Another Bridge Across the Access to Justice Gap: LII's Virtual Reference Desk

The Legal Information Institute (LII) has been at the forefront of access to justice for 25 years as the first organization to publish online the United States Code. More than just publishing the law online, the LII has been the leader in helping people find and understand the law since 1992, through innovative technologies they've created or employed for use with their collections and through partnerships with other like-minded organizations, groups, and individuals. Two decades later, the LII was inspired to help more people trying to find and understand the law. This summer will mark the third anniversary of the LII's virtual Reference Desk.     

Collaboration: The Key to Unlocking the Dilemma of Distance Reference Services

SUMMARY

Distant education offerings are growing at a phenomenal rate for academic institutions, creating new groups of library users that are remote from the main campus with unique library and research needs. Recent studies examining the needs of this unique and growing population note that reference and research assistance are key services needed. Many institutions have appointed or hired distance education librarians to help provide services to distant learners. They are often, however, one-person operations that function more as coordinators rather than full-service providers. Since the coordinator cannot provide all of the reference services alone, the key to providing these services for distant education students is to create and sustain good working relationships both in the library and with external entities. Offerings to distance students include phone reference and accessibility to online resources, plus virtual reference and often 24/7 services. This article will examine issues and experiences in bringing together different groups to provide reference services to distant learning communities. It will also describe key relationships necessary for keeping distance reference services at an optimal level.     

Click and Be Counted: A New Standard for Reference Statistics

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the National Information Standards Organization's new standard, NISO Z39.7-2004, which includes the reporting of the usage of library-generated Web pages and e-mail, live chat, and instant messaging reference queries. The integration of statistics on these new methods of providing service with traditional library statistics provides a more accurate picture of library services and demonstrates how libraries have expanded types of patron contacts in the digital age. This article also discusses the statistical reporting of individual reference queries handled away from the reference desk (e.g., in individual librarians' offices).