Library Based / Digital Reference Services

• Links to>>> Guidelines, Resources, Articles & Online Reference Services
• Links to>>> Software and Chat / Instant Messaging Technology Resources

According to a survey by the Urban Libraries Council, 75% of people who use the Internet also use libraries.

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• BACK TO>>> Reference Resources on the Net
• To>>> Reference Interview  training Resources
• To>>> Information Seeking  Behavior resources
• To>>> Marketing The Library resources (offering digital reference can be a "selling point")
• To>>> PDAs & Wireless technology  in Libraries (another access route to the Library)

Link on over to: "MyWebLibrarian.com" - an Illinois Live Reference Project
the page is nicely designed
www.myweblibrarian.com/

Find information about QuestionPoint.org
Quoted from the site:
http://www.questionpoint.org/
QuestionPoint is a collaborative reference service the Library of Congress and OCLC worked together to develop, with input from participating members of the Global Reference Network (a group of libraries and institutions worldwide that are committed to digital reference.)
Related:
Library of Congress Launches 'Live Chat' Reference Pilot
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2001/01-149.html
 LOC new "Chat service" begins June 24, 2002
http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/

Read Library Journal Net Connect Jan. 15, 2003 issue article:

Chat Reference Gets Marketing, Evaluation Tools
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA266424
Excerpt quoted from article:
Chat Reference Gets Marketing, Evaluation Tools 
Brian Kenney -- 1/15/2003
Departments > Briefings
Two new publications for chat reference providers are sure signs that the service is growing up. Virtual Reference Services: Marketing Guidelines will help librarians plan the service, while Statistics, Measures and Quality Standards for Assessing Digital Library Services is meant to improve the quality of digital reference services. 

The marketing guidelines are the result of a joint project of the King County Library System (KCLS), WA, and the University of Washington. Both libraries have chat reference services in place; KCLS implemented eAnswer in September 2000. "But as time went on, we became acutely aware of the need for marketing guidelines to direct the service," says Barbara Pitney, KCLS reference service coordinator. The State Library of Washington funded the project. Seattle's Girvin Strategic Branding & Design was hired to work with the libraries, the firm having recently completed rebranding KCLS. "We wanted to go beyond just fliers and posters," Pitney says. "We needed a strong foundation to build from."

The comprehensive guidelines extend from defining goals and objectives, identifying users, and creating a service description to branding, logo design, staffing considerations, and marketing. According to Pitney, the guidelines are adaptable to any library service, beyond virtual reference. 

The marketing guidelines are freely available through the Washington State Library's Virtual Reference Project (wlo.statelib.wa.gov/services/ vrs/index.cfm).

 Read complete article:
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA266424

Other articles of interest Library Journal - NetConnect

An LJ Round Table Live, Digital Reference
By Brian Kenney -- 10/1/2002
A close look at libraries' exciting new service 

Live, Digital Reference Marketplace
by Buff Hirko -- 10/15/2002

Live Reference: Too Much, Too Fast?
by Joe Janes -- 10/15/2002 [Contains a Digital Reference Glossary]

Article:
Instant messaging reference: how does it compare?
by: Christina M Desai
The Electronic Library
Volume: 21 Number: 1 Page: 21-30  2003
Read Abstract from the issue of The Electronic Library"

This article is not so much about Digital Reference, but of how
information is presented or made into a useful one stop Library Portal for our users

Library Portals: A Minority Report
by Howard Strauss -- 10/15/2002
Features > The Big Picture
Howard Strauss argues that library portals aren't a solution for libraries,
but librarians must lead the development of institutionwide portals .

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BOOKS:
Statistics, Measures and Quality Standards 
for Assessing Digital Library Services
The publication can be ordered for $25 at quartz.syr.edu/quality.

