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.     

Ask Us Anytime: Creating a Searchable FAQ Using Email and Chat Reference Transcripts

Users are increasingly expecting services to be available outside traditional venues and time frames. Clearly, not all library functions and services can be performed all the time, but a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) tool is one function that can be. Librarians at Notre Dame decided to create a searchable FAQ database as a method to efficiently reach users at their time and point of need and as a way to provide instant, virtual feedback to common questions. The content for the FAQ database was derived from the analysis of over 3000 chat and email questions collected over the course of three years’ use of Docutek, an email and chat reference software. The process of coding the questions as well as the technological solutions employed to create a searchable database of frequently asked questions is described. A link to the FAQ appears on the ND Libraries Ask-A-Librarian page and has already seen much use.     

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.     

Developing a Chat Reference Training Program

ABSTRACT

In the last few years, chat reference services have been implemented by public, college and university libraries. One important aspect of the chat reference service is library staff training. Literature shows that this is a vital step in offering a chat reference service. Library staff need to be well-trained in areas of chatting, reference interviewing in a digital environment and using electronic resources, such as the Internet and databases. This article discusses the chat reference training program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The following text provides an outline for establishing a chat training program including planning, organization, implementation and assessment. Areas of discussion include the chat reference interview, chatting and patron management techniques.     

Enhancing Virtual Reference: Techniques and Technologies to Engage Users and Enrich Interaction

Virtual reference service has become ubiquitous in academic libraries. The increased adoption of chat technology brings to light some of the challenges of providing high-quality reference service. The lack of a personal connection, increased transaction time, and technical problems are often cited. Techniques, such as conducting a reference interview or using online communication conventions, can make virtual reference as effective as face-to-face reference. Additionally, inclusion of video or Web annotation in the virtual reference session can add an element of personalization that might otherwise be missing. Virtual reference can be an emotionally rich, engaging, and effective form of reference service if these techniques and technologies are adopted.     

Developing Skype-Based Reference Services

ABSTRACT

Internet voice and video calling have demonstrated a dramatic rise in quality in the past several years and have quickly become communication technologies with a disruptive impact on society. Librarians, who regularly adopt such technologies in outreach and public services, should evaluate Web-calling programs as potential sources of innovative reference programming. This article describes the development of Skype video and Internet telephony pilot reference services at the Ohio University Libraries and considers the utility of Skype and VoIP in a library setting.     

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.     

Envisioning the Library-Centric First-Year Experience: A Case Study about Mississippi State University Libraries' Course Proposal Process

First-Year experience (FYE) courses have become increasingly implemented in higher education institutions in recent years to help drive student retention. Although many of these FYE courses include library components, Mississippi State University (MSU) sought to have a library-centric FYE course; this study details the process MSU Libraries used to propose this FYE course. The goal of this case study is to provide practical information on the process of proposing a FYE course and to inspire other institutional libraries to consider implementing their own FYE course.     

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.     

The Virtual Librarian and the Electronic Reference Interview

ABSTRACT

For many students, the World Wide Web is their main access point for library research and, therefore, libraries need to find a venue for the virtual reference interview. This paper discusses the use of the library home page as a reference tool and its importance in the online reference interview process. This article also discusses some of the research that went into the creation of a home page for a large, urban, academic institution, how this research was utilized, and how the resulting page serves as an online surrogate for the in-person reference interview.     

Case Study of Synchronous Virtual Reference in an Academic Library

Libraries endeavor to provide the same services to distance learners as they do on campus to students but they are challenged by not being able to show students how to maneuver in the virtual environment. Indiana State University used Adobe Connect software for three years to provide synchronous, virtual reference services that included screen-sharing capability to demonstrate search techniques. Assessments included analysis of attendance, types of questions, and student comments. Reminder e-mails sent directly to students positively affected attendance. Feedback was positive but technical problems were sometimes significant.     

Reference Trajectory-Based Visual Predictive Control

Abstract

In this paper we present an image predictive controller for an eye-in-hand-type servoing architecture, composed of a 6-d.o.f. robot and a camera mounted on the gripper. A novel architecture for integrating reference trajectory and image prediction is proposed for use in predictive control of visual servoing systems. In the proposed method, a new predictor is developed based on the relation between the camera velocity and the time variation of the visual features given by the interaction matrix. The image-based predictor generates the future trajectories of a visual feature ensemble when past and future camera velocities are known. In addition, a reference trajectory is introduced to define the way how to reach the desired features over the prediction horizon starting from the current features. The advantages of the new architecture are the reference trajectory used for the first time in the sense of the predictive control and the predictor based on a local model. Simulations reveal the efficiency of the proposed architecture to control a 6-d.o.f. robot manipulator.     

高校参考咨询系统中专家调度模式的研究

针对高校参考咨询系统这一新兴的高校数字图书馆业务，分析和探讨了其中的专家调度模式，提出了一种基于层次分析法的专家调度模型，并且验证了它的一致性。针对传统参考咨询系统中的不足，引入提问向导的概念。在提问向导中将提问和检索很好地融合在一起，大大地降低了重复提问的概率，并能很好地避免以往对交叉学科提问时存在的疏漏。     

Authenticating Users Inside and Outside the Library

ABSTRACT

Libraries supporting digital resources must provide access to proprietary databases for off-campus users. It is also often important to restrict access to given databases or to classes of users from within the library. Vendors usually control access through some combination of Internet Protocol (IP) address and user ID and password. The process of authenticating and authorizing users creates an access management system. One of the most effective means for implementing an access management system today is through a Web proxy server. The technique for setting up the Netscape Proxy Server is described, along with the proxy server's advantages and disadvantages.     

基于J2EE技术的校园聊天室系统

聊天室系统的即时性德交流方式可以满足网络中多人同时聊天交流,使得资源得以共享,是人与人的沟通变得方便,简单。本文主要讨论了基于J2EE技术设计的聊天室的优点,并在聊天室的数据库的设计和用户身份验证的设计上做了进一步的安全处理。     

Integrating Library Reference Services in an Online Information Literacy Course

SUMMARY

The Internet Navigator, an online information literacy course developed by a team of academic librarians in Utah, offers a model for teaching independent research skills to remote students. The course uses an online textbook that doubles as a self-paced tutorial, and a set of assignments that take students step-by-step through the research process. Assignments are submitted by e-mail and evaluated by reference librarian/instructors. Questions on the assignments follow the pattern of a reference interview helping instructors guide students to use useful research strategies and information sources. Other methods of integrating reference services with online learning are discussed.     

Web聊天室探测系统的网页获取和改进研究

网络聊天以它低成本,高效率的优势给网络用户提供了在线实时通信的功能,从而成为目前互联网使用最广泛的网络服务。以网络聊天室的探测为载体深入研究网页获取和预处理的技术问题。主要探讨网络爬虫的原理和工作流程,在网络爬虫器中引入网络并行多线程处理技术。讨论WebLech的技术特点和实现技术,对WebLech做出了改进。