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Digital Reference: What’s Happening…and What’s Not

Digital Reference: What’s Happening…and What’s Not. Joseph Janes Coordinator, MLIS Program The Information School of the University of Washington. What is “reference”?.

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Digital Reference: What’s Happening…and What’s Not

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  1. Digital Reference: What’s Happening…and What’s Not Joseph Janes Coordinator, MLIS Program The Information School of the University of Washington

  2. What is “reference”? • “…readers in popular libraries need a great deal of assistance…this is particularly needed by persons unused to handling books or conducting investigations.” • Samuel Green Library Journal 1 (1876) • emphasis added

  3. How did reference evolve? • Green 1876: • people don’t know how to search • improve people, make them independent • Ryan 1996: • technological innovations as opportunity • policy, limitations, structure (what not to do) • communication with others

  4. features and aspects: the Web • “The Web as a Reference Tool: Comparisons with Traditional Sources” (w/Charles R. McClure), Public Libraries 38(1), 30-39, January/February 1999 • accuracy and speed of answers roughly comparable • Web: more sources used (3.56 v. 2.77) • attitudes: non-Web sources judged slightly more authoritative, of higher quality

  5. features and aspects: academic libraries • “Digital Reference Services in Academic Libraries” (w/David Carter and Patricia Memmott), in Reference and User Services Quarterly 39 (2), 145-150, Winter 1999 • 45% of ALs offering digital ref service • larger libraries more likely to • ½ linked from front page, mostly email/simple web form • policies: turnaround time, users, questions (each >.50) • public schools more likely to have a service, policy on questions; private schools more likely to have tech barrier

  6. features and aspects: public libraries • replication of academic library study in PLs • n = 352, stratified by population served, >10,000,  1 librarian • Web sites investigated March/April 2000 • 81% of PLs had Web sites (293) • of those, 64 had a service (12.8% weighted overall) • 56% directly linked from home page (44% not) • email/simple form most common, detailed form 25%; technology more sophisticated as size of community increases

  7. features and aspects: public libraries • lower incidence of policies • highest incidence in largest libraries (39%); lower in smaller (10%) • very few FAQ/FARQ pages (9), mostly policy • detailed form questions: where live, phone number, grade/age/level, need-by date, sources tried • also: where did you see this, company/institution, 1st time user?, library card #, branch

  8. features and aspects: public libraries • other things • if you need quicker help, call; genealogy is special (call, come in, regular mail only, go to historical society; confidentiality; how to get an email account • 2 forms exactly the same • policy on users: • community residents only, or questions about community/area/collections

  9. features and aspects: public libraries • names: diversity, jargon, inconsistency • 28 different titles at top of pages (most frequent Ask a/the Librarian) • 25 required 2 clicks to get to page, 18 different names on home pages (incl. “Feedback”, “Adult Services”, “Using the Library”) • 17: name in link is different than title of page sent to • 12: 3 different names

  10. experiences, opinions and attitudes • national survey of reference librarians • n = 1548 (cluster sample) • 5-page survey • 648 responses rec’d (RR = 42%) • preliminary results ONLY

  11. experiences, opinions and attitudes • ¾+ have used email for reference, ½ Web forms, very few other technologies (chat, MOO, video) • most likely to agree that digital technologies make reference: • more accessible, more interesting, more challenging, more fun • least likely to agree that digital technologies make reference: • cheaper, more difficult, more time consuming • very similar pattern of responses with “use of digital resources”

  12. experiences, opinions and attitudes • digital reference will best serve: • ready reference Qs • Qs from regular library users • Qs in popular culture • digital reference will most poorly serve: • research Qs • Qs from children • Qs of a personal/private nature

  13. experiences, opinions and attitudes • # of reference questions received is slightly decreasing (1/3 decreasing, ¼ staying same, ¼ increasing) • questions are getting harder (1/3 harder, 1/10 easier, ½ staying about the same) • Internet training: in current position (4/5), in degree program (3/10), in previous position (1/4) • attitudes change with experience

  14. thoughts & questions • 45% of ALs, 13% of PLs doing digital reference—should that be higher? • ½ not linked (hiding)—why? should they be? • bigger libraries have more services, more tech—resources are more important but not overwhelmingly • no FAQs—why not? • minimal interviews (25% of PLs detailed forms)—why not? • stop weaseling (time policies), confusing (name changes)

  15. themes • reaction of more stuff and greater use of stuff • reflection of setting, clientele, expectations, context • facilitation, empowerment, education of users • adoption of technology • librarians are ready (training, interesting/challenging/fun) • but don’t see panacea (no cheaper or quicker) • limitations, boundaries, policies – sticking in our toes • hiding, confusing, weaseling (yet accessibility 1st on survey) • fewer harder questions

  16. implications • maybe fewer harder questions is the answer • easier to ask questions, different kinds of questions (harder, “research” questions; ok (?) to have slower response times) • use technology as medium and tool • rethink the “reference transaction” as an ongoing process • partnerships with experts • break the boundaries of library as place yet maintain the values, heritage, knowledge there

  17. questions to ask things to think about • Why was this service developed? What were the motivations for developing it?  • Who answers the questions? How? What kinds of resources are or aren’t used? • How many staff are involved, and in what ways? • Is there a separate budget for this service? Do you know how much it costs? • Have you developed policies, limitations or restrictions on the service, the kinds of questions you’ll take, time to answer, etc.? • Have you developed guidelines for how to answer questions (how to phrase answers, formats for answering, etc.?) • How many questions did you expect to get when you started? How many are you really getting? • What kinds of questions do you get? (subject areas, in any way different from what you get at the desk or over the phone) • What kinds of users ask questions this way? (in any way different?) • What kinds of technologies do you use? Do you use any specialized software? • Are you answering questions any differently than you would on the desk or over the phone? Do you give a different level of service? • Do you evaluate the service or patron’s satisfaction with it?

  18. Green again (1876) • “there are few pleasures comparable to that of associating continually with curious and vigorous young minds, and of aiding them in realizing their ideals” • perhaps...the new model for reference is an old one, liberated by technology and grounded in tradition

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