Chat Reference: A Guide to Live Virtual Reference Services
Jana Smith Ronan
ISBN: 1591580005
Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group
Format: Paperback, 250pp
Pub. Date: March 2003

Creating the Virtual Reference Service
ISBN: 1574400584
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: January 2003  Publisher: Primary Research

Starting and Operating Live Virtual Reference Services:
A how-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians
Marc Meola, Sam Stormont
ISBN: 1555704441
Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers
Format: Paperback, 150pp
Pub. Date: January 2002

Implementing Digital Reference Services: Setting Standards and Making It Real
by Fla.)/ Lankes, R. David Virtual Reference Desk Conference 2001 Orlando

Magazine:
Digital Reference Service Spd - Cd-rom [MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION] 
Issues:   4 issues/12 months 
Price:   $316.88 

Read:
Library Journal  Net Connect 10/15/2002 Issue
Live, Digital Reference Marketplace 
by Buff Hirko -- 10/15/2002 
Buff Hirko reports that products are undergoing rapid change, with improvements in functions and features 

Live Reference: Too Much, Too Fast? 
by Joe Janes -- 10/15/2002
Cover Story > 
Joe Janes takes a hard look at this new service 
 

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Article noted via The Informed Librarian:
Excerpt quoted from newsletter Sept. 2003
"Managing the Reference Desk Online"
Reference Services Review v. 31 (3) pp. 257-263  2003
 by Greg Sennema
Discusses how one academic library in Michigan dealt with the challenge of providing effective reference services in their library. The author outlines the creation and application of three web-based tools they implemented to deal with reference questions. These tools enable the librarians to offer quick answers to reference questions by email, to communicate well with each other between reference desk shifts, and to schedule shifts.

Search the Web Like a Pro 
Link Up Digital  July 1, 2003
 

Read Information Today Newsbreak story 
Volume 19, Issue 7 — July/August 2002
QuestionPoint Marks New Era in Virtual Reference 
by Barbara Quint 
http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb020610-1.htm

Information Technologies & Libraries (article references)
http://www.lita.org/ital/ital2003.html

Guest Editorial: Virtual Reference, Today and Tomorrow
Karen Ciccone
http://www.lita.org/ital/2003_editorial.html

Read the results of a government survey:

Help Me Please
The Changing Face of Customer Service in the Digital Age
Modalis Research Technologies 
 Abstract:
When it comes to service and support, the numbers don’t lie – customers are turning to the Web first. How is this affecting customer relationships? And more importantly, how can you deliver the right Web-based solution to meets these new demands? This fascinating look into the minds of "digital age" consumers will provide the insight and intelligence you need to build a top-flight Web-based customer service solution. 
http://www1.worldcom.com/us/products/webctr/demo/news.html#3

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"A Library that is not accessible out of business hours is of as little value as gold horded in a vault and withdrawn from circulation."
 Alexander Graham Bell
 (letter to Mabel Hubbard Bell, 17 November 1896)

Resources (Reference) for Information & Guidelines

• Electronic Resources
• Reference Resources
• Interlibrary Loan
• User Population
• Genealogy & History

Digital Reference Virtual Reference Desk
VRD.org

"The Virtual Reference Desk SM Project
is sponsored by the
U.S. Dept. of Education
with support from the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The Virtual Reference Desk SM Project is dedicated
to the advancement of digital reference
and the successful creation and operation
of human-mediated, Internet-based information services."

Dig_Ref Digital Reference Listserv
The Virtual Reference Desk (http://www.vrd.org) announces the DIG_REF
Listserv. DIG_REF is a forum for the growing number of people and
organizations answering the questions of users via the Internet. From
Ask-an-Expert (AskA) services to libraries, an increasing number of
organizations are creating digital reference services to provide expert
information and reference help.

Visit: Bernie Sloan’s Digital Reference Pages
www.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/bernie.htm

View / Read the VRD Conference Proceedings 2000

Resources & Information at "The Teaching Librarian"
Exploring the intersection of Reference Services, Technology & Instruction.

