Digital reference services utilize web technologies to provide reference services in a digital environment. They aim to satisfy users' information needs interactively and collaboratively. Key characteristics of digital reference services include accessibility, prompt responses, clear policies, interactivity, and instruction. Services must also have authoritative and trained experts, ensure privacy, conduct reviews, and provide access to related information and publicity. Digital reference services offer benefits like individual assistance, collection development support, and marketing assistance. They require planning, training, testing, promotion and evaluation for successful implementation.

1. Digital Reference
Services
Yara Sbeity

2. Digital Reference Services : Definition
▪Digital Reference service is the transition of
the Reference Services to digital
environment exploiting the potentials of web
technologies (Chowdhury and Margariti,
2004).

3. Virtual Reference Services : Definition
▪Virtual Reference Services is a service that,
based on the experience of traditional
services developed within an information
technology environment, satisfies user’s
information and knowledge needs in an
interactive, participative, customized, and
collaborative way

4. Digital Reference Services

5. DIGITAL REFERENCE SERVICES
▪ The Virtual Reference Desk Expert Panel has identified eleven characteristics and features for
building a digital reference services
▪ They are divided into two main categories:
▪ User transaction
▪ Service development/management
▪ The user transaction category includes : accessibility, prompt turnaround, clear response policy,
interactive, and instructive these features are generally visible to the user.
▪ The service development/management category involves decisions made in creating and
maintaining the service that affect overall quality and user satisfaction, such as : authoritative,
trained experts, private, reviewed, provides access to related information, and publicized)

6. User Transaction
▪ Accessible: Digital reference services should be easily reachable and navigable by any Internet user
regardless of equipment sophistication, physical disability or language barrier
▪ Prompt Turnaround: Questions should be addressed as quickly as possible. Actual turnaround time
depends on a service's question-answer policy and available resources (e.g., staffing, funds, technology,
etc.).
▪ Clear Response Policy: Clear communication should occur either before or at the start of every digital
reference transaction in order to reduce opportunities for user confusion and inappropriate inquiries.
▪ Interactive: Digital reference services should provide opportunities for an effective reference interview,
so that users can communicate necessary information to experts and to clarify vague user questions.
▪ Instructive: Digital reference services provide access to current information and expertise. Quality
digital reference services offer more to users than straight, factual answers; they guide them in how to
formulate questions, subject knowledge, and information literacy.

7. Service Development and Management
▪ Authoritative: Experts of a digital reference service should have the necessary knowledge and
educational background in the service's given subject area or skill in order to qualify as an expert.
Specific levels of knowledge, skill and experience are determined by each service and its related
discipline or field.
▪ Trained Experts: Services should offer effective orientation or training processes to prepare
experts to respond to inquiries using clear and effective language and following service response
policies and procedures. Training of information specialists is one of the most important aspects of
planning and operating a digital reference service.
▪ Private: All communications between users and experts should be held in complete privacy.
▪ Reviewed: Digital reference services should regularly evaluate their processes and services.
Ongoing review and assessment help ensure quality, efficiency, and reliability of transactions as
well as overall user satisfaction.

8. Service Development and Management
▪ Provides access to related information: Besides offering direct response to user
questions, digital reference services should offer access to supporting resources and
information. Services can reuse results from question-answer exchanges in resources
such as archives and frequently asked questions (FAQs).
▪ Publicize: Services should inform potential users of the value that can be gained from
use of the service. A well-defined public relations plan can ensure that services are well-
publicized and promoted on a regular basis. Publicity should not create more demand
than the service has capacity to handle.

9. Benefits of Digital Reference Services
Digital reference services provide many benefits for libraries. According to Sloan
(2012), the benefits include:
▪ To provide individual assistance and instruction
▪ To provide and maintain an appropriate collection of reference resources, both
print and electronic form.
▪ To assist users locate the best sources of information.
▪ To help in marketing reference resources.

10. Benefits of Digital Reference Services
▪ To serve as a public relations representative.
▪ To help in Online Searching.
▪ To help and assist in professional activities for development and growth
▪ To help in referral process, forward the enquiry or provide the user with live links
to authoritative websites

11. Elements of digital reference service
▪ The User of the service on site or remote users
▪ The interface, in the form of an e-mail, a web form, a video
conference, chats etc
▪ A librarian or information professional
▪ Information resources, print or electronic

12. Steps for a successful digital reference service
▪ The following six steps process that libraries can follow to offer a strategic and successful digital reference
service
Informing – Be informed about the existing services within the library.
Planning – Develop procedures, methods and policies that will reflect the overall goal of the organization.
Training – Make adequate preparation to train the staff. There is need to develop a training plan for staff to
render the service. A training plan includes training materials, tools and activities for successful training.
Prototyping – Run a preliminary test of the service before its implementation. Make sure the services are pilot
tested to avoid premature failure.
Contributing – Ensure publicity and awareness program to support the service.
Evaluating – Ensure regular and proper evaluation of the service, so as to improve on the services. Ensure
regular evaluation for quality product and to gather data for continued support from the organization.

13. Requirements for the implementation of digital
reference service
▪ A clearly communicated purpose for incorporating this technology into
services.
▪ Guidelines for how and when it might be offered or suggested to patrons.
▪ Development of a pilot program to inform the staff involved in the program.
▪ Comprehensive training for staff that would be providing the service.
▪ Documentation for installing or accessing the appropriate technology both
staff and patrons.
▪ Technical support for the installation and troubleshooting of technology on staff
workstations.
▪ Publicity, sensitization and marketing for new the service.

14. Conclusion
▪ Digital reference service is an improved method of
delivering reference service to users in this technological
age where users prefer digital resources to print
resources. Information technology has affected the trend
of activities in the world, so also in the Library. The digital
reference service is not to eradicate traditional reference
but to complement it. The goal of digital reference
service is to meet the needs of a larger number of users
and to go beyond the four walls of the library