4th e- ICOLC Conference, Thessanoliki, Greece 3 -5 October 2002 Digital Reference Service: Some considerations Paola Gargiulo

Outline  Definition of digital/virtual reference service  Collaborative digital /virtual reference service in Europe : a brief overview  Digital reference service and consortia  Critical issues  Conclusions

Digital/Virtual Reference Service: What is it?  It is a response to  exponential growth of electronic information resources available to users the user on the web is confused by the overload of information if the user is on the web, the librarian follows him/her on the web is it the same old job performed with new tools? How is the job influenced/changed by the new tools  “ask an expert” or other services commercially offered through the Web (AskJeeves, WebHelp, JonesKnowledge)  integrated solutions “discovery and locate” offered by commercial publishers /providers

Digital/Virtual Reference Service: what is it? It is an alternative to  the dominant role of commercial products where information is not necessarily selected, filtered and scientifically validated It is a way to promote and improve  library’s visibility  lbrary’s presence at the point of need  librarian’s competence, expertise, knowledge

More opportunities for libraries More and better services for patrons (1)  service exstensible beyond the library opening hours  interactive on line assistance to users  personalized services to users  better service for impaired patrons (hearing/speaking problems)

More opportunities for libraries more or better services to patrons (2)  enhanced information literarcy programs  service to remote users (distant learning)  increased communication with remote users and colleagues  better tools to reach out new users  better services through cooperation with other colleagues from all over the world

Virtual/digital reference services Interactive /real time reference e webform VRD, FAQs, Knowledge Base Personalised Portals Information Gateway Videoconferencing Collaborative Digital Reference Digital Assets Management System Human Machine Human interaction Direct service Human Machine Interaction Indirect service

Digital reference: intermediation services Through basic address – question posed to the library that provides answer by , fax, letter, phone Web form Through interactive on line service simple chat technologies instant messaging software virtual reference room solution(Webmaster), chat software purchased by the library Web contact centre Software Through collaborative service

Basic Drawbacks lack of immediacy and interactivity Is it always a problem? use of reference interview is limited clarification of question by 3/4 messages exchange over several days

Interactive Online Service Advantages immediacy and interactivity live reference interview (it can go on until patrons are not clarified ) the user can return to the search later as the text of chat session is saved and sent to him/her

Online interactive/live reference services based on simple chat technology Drawbacks Chatline is cumbersome and primitive real assistance is difficult time - consuming (a lot of typing, spelling/typing errors) users have to wait when they expect an instant and efficient service queuing and routing questions is not easy it does not allow scripted messages to handle routine functions and requests the user may log off suddenly

Online interactive reference services based on Web contact centre software The librarian can : push Web pages to patrons escort patrons through catalogues or databases or other web resources Co-browse collaboratively with the patron (librarian is able to display specific Web pages on the patron’s computer screen) share online content with the patron transfer queries between institutions record answers and reuse them by built- in knowledge bases create patron profiles and system reports conduct studies on who is using the system and how

Issues to be considered (1) Could you manage to add new and more complex services? Who are your users, how sophisticated? What kind of questions are they asking now? Service guidelines and policy Time length to answer questions, how many questions will be handled with a self- help system in order to reduce “access questions” and other ripetitive questions ? Back up service can your library afford outsourcing the service at night? Or Library schools can give some kind of support? Can your network infrastracture offer these services?

Issues to be considered (2) What about reference service in your country ? How is your traditional reference service structured? What is the availability of print and e- reference sources in your country and in your language? How much is your reference service used? Who is performing the service ? (professional librarians, paraprofessionals, ecc.) Do your librarians have subject expertise and technical skills?