Suite 101
Digital Live Reference Resources

and read this article on Suite 101
Digital Reference Services: An Overview
Author: Gillian Davis
Published on: November 14, 2000

Full Text articles available Computers in Libraries 
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 4 — APRIL 2001 
http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr01/cilmag.htm
Distance Education and Virtual Reference: Where Are We Headed? 
The virtual reference guru talks about how distance education prompted the need for distance librarianship.
Then he explains what's happening today, and speculates about tomorrow. 
by Steve Coffman 
Our Experiment in Online, Real-Time Reference 
Following Steve Coffman's article is this story of an academic library that has started using virtual reference software. The author and her fellow staff members tried out a couple of packages, and she shares their experiences of testing and building a chat-based reference service. 
by Kelly Broughton 
 

A Registry of Real-Time Digital Reference Services
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/LiveRef.htm

See too:
Eric Digest article, November 2001, EDO-IR-2001-07
Trends and Issues in Digital Reference Services 
By : Abby S. Kasowitz 

Also read: on findarticles.com
Searcher Feb, 2001
Virtual Reference in Libraries: Remote Patrons Heading Your Way?
Author/s: Doris Small Helfer

Electronic and "Live" Reference Services

Join Yahoo Groups (formerly E-Groups) and the List Group created for those
involved with Live Reference
http://www.egroups.com/links/livereference

A Selected List of
Innovative Web Based Reference Services. 

RefDesk.com
Ask the Experts - Online Website Services

The OPAL Project
Online Personal Academic Librarian

Articles or Presentations:
**Note many of these sites may contain duplicate resources**

Virtual Reference Transactions: A Systematic Bibliography
John V. Richardson Jr., LSSI Presidential Scholar
vrhome.virtualreference.net/johnrbiblio.htm

Presentation
An Unobtrusive Evaluation of Online Real Time Library Reference Services
by Neal Kaske and Julie Arnold
for the Library Research Round Table, American Library Association,
Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 15, 2002
www.lib.umd.edu/groups/digref/kaskearnoldunobtrusive.html

LIRT News, September 2000. Volume 23, number 1.
Virtual Reference, A Hot New Idea for Extending Services to Remote Users
web.uflib.ufl.edu/instruct/LIRT/2000/schat.html WELCOME BACK ISSUES 

Digital Reference Services - A Bibliography
By Bernie Sloan
alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/digiref.html

Virtual Reference
A Resource List
http://www.ric.edu/library_intranet/virtualref.htm

Desperately Seeking - Helping Hands & Human Touch
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_11/hermans/

E-Reference: Closing in on 24/7 
www.pla.org/publications/technotes/technotes_ereference.html

The Impact of Digital Reference on Librarians and Library Users
ONLINE, v.22 n.6  November 1998
Carol Tenopir and Lisa Ennis
http://www.onlinemag.net/OL1998/tenopir11.html

Articles of interest (may not be availble online)
Going Prime Time with Live Chat Reference 
Computers in Libraries  v. 21 (8) Sept. 2001
Quoted from TOC of issue:
Here's the story of a library system that set up a live chat reference service. This group designed a pilot program and promoted it a little so as not to get an overwhelming response. Still, the Sunday-night pilot was so successful that it turned into a weeknight service that got positive attention from both press and peers alike. 
by Tara J. Hoag and Edana McCaffery Cichanowicz 

Quality Standards for Digital Reference Consortia
Reference & User Services Quarterly v. 39 (4) 2000  pp 355-363.
by Kasowitz, Abby, Blythe Bennett and R. David Lankes
Proposes a set of standards for measuring quality in digital reference services.

Virtual Reference Services: Directions and Agendas
Reference & User Services Quarterly v. 39 (4) 2000 pp 365-375
Looks at how ten large university libraries handle digital reference and examines issues libraries need to consider.

