R U There? How to Reach a Virtual Audience Through Affordable Marketing Strategies

ABSTRACT

Virtual reference is a vital service component of many libraries. Whether serving college students or the general public, a real-time reference service demands highly trained staff and quality resources. What can administrators do to make sure their users make the most of this cutting-edge service? The University at Buffalo (UB) was one of the first universities to establish a virtual reference service. Known as Instant Librarian, the chat room thrives as a major public service without placing a drain on staff or budget. This article discusses the marketing strategies UB applies to chat reference, including advertising, use of icons, and user surveys for assessment.     

Ask a UT System Librarian

SUMMARY

University of Texas System libraries initiated a chat reference program to support distance learners enrolled at University of Texas component institutions, including the UT Telecampus Digital Library. Librarians at several geographically distant campuses staffed the collaborative chat reference service.

Librarians assisted students at other UT System campuses, in effect becoming “distance librarians” who must have thorough knowledge of both their own library resources and the resources available at other campus libraries.

Librarians at The University of Texas at San Antonio share their experiences with this collaborative chat reference service.     

Page Us

ABSTRACT

When patron workstations are located far from the reference desk, service suffers because patrons can't easily contact staff. While in-house chat services offer a partial solution to this problem, these services fail to provide the face-to-face element that the literature shows is critical for effective reference service. This study analyzes NCSU Libraries' method for solving this problem, a hybrid service that combines features of in-person and virtual reference service.     

Slashdotting Digital Library Resources

This study analyzes 1557 chat reference questions received at Grand Valley State University Libraries over four semesters to determine the quantity and nature of the questions. Results indicated that use of chat reference was low and that less than a quarter of chat questions required a librarian to answer. The cost of a librarian answering a chat question ranged from $37 to $439 per question. The findings suggest that assigning chat reference to trained reference assistants will not affect patron service and that it is not cost effective to use reference librarians to answer chat questions.     

Twenty Years of Virtual Reference

ABSTRACT

In observance of the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the first journal article devoted to virtual reference, the author explores early e-mail and chat reference services.     

HawkHelp

SUMMARY

This article describes the factors that influenced the design of a chat reference service that meets the needs of distance learners as well as traditional students. Emphasis is placed in the importance of collaborative projects, evaluation of software, and planning the organizational structure. An innovative “peer and tier” staffing initiative may extend hours and free reference librarians to concentrate on research and in-depth questions. Finally, a planning effort by information services may lead to a one-stop shopping service that will include student services that often are problematic for the distant learner (counseling, enrollment, financial aid, etc.).     

Chat Reference

ABSTRACT

Internet Reference Services Quarterly is introducing a new column that will focus on current developments and practice concerns in chat reference. This first entry gives some background on the column's origins, and details the directions it will take.     

A Review of “I Found it on the Internet: Coming of Age Online”

SUMMARY

This article will address the problems of developing and implementing a federated searching system and the involvement by reference staff expected to use, teach, and promote it. Implementation of federated search usually begins with developing basic technical functionality and then progresses to increased participation by public service librarians and system users in order to refine searching interfaces and content retrieval mechanisms and display. From the reference perspective, some impediments occurred in utilizing the federated search system since reference staff did not participate in the development of the product; since there was resistance to the concept of the product by instructional staff; and since performance inconsistencies and the use of a complex interface hampered functionality. This article will address the evolution of organizational stakeholder participation in the development of the federated search system at the Loyola Notre Dame Library.     

Burning the Midnight Oil: Librarians,Students, and Late-Night Chat Reference at the University of Notre Dame

Late-night chat reference was a service offered by University of Notre Dame reference librarians from November of 2007 until May of 2010. It was staffed by local Notre Dame librarians and was available to users from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday evenings during the academic year. Data showed that the number of questions asked during late-night chat hours was comparable to the number being asked during regular reference chat hours. Findings showed that the complexity of the chat questions being asked after hours was greater than that of chat questions asked during regular hours and that of reference desk transactions as a whole. Late-night chat reference was a valuable exercise in meeting users at their point of need.     

局域网聊天工具的设计与实现

主要研究在TCP/IP协议之上,实现一个基于Socket的局域网通信程序。在局域网没有连通Internet的情况下,局域网内的全部电脑可以通过一个服务器建立的聊天室进行聊天,让分布在不同地点、使用不同电脑的一组用户能够及时进行信息交流,达到信息共享的目的。     

局域网聊天工具的设计与实现

主要研究在TCP／IP协议之上,实现一个基于Socket的局域网通信程序。在局域网没有连通Intemet的情况下,局域网内的全部电脑可以通过一个服务器建立的聊天室进行聊天．让分布在不同地点、使用不同电脑的一组用户能够及时进行信息交流,达到信息共享的目的。     

Libraries Begin to Engage Their Menacing Mobile Phone Hordes Without Shhhhh!

ABSTRACT

Few libraries are experimenting with using mobile phones to engage their patrons to improve their service experience rather than focusing exclusively on managing phone use behavior: library code of conduct policies, policy enforcement, signage, quiet library space zoning, and strategies for staff and patron buy-in. Over the past 18 months signs of hope have appeared. Libraries are beginning to engage their users via mobile phones in four ways: audio tours, text message reference service, text message alerts, and mobile library collection search engines. They are not waiting for a better mobile phone service development environment. Library staffs are redefining the possible ways to engage their communities.     

As I Sit Studying: WWW-Based Reference Services

Abstract

This article reports on the current state of reference services on the World Wide Web (WWW). It explains what a WWW-based reference service is, describes several models of handling requests, and explores the impact of these services on traditional reference services. Based upon anecdotal information the author concludes that, to date, Web-based reference services have had little impact upon traditional reference services.     

Centralizing Information About Library Services and Resources

SUMMARY

The School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona (UA) has a mix of local and distance students in its program. The librarian at the UA Library who works with this program developed a Web site that centralizes information about several library services and resources that benefit distance learners: online orientation and research guides, chat reference, document delivery, and more. Bringing together this information with a focus on distance learners provides a platform for delivering the library to all users, whatever their distance from the library.     

Online Web Development Platforms Enable All Reference Staff to Work on Subject Guides

Information technology has disrupted the careers of many professionals over the past decade by changing both what work is performed and how it is performed. Technical skill set gaps among reference staff are a serious problem in libraries today. The library subject or topic research pathfinder continues to play a large supporting role in a library's reference service, yet few reference departments have a staff compliment in which each and every team member has the same Web development skill sets. Research guides are no longer static webpages with organized lists. Online Web development services like editme.com and LibGuides enable all staff to equally participate in developing webpages to support reference service, without a steep technical learning curve.     

Advancing Reference Information Systems on the Web

Abstract

Most existing systems of automated reference information files are microcomputer-based. The advent of the World Wide Web has created a new and rich environment for advancing these files into cyberspace. The major attractions of building a Web-based reference information system are: (a) software is virtually “free,” (b) required training is minimal, (c) systems can be accessed by a variety of platforms, and (d) reference librarians around the world are able to share their expertise. The discussion is in the context of the evolution of reference information file systems. A prototype is described to show how to construct a basic Web-based system.