Which type of library is offering digital reference services in the US? According to ARL 99% of 70 academic universities in the US offer /web form services and 29% are offering real time reference services ( Tenopir, 2001 ) 13% public libraries offer digital reference services throuhg and the Web in the US (Janes, 2001) In Europe the growth is slower and there are not statistics yet

Which type of library is offering digital reference services in Europe ? various university libraries and some public libraries offer an service or a virtual reference help desk of some kind the service is often not well organized (lack of guidelines, web forms, FARQs, knowledge base ecc.) few university libraries offer realtime services, some public libraries do, mainly in the Nordic countries, Netherlands and UK

Collaborative Digital Reference Service Libraries cooperate to provide and on line interactive reference service to their patrons Question Point- Collaborative Reference Service (the largest service, over 100 partipating libraries from all over the world, the only international one) Collaborative reference services are offered in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia Bernie Sloan’s listing of collaborative live reference services counts almost 40 services in USA, Canada and Europe; most of the services listed are from the USA

Collaborative Digital Reference Service Critical issues : Are they able to offer both services e- mail only and chat? Are patrons from library X given same quality service by staff from library Y? Are training and professional development handled together by library X and library Y Who is providing the service at library X and library Y (paraprofessional, professional librarians, a mix) How will costs be shared? etc. etc.

Collaborative Digital Reference Service: Critical issues copyright issues licensed databases and e-journals use in digital reference service a remote user can be considered equal to a “walk in user”? authentication problems in navigating with the remote users in proprietary databases and e-resources back up service language barriers

Collaborative Digital Reference Service in the US are offered by library consortia (e.g OhioLink, CLEVNET Library Consortium, New England Law Library Consortia, etc.) university library systems or university and college libraries at state level public libraries systems at regional or state level mix of university, public, state libraries at a state level

Collaborative Digital Reference Service in Europe are offered by library consortia (HeBis, EARL) public libraries BiblioteksVagten, Denmark (22 public libraries) libraries Bibliotekarie Direct, Sweden (4 public libraries (Malmo, Sotckholm, Gothenberg and Nacka) Bibliotekvakten i Vestfold (7 public libraries in Norway) also in Finland some university libraries, public and national libraries are members of Question Point

Collaborative Digital Reference Service in Italy  Italian Library consortia do not offer any digital collaborative reference service yet  There are two pilot projects carried out by public libraries SegnawebSegnaweb, a project sponsored by the Italian Library Association- Public Library Committee personalized portals to access free reference sources selected by public librarians using Mylibrary sw VRD Group, a project sponsored by Regione Toscana a group of 15 Tuscan public libraries working on project to offer digital reference ( and live reference) to their local constituency as primary clientele and to the rest of the world

Library consortia objectives: evolution in the 1990’s: sharing e-resources,negotiating consortial price and terms, access, archiving issues in the late 1990’s and early 2000: new licence models, reference linking integrated access to resources, alternative publishing, user instruction/training in 2002 and on : sharing e-reference services, e-reference sw, standards, guidelines

Why is convenient to activate collaborative e-reference through consortia? Library consortia offer an existing collaborative relationship and can offer more sharing costs start –up cost negotiating consortial prices for e- reference sw negotiating license agreement for outsourced e-reference services (night reference service) sharing staff sharing staff competence and subject expertise, library collection (print and on-line) taking advantage of collection different strenghts

Library Consortia and digital reference service Library consortia as a critical mass can influence the e-reference sw market and improve its services, licence models ecc. The flexibility and scalability of reference digital service can allow consortia to set up services tiered level subject cluster (e.g consortiale business library cooperate) nested cluster (at local library, campus library, university library, consortial level, interconsortial level, global level )

To conclude Digital reference is not future is a today’s reality Its technology is still primitive, it will improve Voice over IP, Video standards (NISO, AZ) If librarians are not there when patrons need them, patrons turn to alternative services Which services? What quality?

A final consideration Do we want just to be information custodians, information access engineers or do we also want to share our knowledge, competence as information intermediators and information creators ?

Information Sources Bernie Sloan’s Digital Reference Pages Paola Gargiulo- Risorse di Reference Digitale