E.g. NOLA Regional Library System in Ohio, uses e
  share software on its AskUsquestions.com
• - 14 libraries participate
• - 25-30 Qs a week
• - an operator can handle up to 6 patrons at a
  time
• - staff can push pre-composed presentations
• Demo on Live Person
• Slide Show on Santa Monica Public Library- Ask Me
  !

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Developments of DRS

• F) Collaborative Digital Reference Service
  ?????????
• Initiated by Library of Congress
• Provides professional reference service to users
  anywhere, anytime, through an international
  digital network of libraries
• Include libraries, consortia, museums, Ask-a
  and Expert Services
• e.g. Cornell University, National Library of
  Canada, National Library of Australia, Harvard,
  Yale
• Three Pilot Phases starting Feb. 2000
• Resource Databases Member profiles (e.g. hours,
  collections, patron groups, staff strength)
  Knowledge Base of Q As.
• Conceptual Flow of Q A

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Developments of DRS

• G) HKUSTs Experience in CDRS ????????
• Reference Department - 6 Librarians and 3 support
  staff
• Our Reference Services
• -Reference Collection 13,000 volumes
• -Reference Counter open 76 hours/week
• -Answer by in person visit, by phone, by email,
  by web form
• -13 Librarians and 10 support staff
• -Reference Enquiry Statistics

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HKUSTs Experiences in CDRS

• Our Bibliographic Instruction
• - Provided 251 Classes to 6,818 Attendees in
  1999/2000
• - Developed Information Literacy Tutorial
• -16 Pathfinders, 50 Library Instruction Notes, 32
  Database
• Search Guides
• - Class Evaluation In a sample of 31 classes in
  1997-98,
• 95 participants recommended the classes to
  others
• Other services Electronic Information Service,
  Liaison with Schools, Collection Development,
  Library Committee

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HKUSTs Experiences in CDRS

• Participation in CDRS
• ? - Vague questions
• - Wrongly matched questions
• - Time spent
• - No reference interviews
• - Collection profile
• - Legal issues
• ? - Fun and challenging
• - Access to Q A database
• - Direct difficult questions to CDRS
• - Exposure to a wider variety of questions
• - Status

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Developments of DRS

• G) Commercial Services ????
• Ask Jeeves
• -7 million Qs with answers web resources
• -receives 2 million Qs a day
• Allexperts.com
• Information Please
• KnowPost
• Experts Exchange
• Infostry
• Webhelp.com
• -2.1 million visitors, a staff of 900 web
  wizards
• -subscription of US9.99 a month

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6. Now What About Us ?

• We need to
• Be Service-oriented
• Be Creative
• Advertise our strength free evaluated services
• Advertise our service
• Participate in DRS initiatives
• Form reference networks with other libraries or
  services

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References List of Websites

• References List of Websites