Shared Expectations: Getting Comfortable, and Providing Quality Service in Cooperative Virtual Reference Lynn Silipigni Connaway Marie L. Radford Best Practices in Cooperative Virtual Reference ALA Annual Conference Washington, DC June 23, 2007

Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives Project duration  10/1/2005-9/30/2007  Four phases:  Focus group interviews*  Analysis of 850 QuestionPoint transcripts  600 online surveys*  300 telephone interviews* * Interviews & Surveys with VRS Users, Non-users, & Librarians

Recommendations For Cooperative Virtual Reference Services

Recommendations for Cooperative Virtual Reference Services  Dazzle ‘Em (From a Distance)  Advertise Cooperation  Promote Global/Local Presence  Seize Opportunities to Build Rapport

Recommendations for Cooperative Virtual Reference Services  Overcome Boundaries & Heighten Awareness of Remote Access Issues  Don’t Tease or Bait and Switch  Guide Users Beyond Consortial Limits

Recommendations for Cooperative Virtual Reference Services  Develop & Share Expectations  Exceed Expectations – Aim for Excellent Service & Cultivate Repeat Users

Recommendations For Individual VRS Librarians and Staff

Recommendations for Individual Librarians and Staff  Start Off on the Right Foot!  Accentuate the Positive  Maintain a Professional Tone  Be Yourself

Recommendations for Individual Librarians and Staff  Do Not Dismiss Questions Out of Hand  Clarify the Question

Recommendations for Individual Librarians and Staff  Increase Accuracy – Answer the Specific Question  Provide a Variety of Resources

Recommendations for Individual Librarians and Staff  Manage Complex or Multiple Queries  Refer Complex Questions  They Disappeared? Complete the Inquiry Anyway

End Notes  This is one outcome from the project, Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives, Marie L. Radford & Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Co-Principal Investigators.  Funded by IMLS, Rutgers University and OCLC, Online Computer Library Center, Inc.  Special thanks to Jocelyn DeAngelis Williams, Patrick Confer, Mary Anne Reilly, Susanna Sabolcsi-Boros, & Timothy J. Dickey.  These slides available at project website:

Questions and Comments  Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.    Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.  