The Tele-Reference Model

Abstract

At the University of Central Florida Libraries, a new alternative to traditional reference service was adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic as a remote solution for safely staffing the Research and Information Desk (RAID) at the John C. Hitt Library. Due to the challenges of a partial library re-opening at the height of COVID-19 variant infection rates in Florida, a safe alternative to physically staffing RAID was conceived and coined “Tele-Reference.” Utilizing a Zoom institutional license and readily available work equipment with audio and video capabilities, the Tele-Reference service model was developed by our research and information services librarians. The implementation, challenges, assessment, and future directions of using Tele-Reference at the University of Central Florida Libraries, as well as possible applications at other institutions, are explored herein.