This issue of:
Reference Services Review
Volume 29 Number 3 2001 
has several articles of interest:

Developing a model to provide digital reference services 
    James A Stemper; John T Butler (pp. 172 - 189) 

 An analytical survey of chat reference services 
    Stephen Francoeur (pp. 189 - 204) 

 Live virtual reference: more work and more opportunity 
    Rory Patterson (pp. 204 - 210) 
 

LivePerson: Keeping Reference Alive and Clicking
Linda Eichler and Michael Halperin 
EContent, V.23 (3), pg. 63-66. June 2000 

Collaborative Digital Reference Services
In The News
www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/news.html

Thinking about Virtual Reference Settings
Internet Librarian 2001 Presentation
library.csun.edu/llampert/internetlib.html

PROVIDING INTERNET REFERENCE SERVICE FOR THE 
NEW ZEALAND DIGITAL LIBRARY: 
Gaining Insight into the User Base for A Digital Library
Sally Jo Cunningham 

Reference Services Online 
http://www.si.umich.edu/libhelp/E-RefServices.htm

Internet Librarian:
Column for November 2000 
The Distributed Librarian:
Live, Online, Real-Time Reference

Our Experiment in Online, Real-Time Reference 
Computers in Libraries 21(4), April 2001

Sunday Night Live!—An Experiment in Real Time Reference Chat—
on a Shoestring Budget 
Edana M. Cichanowicz
The Charleston Advisor 2(4) April 2001

Offering High Quality Reference Service on the Web
D-Lib Magazine
June 2000
Volume 6 Number 6

The shape of e-reference
N. Oder
Library Journal 126(2): 46-50 2001. 

"AskA" Electronic Reference: Strategies for Creating Effective Query Services
http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/aw2k/papers/richardson/paper.html
Abstract
Many organisations conventionally offer face-to-face assistance to their clientele 
at an "Information Desk". This service has been adapted to the Web 
in part via a form-based service commonly called
"Ask A . . .". 
This paper examines both the IT aspects and key organisational issues in 
establishing an electronic reference service of this type.

CHAT Reference Service: An Analysis of one Semester's Data
Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship  Fall 2001
JoAnn Sears
http://www.istl.org/istl/01-fall/article2.html

From VRD.org
Quality Criteria for K-12 Digital Reference Services 
http://www.vrd.org/panel/criteria.shtml

The shape of e-reference.
Library Journal, V. 126(2) 2001, pgs. 46-50.
"Proliferating Q&A dot-coms are challenging one
of the library's core functions: reference.
However, libraries are innovating with their own
new forms of e-reference..." 

There's also a sidebar (pg. 49)
by Sara Weissman
of the Morris County (NJ) Library,
outlining some basic issues to consider
when setting up an e-reference service.

Article Citations on Web Based Reference Services
From the Multnomah County Library.

Another Bibliography of Digital Reference Services
by Bernie Sloan.

Listen to the"WEBCASTS" of the OCLC Sponsored:
Building the Virtual Reference Desk in a 24/7 World

April 2001 Computers in Libraries
Article to read:
Distance Education & Virtual Reference - Where are We Headed
by Steve Coffman
and in the same issue
Our Experiment with Online, Real Time Reference
by Kelly Broughton

Read : Serving the Remote User
Keynote address for Online99 Conference.

The: 
Volume 39 Number 4
Summer 2000 issue of
Reference and User Services Quarterly
has as its' theme : Digital Reference
Read the abstracts

First Monday Article (c2000)
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_5/zick/index.html
"The Work of Information Mediators: A Comparison of Librarians and Intelligent Software Agents." 

In this paper, the author examines the characteristics of information agency, 
the work of librarians and of intelligent agents as information mediators, 
the differences between human and software agents, the possible tasks 
for software agents in libraries, and speculates on the future of human and software agency. 
A typical medical library-based information need is presented and the attendant information
processes are examined. The author describes the future of information 
mediation as based on efficient interaction between human and software agents
and provides examples of possible collaborative information tasks.

