Are virtual reference services color blind? |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 1760 Haygood Drive, HSRB E-384, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;2. Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA;3. Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA;1. Institute of Basic Research of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, Liaoning, China;2. The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China;3. College of Basic Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China;4. Department of Cardiology, Dalian Second People''s Hospital, Dalian 116011, Liaoning, China |
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| Abstract: | This study reports an experiment that examines whether librarians provide equitable virtual reference services to diverse user groups. The relative absence of social cues in the virtual environment may mean greater equality of services though at the same time greater inequalities may arise as librarians can become less self-aware online. Findings indicate that the quality of service librarians provide to African Americans and Arabs is lower than the quality of service they provide to Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish students. This study adds to the knowledge of subjective bias in the virtual environment by specifying those that are discriminated against online, identifying the kinds of discriminatory actions of virtual reference librarians, and identifying the type of queries that more frequently result in unbiased service. |
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