virtual reference in carl libraries susan beatty head information commons university of calgary...
TRANSCRIPT
Virtual Reference in CARL Libraries
Susan BeattyHead Information CommonsUniversity of Calgary Library
Peggy WhiteHead Science & Technology Liaison Services
University of Calgary Library
The new generation
Today’s Session
Survey of CARL libraries Methodology Major Highlights Analysis of Results Impact Where do we go from here?
Purpose of study
Analyse Virtual Reference Service in CARL libraries
Use ARL data from 2002 survey for comparison
What has changed What is the impact
Methodology
ARL survey 2002 Jana Ronan Associate University Librarian Carol Turner Director Public Services
University of Florida
Replicate with CARL libraries 2006 29 CARL institutes both English &
French Inclusive
Summary of results
16 responses for 55% response rate 81% yes 19% no
ARL 53% response rate 54% yes 46% no
Major highlights
Who? There has not been a major uptake in virtual reference
What? Of those providing virtual reference there is trend towards IM
How much? There has been an increase in use of virtual reference in 7/10 institutions over time
What are they using?
For IM: Microsoft Messenger MSN For specialized software: Docutek
VRL plus (Sirsi/Dynix), QuestionPoint (OCLC) and Ask A Librarian™ (Tutor.com)
ARL Different software products – a
changing marketplace
Critical Elements in Selection
Ease of use Price (not so much for ARL) Accessible via the web with no
software required Elements of software e.g. push
technology somewhat less important, ARL somewhat more important
How long have they been using it?
60% more than two years 40 % 6 months to two years
ARL – the reverse 6% more than two years 75% 6 months to two years
Staffing
Reporting structure varied greatly from institution to institution
Generally offered by reference staff Usually performed in the office and
not on the desk Usually part of ongoing
assignments
Administration
Person who heads up the service tends to be coordinator not head – possibly whoever is available
Only 2/10 “Head of reference” This suggests an additional
role
Importance of staff skills
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Referenceinterview
skills
Facility w ithWeb-basedinformationresources
Comfort w ithcomputers
and ability touse the
softw are
Ability tomake goodreferrals
Facilitynavigatingthe Web
Familiarityw ith generalreferenceresources
Teachingskills
Familiarityw ith
specializedsubject
resources
Keyboardingskills
Skill Area
Tota
l
Total
Importance of staff skills
0
510
1520
25
3035
4045
50
Referenceinterview
skills
Facility withWeb-basedinformationresources
Comfort withcomputers
and ability touse thesoftware
Ability tomake good
referrals
Facilitynavigatingthe Web
Familiaritywith general
referenceresources
Teachingskills
Familiaritywith
specializedsubject
resources
Keyboardingskills
Skill Area
To
tal
5
4
3
2
1
What we did not ask How did you train? How long did it take? Ongoing training? What did your staff think of the
training? Were they prepared enough when
they started? What is the content to cover over
time?
Who are the users?
Where are they?
Service models Most institutions have limited the
service hours to Monday-Friday with some offering Saturday and Sunday
8/10 place no restrictions on who can use the service
9/10 noted that users came from in the library at times when face to face reference service was available
Scheduling
Most providers cover off 2-4 hours of virtual reference per week.
Half offer same schedule throughout the year and half reduce service during spring and summer.
What are they asking?
User Questions
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Web resources Library Service ElectronicResources
LibraryCollection
Connectivity ResearchQuestions
FactualQuestions
Skill Area
To
tal
Total
User Questions
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Web resources Library Service ElectronicResources
LibraryCollection
Connectivity ResearchQuestions
FactualQuestions
Skill Area
To
tal
5
4
3
2
1
Marketing
All had included mention of service in library orientations and instruction
Highlighted on library web page Library newsletter New to CARL: blog and course
management system (e.g. Blackboard)
Evaluation
Transactions count Review the transcripts Web survey of users
Perceptions of service
Ease of use Number of service hours Accuracy of answers Evaluating service
Ease of use of chat reference
0102030405060708090
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l
Total
Ease of use of chat reference
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Number of service hours
0102030405060708090
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l Total
Number of service hours
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Accuracy of Answers
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Total Total
Accuracy of Answers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Evaluating the Service
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Total Total
Evaluating the Service
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Minimum Desired Actual
Performance Level
Tota
l
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Moving On
What has grown out of the virtual reference service?
How has the use of resources changed?
What impact if any is there on ongoing staff training and development?
Readings
Ronan, J. & Turner, C. (2002). Chat reference: spec kit 273. Association of Research Libraries, Washington, DC.
(2004). Guidelines for implementing and maintaining virtual reference services. Reference and User Services Association. Available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/virtrefguidelines.htm
Readings Cummings, J., Cummings, L & Frederiksen, L.
(2007). User preferences in reference services: virtual reference in academic libraries. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 7 (1) 81-96. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/
Fagan, J.D. (2005). Virtual reference software
comparative review. The Charleston Advisor, 6 (4). http://www.charlestonco.com/
Houghton, S. & Schmidt, A. (2005). Web-based chat vs. instant messaging who wins? Online, July/August, 27-30. http://infotoday.com/online/