WebTools Newsletter
Options for Home Based HelpDesk

The Answer Machine
Susan Feldman 
Searcher V.8 No. 1 2000

Topic: Email Reference Service
An Examination of the Past, Present and Future
of Electronic Mail Reference Service (c1997)
Read the Paper examining "E-Mail Reference"

Electronic Mail Reference Service: A Study
by Lara Bushallow-Wilbur, Gemma DeVinney, and Fritz Whitcomb
RQ
Volume 35 Number 3, 1996
page 359-371

and read info in this online Ref Issues paper
REFERENCE ISSUES EXPLORATION: ELECTRONIC MAIL REFERENCE SERVICE
Carroll Botts
Rebecca Bauerschmidt 
LI813XM, Summer 1999

Website by Carolyn Buck : with resources (c1999)
Electronic Mail Reference Services

Related article of interest regarding the power of email
From the September 2002 issue of DM Review
Excerpt quoted from website article
The Intelligence in E-Mail: Are You Ready to Listen? 
By V.A. Shiva
The explosive use of e-mail is offering brave new opportunities for eliciting unique customer insight from the intelligent analysis of e-mail. The massive growth of e-mail is a result of its unique ability to bridge time and space in conversational communication for pennies. Phone or print mail cannot match e-mail's accessibility and ubiquity. To effectively leverage business intelligence (BI) for e-mail, it is important to gain a clear definition of e-mail and the unique role it plays as a medium of communication. 
Read complete article at www.dmreview.com/master.cfm?NavID=55&EdID=5677
and see:
Ask Dr. E-Mail: Building a Comprehensive and Real-Time View of Your Customer

Also read :
Delivering Reference Services to Users Outside the Library.
Paper presented to: 1999 & Beyond: Partnerships & Paradigms 
September 1999, Australia. 

Another paper, from Australia : "AskA" Electronic Reference

Article:
Interactive Reference Service (IRS) at UC Irvine
Expanding Reference Service Beyond the Reference Desk.

Article:
The Virtual Librarian
Using Desktop Videoconferencing to Provide
Interactive Reference Assistance.

Article:
Service Perspectives for the Digital Library
Remote Reference Services

"Reference Service to Remote users..."

Article:
Libraries offer free online  reference service
The Detroit News (11/20/2000) TechNews

Take a look at AskUsQuestions.com a web-reference service
developed by
NOLA Regional Library System (Ohio)

REFER   Electronic Reference Service
Univerisity of South Australia Library

I-Ref
State University fo New York - Plattsburgh

Setting up an "Ask an Expert Service"
from Mad Scientist - http://www.madsci.org

Presentations from:
ALA 2000 RUSA President's Program
Reference 24/7 : High Touch or High Tech
www.ala.org/rusa/presprog2000.html

Reference Service
Using Instant Messenger/Bulletin Boards etc., type Technology
LiveRef
A Registry of Real Time
Digital Reference Services
A listing of Libraries
that offer real time Reference Service.
Using chat software, live interactive communication
utitlites, call center management software,
bulletin board services, etc.
 

Live Chat - Session 1
Academic Libraries of the 21st Century

University of Leicester, UK - ELITE Project
This resource offers annotated links
to many significant sites
of interest the use of Chat in a Library context.
Sites may include directories, databases,
topic resources, organisations, professional
and general information. 

Article:
Using Real-Time Communications in Virtual Volunteering
 

A Survey of Online Interactive Reference Services 
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/hss/ref/chat/cc3.html

I have listed just a partial listing of what is
available on a separate page
Regarding "chat" technology for your website.
And links to the companies that provide "Chat"  & "Instant Messaging"
technology
and software for todays' Libraries.

Sign up for FREE at TechRepublic.com
and have access to several
templates, documents, tutorials, applications, etc.
ALL easy to Download and adapt to your situation
and Most are FREE!!!

Join TechRepublic and access FREE information today.

"For it is the greatest truth of our age: information is not knowledge." 
 Caleb Carr 
 (Killing Time. Random House, 2000, p. 5)

"Information doesn't want to be free. Information wants to be valuable." 
 Larry Wall 

"Damage to information is inflicted almost entirely by human actions and rarely by equipment failures." 
 Paul A. Strassmann 
 (Knowledge Management column, February 2001, p. 12)

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To Contact, Me ~ Mary Niederlander
via e-mail, write to: mary@librarysupportstaff.com