Delivering Virtual Reference Services on the Web: An Investigation into the Current Practice by Academic Libraries

Yang, Sharon; Dalal, Heather

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.10.003

Cited by 40 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…A recent study of 100 academic libraries shows that 85% offered synchronous chat‐based VRS (Mu, Dimitroff, Jordan, & Burclaff, ). Another study shows that 47.5 percent of libraries in their sample of 362 libraries offered online chat VRS (Yang & Dalal, , p. 371). VRS are now incorporating other forms of synchronous interaction with patrons including SMS text messaging and video chat.…”

Section: Virtual Reference Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Texts as actions: Requests in online chats between reference librarians and library patrons

Zemel

2017

Asso for Info Science & Tech

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Virtual reference services provide opportunities for library patrons to produce requests of reference librarians through quasi‐synchronous computer‐mediated exchanges in which requests and deliverables are produced as online textual objects. Text postings only become the actions they perform, such as an information request or deliverable, through the recipient's work of reading. Text postings thus are designed for their recipients and are built in ways that instruct particular readings. In this paper, I show that patron requests are interactional achievements co‐constituted by librarians and patrons through the exchange of text postings that are designed to be seen as requests. The Reference and User Services Association offers guidelines for online interactions between librarians and patrons. However, such guidelines provide only general recommendations by which librarians may overcome difficulties in identifying the specific information needs of patrons. I examine actual chat logs of virtual reference interactions and describe how librarians engage with patrons to co‐construct actionable requests to specify and fulfill patron information needs. Conversation analytic methods are used to identify the way texts are produced to instruct recipients in the ways they are to be read and how these texts serve, through reading's work, as an analysis of the actions prior texts perform.

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Section: Virtual Reference Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Texts as actions: Requests in online chats between reference librarians and library patrons

Zemel

2017

Asso for Info Science & Tech

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“…Chat reference has become increasingly common since its inception in the mid-1990s, and is now an integral part of library reference services (Radford & Kern, 2006). A study by Yang and Dalal (2015) found that 48% of college and university libraries in North America offer a chat service. Almost a quarter of these libraries provide chat service through a consortium, and the trend toward collaboration is increasing (Pomerantz, 2006;Yang & Dalal, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study by Yang and Dalal (2015) found that 48% of college and university libraries in North America offer a chat service. Almost a quarter of these libraries provide chat service through a consortium, and the trend toward collaboration is increasing (Pomerantz, 2006;Yang & Dalal, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Users, Consortial Providers: Seeking Points of Dissatisfaction with a Collaborative Virtual Reference Service

Barrett¹,

Pagotto²

2019

EBLIP

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Abstract Objective – Researchers at an academic library consortium examined whether the service model, staffing choices, and policies of its chat reference service were associated with user dissatisfaction, aiming to identify areas where the collaboration is successful and areas which could be improved. Methods – The researchers examined transcripts, metadata, and survey results from 473 chat interactions originating from 13 universities between June and December 2016. Transcripts were coded for user, operator, and question type; mismatches between the chat operator and user’s institutions, and reveals of such a mismatch; how busy the shift was; proximity to the end of a shift or service closure; and reveals of such aspects of scheduling. Chi-square tests and a binary logistic regression were performed to compare variables to user dissatisfaction. Results – There were no significant relationships between user dissatisfaction and user type, question type, institutional mismatch, busy shifts, chats initiated near the end of a shift or service closure time, or reveals about aspects of scheduling. However, revealing an institutional mismatch was correlated with user dissatisfaction. Operator type was also a significant variable; users expressed less dissatisfaction with graduate student staff hired by the consortium. Conclusions – The study largely reaffirmed the consortium’s service model, staffing practices, and policies. Users are not dissatisfied with the service received from chat operators at partner institutions, or by service provided by non-librarians. Current policies for scheduling, handling shift changes, and service closure are appropriate, but best practices related to disclosing institutional mismatches may need to be changed. This exercise demonstrates that institutions can trust the consortium with their local users’ needs, and underscores the need for periodic service review.

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“…Yet while studies abound on almost all aspects of reference, few consider reference services specifically at liberal arts institutions. Institution type has been identified as a possible factor in reference trends (Applegate, 2008;Yang & Dalal, 2015), so the dearth of research on liberal arts reference is a significant gap in the literature. This study addresses that gap through a survey of a group of liberal arts libraries in the United States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference services in liberal arts libraries

Oxford

2016

newlibs

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This study addresses a gap in the literature regarding reference services at liberal arts institutions. The author conducted a literature review to examine the existing body of research on reference services and distributed a survey to the 80 member libraries of the Oberlin Group in February 2015. The study found that a wide range of reference practices are in place at liberal arts libraries and focused especially on the use of a designated reference desk, which is widespread. However, there is a correlation between higher librarian satisfaction with reference services and the absence of a desk. Comments from respondents are included in the discussion and reflect common themes around reference services. Some limitations of the study include its small sample size and conflicting responses from librarians at the same institution. Nevertheless, this article provides a starting point for further research into liberal arts reference. The factors relating to librarian satisfaction, the themes running through the comments, and the trends discussed in the literature review may be relevant for determining the most effective reference model at any institution.

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Delivering Virtual Reference Services on the Web: An Investigation into the Current Practice by Academic Libraries

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Texts as actions: Requests in online chats between reference librarians and library patrons

Texts as actions: Requests in online chats between reference librarians and library patrons

Local Users, Consortial Providers: Seeking Points of Dissatisfaction with a Collaborative Virtual Reference Service

Reference services in liberal arts libraries

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