E-Mail Reference Evaluation

Abstract

E-mail reference has been utilized as a reference tool in academic libraries since the early 1980s. Today it is one of the most common media for providing digital reference service. An important aspect of providing any service is evaluating users' satisfaction levels with that service. Users of the Ask-A-Librarian e-mail reference service at a large academic library over a ten-month period voluntarily completed a seven item web-based questionnaire. The results indicated that the majority of respondents were satisfied with Ask-A-Librarian overall. This paper discusses how the library used the survey results to improve the existing service, and to implement a new one-chat reference. Reference service providers should not only ask users for feedback on existing services, but also should include them in the planning and design phase of new services. In doing so, they demonstrate their commitment to providing adequate and appropriate services to their patron community, and ultimately can save their institutions time and expense.     

Characteristics of E-Mail Reference Services in Selected Public Libraries,Victoria, Australia

SUMMARY

An analysis of 96 question and answer pairs from the Bayside Library Ask a Librarian Service found that 54 percent of the queries were received from Bayside residents. Forty-seven percent of the e-mail reference questions were classed as research queries. Although only 25.1 percent of the queries were submitted for formal education purposes, all of these were research questions, and took longer than any other category to answer. In 2001, only 6 of the 54 questions submitted were tertiary level questions, but it took a median time of 95 minutes to answer each one. The 24 general interest category questions took a median time of 47.5 minutes to answer, which is almost half the time it took to answer a tertiary level query.

Librarians from three other public libraries in Victoria offering e-mail reference were interviewed, and compared and contrasted with the Bayside Library Service.

Issues of disproportionate labour, the appearance of the passive role of the e-mail reference user, and the wisdom of public libraries devoting significant resources to answer questions for formal education were raised.     

E-Mail Reference: Improving Service by Working Cooperatively

SUMMARY

E-mail reference service provides complex challenges, but the service can be planned effectively and improved through cooperative work among reference staff and various library departments. Staff members from the Michigan State University Libraries have engaged in extensive cooperative work to evaluate, improve, and maintain effective e-mail reference services. Two library committees and an e-mail reference team have developed new service procedures, and have worked with other library departments to improve e-mail reference service. This article explores the collaborative work of the MSU committees, and discusses how e-mail reference has improved through cooperative work.     

Reference Librarianship

Abstract

Changes in the practice of Reference Librarianship as well as some practical and philosophical traits for success in this field in the 21st Century are discussed. There are brief summaries of specific elements of technological change that quite likely will have major impacts on library service delivery and some discussion of historical trends that have or have not prepared the field of librarianship to meet the demands of service in the coming decade.     

Reference Assistance to Remote Users

Abstract

This article identifies and discusses the particular information needs of the growing community of remote users of academic libraries. In addressing the practical considerations of providing reference assistance to this group, the authors concentrate on telephone and e-mail reference, the use of video technology and the World Wide Web. The article also discusses the importance of having a dedicated distance education librarian to ensure that the needs of remote library users are given high priority.     

高校图书馆参考咨询服务现状与发展的再思考

本文较细致地分析了高校图书馆参考咨询服务的现状和发展趋势,探讨了高校图书馆的参考咨询服务的发展对策。     

Reference Services in Rural Libraries

Abstract

The information age has changed libraries of all types and sizes in ways that no one could have predicted. For a rural library, though, changes have been fast and furious and have made a dramatic impact on the very nature of the library and the services the library offers. Rural libraries went from a gathering place for community activities to fully wired information centers in a matter of a few years. The article addresses what these changes mean for reference services-one of the most basic functions of a public library. While people are consuming more information than ever, will the rural library be able to keep up with this demand even with the Internet? The article explores reference services in rural public libraries, using examples from libraries in central and northern Illinois, giving consideration to the nature of reference services, how they have changed over time, and how this compares to small libraries in a metropolitan setting.     

Opportunities for Real-Time Digital Reference Service

Summary

This article explores the opportunities that real-time digital reference service can offer to a variety of library settings from the independent public library to the large multi-campus university or the multi-national corporation. There are many occasions when a real-time digital reference service will be the optimal solution for a portion of a library's reference service. The authors' goal is to offer their original ideas, and examples from the literature, that will stimulate thought about real-time digital reference services that could be offered by your libraries. The numerous ideas and examples should provide the reader with workable methods for extending the reach of reference service to under-served populations.     

