Student workers are a well-established component of academic library operations. Recently, their traditional role has expanded to include responsibilities that were previously assigned to librarians, including in-person and virtual reference support. This trend has raised concerns about service quality and highlighted the importance of adequate…

What could bring more change to an online library than going from a federated to a discovery search system? Not much! This paper will share what was learned about initiating and implementing an important change that ultimately impacts a variety of stakeholders, and the importance of collaboration between library personnel at all levels of an…

This report presents tabulations for the 2012 Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) conducted by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the Institute of Education Sciences. The 2012 ALS population included postsecondary institutions with all of the following: total library expenditures that exceed…

The purpose of this study was to measure the degree to which academic libraries or library staff members throughout the United States adhere to the Guidelines for Virtual Reference Services provided by the Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). The results of the study were analyzed to identify specific areas where improvement is needed…

The University of Texas at Arlington's Library began using an online chat reference in 2002. The service, called Collaborative Digital Reference Service, later became "Ask a Librarian." Slightly over one year later, the library joined the University of Texas System's "Ask a Librarian" service. Both services are powered by…

Discusses results of a study that produced a preliminary sense of reference librarians' experiences in adapting reference practice to the digital environment, and described their own views about digital reference. Considers reference interviews, digital reference service quality and standards, and types of questions best suited to digital…

This guide discusses the essentials of live virtual reference, preparing for virtual reference, and implementing and incorporating virtual reference. Chapter 1, "Understanding Live Virtual Reference," lays out what virtual reference is and how it compares to other forms of reference. Chapter 2, "Offering Live Virtual Reference," presents ten…

This book on digital reference services begins with an introduction entitled "The Foundations of Digital Reference" (R. David Lankes). Part 1, "The New Reference Culture: Traits and Trends," includes the following papers: "Why Reference Is about To Change Forever (but Not Completely)" (Joseph Janes);…

As players in the delivery of services and online information, libraries are in the best position to use staff expertise and the technology they have developed to foster community awareness of social, professional and commercial interactions on the internet. Historically, libraries have been progressive institutions, undertaking constant…

Working in a cooperative team environment across libraries and job classifications, librarians and support staff at the University of California at Irvine (UCI) have mounted several successful web projects, including two versions of the Libraries' home page, a virtual reference collection, and Science Library "ANTswer Machine." UCI's…

Reviews the use of chat reference services in libraries and analyzes current trends. Highlights include a survey of libraries providing chat reference; software used; the move toward digital reference; institutional issues; user needs; staff needs; technology problems; and questions for further research. (LRW)

This study uses virtual reference transcripts for which patrons completed exit surveys to seek any correlations between user and librarian satisfaction within virtual reference transactions. By analyzing transcripts with a focus on three elements-technology performance, preferred reference practices, and the demonstrated communication levels of…

Describes changes in services of the United Technologies Corporation Information Network from a traditional library system to a virtual system of World Wide Web sites, a document-delivery unit, telephone and e-mail reference, and desktop technical support to provide remote access. Staff time, security, and licensing issues are addressed.…

Discusses the cost of access to research information and suggests that lower staff costs in a digital library setting are a key to providing more affordable access. Topics include equivalent library services; quality of service; differences between disciplines; archiving and preservation; citations, hyperlinks, and reference linking; metadata;…

Discusses changes in distance education and considers the resulting need for new types of library services. Topics include new Web-based contact center software; how to conduct virtual reference interviews; online reference service; the role of the physical library; staffing changes; and future possibilities, including impacts on costs of library…