Virtual Reference

Melissa Bowles-TerryInstruction & Assessment Coordinator

University of Wyoming Libraries

What is virtual reference?

Francoeur, Stephen. Digital Reference Options. Presentation for WebJunction, 30 September 2009.

Why Try Virtual Reference?

• Provides synchronous help for remote users• Many library users (particularly teens and

young adults) are very comfortable with the IM format. Consider your audience!

Popular Tools for Chat/IM

Meebo

See more chat widget options: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_chat_widgets.php

Question Point Libraryh3lp

Trillian

Parts of the Transaction• Greet the patron• Ask open and closed questions to determine

information needs• Search and provide instruction on how to use

sources• Verify that the patron understands search

results and is finding appropriate information• Follow-up and/or refer, when appropriate, to

other librarians or appropriate locations

Parts of the Transaction: Greeting

Parts of the Transaction: Questioning

Parts of the Transaction: Searching

When the searching gets complicated, a picture is worth a thousand words! Send users a screenshot of what you’re doing.

Parts of the Transaction: Check for Understanding

Parts of the Transaction: Follow-Up

Tips for Chatting• Keep in touch – Send messages to the patron every 1-2 minutes.

Silence is not OK.• BreakMessagesUp – Send about a line of text at a time. Writing whole

paragraphs at once takes too much time.• IMHO – Chat/IM culture is typically informal. Mirror the patron’s level

of formality/informality (but don’t use too many acronyms).• Be on the same page – Send the patron links and describe how they

can get to the resources you are using during the search.• Come back soon – Patrons may want to look over information you send

them and come back to you later. Give them the opportunity to do so.• Create a list of commonly used phrases to drop into your end of the

chat.• If you have face-to-face patrons and chat at the same reference desk,

consider whether face-to-face transactions take precedence over chat. If they do, then be sure to write a quick message to the chat patron saying, “I’ll be with you in 3 minutes.”

Some WY Libraries Using Chat/IM

• Laramie County Library (http://www.lclsonline.org/services/askalibrarian/)

• Teton County Library (http://www.tclib.org/index.php/about_tcl/chat/)

• University of Wyoming Libraries (http://www-lib.uwyo.edu/services/ask.cfm)

Questions?Comments?

More Information: Readings

• Reference and User Services Association Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/virtrefguidelines.cfm

• Trends in Digital Reference: http://www.teachinglibrarian.org/weblog/2009/02/trends-in-digital-reference.html (check out other posts on this blog, too, if you’re interested)

• The Effects of Librarians’ Behavioral Performance on User Satisfaction in Chat Reference Services from Reference and User Services Quarterly: http://www.rusq.org/2008/01/06/the-effects-of-librarians-behavioral-performance-on-user-satisfaction-in-chat-reference-services-2/

More Information: Video

HomeworkUse the Ask a Librarian virtual reference service at a library and see what the

user experience is like. Be sure and ask a genuine question that you have, so that the experience will be as authentic as possible. Did the librarian welcome you? Stay in constant communication? Answer your question satisfactorily? Post in the comments about your experience. No need to state which library you visited, just share your experience with us.

Here are a few libraries to try. Some libraries restrict virtual reference services to users of their particular library, so I’d suggest steering clear of those. The reference services below are open for anyone to use:

• New York Public Library: http://www.nypl.org/questions/chat.html • Duke University Libraries: http://library.duke.edu/services/ask/ • University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries: http://www.library.wisc.edu/ask/ • Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries:

http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/libraries/services/ask.html