Digital Reference: Issues, Implications, & Impressions

Roy TennantCalifornia Digital Library

An Explanation...

I support digital, global, 24x7 reference efforts

I will focus on issues and possible problems so that we are better prepared to avoid or deal with them

Got it?

Outline

Email Reference IssuesReal-Time Digital Reference Issues24x7 Reference IssuesGlobal Reference IssuesGeneral IssuesWinning StrategiesRisks of FailureImplications of Success

Email Reference Issues

No visual cuesTime delayDifficulty in conducting a reference

interview

Real-Time Digital Reference Issues

No visual cues Not everyone is articulate (or fast) at a

keyboardIt is difficult to say “look at this” for print

materialsIt may be more difficult to keep the patron

happy (busy) while we try to find the answer to the question (remember, no visual cues)

24x7 Reference IssuesIf in the same time zone, who wants to work the

graveyard shift?If not the same time zone, good coordination,

planning and management across state and country boundaries is essential, and …

Equity issues will arise: will we answer more questions than they do?; does it cost more in Australian $ to answer a question than in US $? Will our local users suffer?

Global Reference Issues

Different cultural backgroundsLanguage differencesReference tool differencesMundane but frustrating issues: paper

sizes, etc.Patron/Librarian disconnect — patron

assuming proximity of the librarian

Global Reference Issues cont’d

We know less about other countries than they know about us (and television is only partly to blame)

A little test: what office holds executive power in Australia?

So how are we to help their patrons?The U.S. is idiosyncratic (does “metric

system” ring any bells?) and myopic and we’d better figure out how to deal with it

General Issues

Not all reference is created equalBut…some is better than none

Winning Strategies

Establish protocols (what to answer, when and how to refer, etc.)

Create a common digital “ready reference” collection for digital reference librarians

Create a “fail-over” methodologyTrain all participants & offer

cross-training/fellowships Academic libraries may be most successful with

subject-based reference networks

Winning Strategies cont’d

Create or use an existing directory of reference network member library web sites and catalogs (e.g., http://www.libdex.com/)

Create cheat sheets for searching catalog systems of member sites, common databases, etc.

Set up librarian workstations to scan and share pages from print materials

Create “instant consoles”

The “Instant Console”

Patron is linked to home library by entering patron number or some other identifier when asking a question

When the request comes in, the librarian automatically sees the console for that library (created by local staff)

The console includes search boxes for the library’s catalog and web (or links) and links to key resources

Risks of Failure

It will be more difficult to try againOthers now in the online question-

answering space will have more time to solidify their hold

Our users needs will continue to go unfulfilled

We’ll look stupid! (just kidding…)

Implications of Success

Patron expectations will exceed our ability to deliver (so what else is new?): Any book, any time, anywhere, at little or no

cost

There will be no going back