Analyzing Recorded Transactions to Extrapolate the Required Knowledge,Skills, and Abilities of Reference Desk Providers at an Urban,Academic/Public Library

ABSTRACT

Much has been written about the competencies that reference providers must exhibit to be successful at their positions given today's technology-rich, information environment. Many have proclaimed new mandatory technological and attitudinal qualities for librarians, while others have interviewed future, practicing, and hiring librarians for their perspectives on this topic. This study adds to the existing literature by examining a dataset of 9,683 recorded reference transactions collected during the fall 2012 semester in an urban, academic/public library. This dataset provides a very current look at the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities that reference providers need to be successful at this library.     

Improving Reference Services Through a Library Website: Strategies for Collaborative Change

SUMMARY

Websites are virtual front doors to the university library for many distance education students and for those simply choosing to access the numerous resources available to them through the library from off-campus. A driving force behind the redesign of the library website was to provide a user-friendly, content-rich website that offers assistance at the point of need, wherever the student is located. The University of Oklahoma Libraries' Web Committee's research and development focus combined with a collaborative environment provided a positive impetus for change to the library website and improved reference services to the University community.     

Usage and User Analysis of a Real-Time Digital Reference Service

Summary

This paper presents the results of a use analysis and the results of a user survey of Bowling Green State University Libraries' “Chat with a Librarian” service for the academic year 2001-2002. When appropriate, the results are compared with the results of other libraries' services. Information examined includes when and from where users ask questions via the services, how users find out about the service, and what types of questions the users ask, the status and affiliation of the users, and user satisfaction with the service. Most of this information can be compared to findings from at least one other academic library's study of a somewhat similar service. With a few exceptions, the findings are similar from service to service.     

Merged Reference Desks in a Merged Library Environment

Abstract

A new library in San José opened on August 1, 2003. This library is the result of a unique collaboration between San José State University Library and the San José Public Library. The planning for this new library highlighted merging several key areas of operation, including Government Publications. Several years before the two libraries merged, the University Library merged government publications reference functions into the general reference service of the Reference department. Depository library status at the federal and state levels impacted the planning and implementation stages. This paper discusses the background, planning, and implementation of merging the reference service for government publications, first within an academic environment and then in the unique joint library environment.     

河南高校图书馆网上咨询服务调查分析

文章调查了河南高校图书馆网上咨询的现状，指出了存在的问题，分析了存在的问题的原因，对河南高校图书馆网上咨询的发展有一定的参考作用。     

利用E-mail建立图书馆的电子参考咨询台

介绍了在网络环境下 ,利用 E-mail建立图书馆的电子参考咨询台 ,以扩大和深化图书馆的参考咨询服务     

Telephone Calls Received at an Academic Library's Reference Desk: A New Analysis

ABSTRACT

It has been established that much of the assistance provided to library patrons at reference desks does not require the knowledge and expertise of a professional librarian. Is the same thing true of the telephone calls received at reference desks in academic libraries? This article reports the results of one academic librarian's reference desk transaction log analysis which focuses on the categories of assistance provided to patrons who called the library's reference desk.     

我国学术论文研究问题探析——基于2015-2020年图情领域CSSCI发表论文的实证研究

[目的/意义] 学术论文始于问题,探讨学术论文的研究问题,为揭示学术论文的核心内容,实现基于问题的学术论文知识发现提供参考。[方法/过程] 以2015-2020年间图书情报领域CSSCI期刊发表论文为数据源,随机抽取1 000篇论文为样本,利用内容分析法对题录信息进行统计,分析学术论文的研究问题类型、结构,归纳学术论文类型与其包含研究问题类型和数量关系,以及一篇学术论文多个研究问题的关系与结构形态。[结果/结论] 研究发现,不同类型的学术论文包含的研究问题在类型和数量上具有一定的规律性;一篇学术论文通常包含一个以上的研究问题,研究问题个数与问题导向个数具有相关性;一篇学术论文内部研究问题间具有因果、递进等关系,呈现线性、树状、网状的结构形态。