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Virtual Reference
- 1. Virtual Reference Melissa Bowles-Terry Instruction & Assessment Coordinator University of Wyoming Libraries
- 2. What is virtual reference? Francoeur, Stephen. Digital Reference Options. Presentation for WebJunction, 30 September 2009.
- 3. 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!
- 4. Popular Tools for Chat/IM Meebo Trillian Question Point Libraryh3lp See more chat widget options: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_chat_widgets.php
- 5. 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
- 6. Parts of the Transaction: Greeting
- 7. Parts of the Transaction: Questioning
- 8. 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.
- 9. Parts of the Transaction: Check for Understanding
- 10. Parts of the Transaction: Follow-Up
- 12. BreakMessagesUp – Send about a line of text at a time. Writing whole paragraphs at once takes too much time.
- 13. IMHO – Chat/IM culture is typically informal. Mirror the patron’s level of formality/informality (but don’t use too many acronyms).
- 14. Be on the same page – Send the patron links and describe how they can get to the resources you are using during the search.
- 15. 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.
- 16. Create a list of commonly used phrases to drop into your end of the chat.
- 20. 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)
- 23. Duke University Libraries: http://library.duke.edu/services/ask/
- 24. University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries: http://www.library.wisc.edu/ask/
- 25. Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries: http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/libraries/services/ask.html
Editor's Notes
- The ALA Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services define virtual reference this way: Virtual reference is reference service initiated electronically, often in real-time, where patrons employ computers or other Internet technology to communicate with reference staff, without being physically present. Communication channels used frequently in virtual reference include chat, videoconferencing, Voice over IP, co-browsing, e-mail, and instant messaging.
- Some prefer it to phone (I do)
- Same as face-to-face. Don’t get in a big hurry.
- Chat/IM culture is typically informal. Mirror the patron’s level of formality/informality (but don’t use too many acronyms).
- Keep in touch. Send messages every 1-2 minutes. Silence is not OK.Use screenshots (Jing (free) SnagIt (cheap)) to email images/instructions to users.
- Send the patron links and try to stay on the same page. Describe how to get to resources. Check on what their current URL is.BreakMessagesUp. Send about a line at a time. It takes too long to type a whole paragraph.
- Give users time to look over information. Always invite them to return later.If you feel like you might need major follow-up, ask for an email address or phone number.