chat reference1

Chat Reference: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Carleen HuxleyTwitter: cshlib

Chat Reference: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Widescreen Graphics

Creating 16:9 Presentations

•Lack of physical and auditory cues

•Real/perceived pressure to handle the transaction quickly

• Instruction

• Consortia vs. single library

“At the heart of any reference transaction is a conversation.” (Lankes)

The Interview

“If text alone could not convey emotion, then old-fashioned letters sent by mail would never have caught on, and the movie would always be better than the book.” (Condit and Desai)

•Welcoming

•Gathering Information

•Confirming/Agreement

•Providing Answer

Show interest

“Wow! Interesting topic.”

“Oh boy, tough topic.”

Informal Language, avoiding robotic instruction

“Hi!” vs. “Hello”

“I suggest you try Eric” vs. “Select a periodical index”

“Let’s start with a subject search in the catalog..” vs. “Consult our catalog…”

Misspelling and lower case letters

• Don’t call patron on their own misspelling, or at least do so tactfully.

•Lower case typing is faster, which allows for quicker transaction time during chat.

Don’t be overly interrogative“Is this for an undergrad or grad class?”

“Do you need a scholarly article, or just any kind of magazine article?”

“What kind of information?”

“How will you be using this information?”

Update them regularly• Preformatted questions (scripts) for ease and speed while you search.

•“Still looking… “

• “Hang on, still searching…”

•“chug, chug, chug….that’s my computer. ;-)

Provide warnings before doing something

• Pushing pages/links• Sending contact information• Exiting the chat

Getting Used to Multiple Dialogues• Don’t always have to wait for a response before sending another question or piece of information.

Patron: Everytime I try to print my article only the first page prints. Help!!!Librarian: Hi, there! Are you getting the article from a library database or the internet?Patron: The text is also way small. Librarian: Yeesh, that is frustrating. Patron: From the database called JSTORLibrarian: Is it in PDF format?Patron: It is! I’ve tried everything!

www.questionpoint.blogs.com

“It borders on the fatuous to propose that technology can be empolyed to provide a satisfactory alternative to nuances of the interaction between librarian and user.” (M. Gorman)

Instruction

How can I convey complex instruction through a chat/SMS interface?

The transition of reference librarian from question answerer to librarian as

teacher/learning facilitator.

Desai, Christina and Stephanie J. Graves. Instruction via Instant Messaging reference: what’s happening?. 2006.

Confusion between librarians as content experts versus process experts.

Lankes, David. New Concepts in Digital Reference. 2009

• Modeling: Here’s the information you need and here’s how I got it.

• Resource suggestion• Terms suggestion• Leading: step-by-step• Lessons: library terminology (peer review)

Instructional Techniques

Modeling Resource Suggestion

Term Sug-gestion

Leading Lessons

Results 33 88 42 62 8

5

25

45

65

85

Results

Axis Title

Desai, Christina and Stephanie J. Graves. Instruction via Instant Messaging reference: what’s happening?

Should the librarian provide instruction when the patron

hasn’t asked for it?

Leading: Start by giving them a carrotProvide a brief immediate answer, then introduce instruction with a follow-up.

Librarian: Here’s a book on creative learning in early childhood. CREATIVE LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL http://bit.ly/9n5ajG Patron: Ok, thanks I’ll take a look.Librarian: To find more, I would recommend browsing the other books on the shelf next to it. Librarian: You can also do a keyword search in our online catalog using “creative learning”Patron: How do I get to the online catalog ?

Short step-by-step instructionDon’t overwhelm them with too much info. Pause to ask them if they have received a page you pushed or have located a box on the page, etc.

Librarian: Have you logged into Academic Search Complete?Patron: No, not yet.Patron: k, I’m there.Librarian: Ok, now type in your search terms…Librarian: You might want to try something like Librarian: “juvenile diabetes” and nutritionLibrarian: Be sure to include the quotes around juvenile diabetes, it will really help the search.Librarian: Then select the box next to where it says Full Text. Now you’re ready to search!Librarian: How did that work for you?

On the spot screencasthttp://www.screentoaster.com

Website annotation toolshttp://sharedcopy.com

What will chat reference look like in the future?

• David Lankes and OCLC collaborative idea• Still only in mock-up/concept phase• The “digital table”• Participatory Reference• Collaborative Conversation - “Why should virtual reference necessitate one librarian and one patron?”• Patron/User is in control. They invite us into their space!• Knowledgebase made public and searchable.

Scapes Video. Virtual Dave http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/blog/?p=460

• Put the user in control

• Allow the user to not simply collect information, but to organize the information in a relational manor (like an entailment mesh).

• Allow the user to determine the conversants.

• Promote back and forth exchanges.

Lankes, David. New Concepts in Digital Reference. 2009

Thank you!

Carleen Huxley http://card.ly/carleen

Desai, Christina M., and Stephanie J. Graves. "Instruction via Instant Messaging reference: what's happening." electronic Library 24, no. 24 (2006): 174-189. http://proquest.umi.com (accessed June 15, 2010).

Fagan, Jody Condit, and Christina M. Desai. "Communication Strategies for Instant Messaging and Chat Reference Services." The Reference Librarian 38, no. 79 (2003): 121-155.

Hill, J.B., Cherie Madarash Hill, and Dayne Sherman. "Text Messaging in an Academic Library: Integrating SMS into Digital Reference." The Reference Librarian 47, no. 97 (2007): 17-29.

Lankes, David. "Scapes Video." Virtual Dave...Real Blog.. http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/blog/?p=460 (accessed June 15, 2010).

Lankes, R. David. New Concepts in Digital Reference (Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval & Services). San Rafael: Morgan And Claypool Publishers, 2009.

Photo Credit

Slide 1: Image courtesy of isolethetv on Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/519756811/