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PLA National Conference
Minneapolis, MNMarch 25-29, 2008
Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in
Collaborative VR
Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in
Collaborative VR
Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.
Panel:Best Practices in
Cooperative Virtual Reference
Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives
Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives
Project duration
• 10/1/2005-3/30/2008
Four phases:
• Focus group interviews*
• Analysis of 850 QuestionPoint transcripts
• 496 online surveys*
• 283 telephone interviews*
* Interviews & Surveys with VRS Users, Non-users, & Librarians
Librarian VRS Providers: DemographicsLibrarian VRS Providers: Demographics
175 Online Surveys:
• Majority female & Caucasian
• Academic librarians outnumber public librarians
• More urban than suburban or rural
• Most 41-50 years old
100 Telephone Interviews:
• Majority female & Caucasian
• Public librarians outnumber academic librarians
• More urban than suburban or rural
• Most 31-50 years old
Recommendations for
Cooperative
Virtual Reference
Services
Research Findings: Cooperative VRSResearch Findings: Cooperative VRS
•Survey respondents (N=175): Eliminates geographic boundaries (96%)
•Focus group interview participants
• “Virtual umbrella”
• Provides “dissolution of the boundary.”
Recommendations: Cooperative VRSRecommendations: Cooperative VRS
DAZZLE ‘EM (FROM A DISTANCE)
• ADVERTIZE COOPERATION
• PROMOTE GLOBAL/LOCAL PRESENCE
• SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD RAPPORT
Research Findings: Cooperative VRSResearch Findings: Cooperative VRS
What is Reported to be Difficult?
More public librarians than academic librarians experience difficulty answering questions from different geographic areas
• Working in a consortium (38%)
• Different libraries and policies
• Working with database access rights (18%)
Recommendations : Cooperative VRSRecommendations : Cooperative VRS
OVERCOME BOUNDARIES & HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF REMOTE ACCESS ISSUES
• DON’T TEASE OR BAIT AND SWITCH
• GUIDE USERS BEYOND CONSORTIAL
LIMITS
Research Findings: Cooperative VRSResearch Findings: Cooperative VRS
Survey Respondents (N=175):
• Consistently rated chat second only to FtF
• Satisfaction in a successful encounter very high (71%)
• Users’ satisfaction in a successful encounter very high (65%)
• Ability to provide reference excellent or very good (>50%)
Recommendations: Cooperative VRSRecommendations: Cooperative VRS
DEVELOP & SHARE EXPECTATIONS
EXCEED EXPECTATIONS
AIM FOR EXCELLENT SERVICE & CULTIVATE REPEAT USERS
Recommendations for
Individual VRS Providers
Librarians &
Staff
Research Findings: VRS LibrariansResearch Findings: VRS Librarians
Challenges Reported in Online Survey (N=175)
• User impatience (79%)
• Negative encounters in critical incidents (N=173)
• Unrealistically high user expectations (47%)
• Homework help (17%)
Rarely or never experience
• Prank questions (46%)
• Inappropriate language (60%)
• Inappropriate questions (50%)
• Rude users (50%)
Research Findings: VRS LibrariansResearch Findings: VRS Librarians
BUT Survey Respondents
rated VRS second to FtF for users
saying “thanks”
Recommendations: VRS LibrariansRecommendations: VRS Librarians
START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT!
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
• MAINTAIN A PROFESSIONAL TONE
• BE YOURSELF
Research Findings: VRS LibrariansResearch Findings: VRS Librarians
Positive Online Survey Critical Incidents (N=173)
Query clarification & reference interview (19%)
•Challenge - Nonverbal cues missing (83%)
• Information Literacy instruction (15%)
Recommendations: VRS LibrariansRecommendations: VRS Librarians
DO NOT DISMISS QUESTIONS OUT
OF HAND
CLARIFY THE QUESTION
Research Findings: VRS LibrariansResearch Findings: VRS Librarians
Positive Online Survey Critical Incidents (N=175)
VRS is especially good in providing:
• Specific resources (62%)
• Database searches for articles (26%)
• Specific websites (86%)
VRS is less effective in providing:
• Technical support (11%)
• Library policy info. (11%)
Recommendations: VRS LibrariansRecommendations: VRS Librarians
INCREASE ACCURACY –
ANSWER THE SPECIFIC QUESTION
PROVIDE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES
Research Findings: VRS LibrariansResearch Findings: VRS Librarians
Online Survey (N=175)
•VRS is “good” in ability to refer users to subject specialists
•Challenge – Disappearing users (88% reported)
• Public librarians report even higher incidence of disappearing users
• But… all able to handle such challenges (ability
excellent or very good).
Recommendations: VRS LibrariansRecommendations: VRS Librarians
MANAGE COMPLEX OR MULTIPLE QUERIES
• REFER COMPLEX QUESTIONS
THEY DISAPPEARED?
COMPLETE INQUIRY
ANYWAY
End NotesEnd Notes
This is one outcome from the project, Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives, Marie L. Radford & Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Co-Principal Investigators.
Funded by IMLS, Rutgers University and OCLC, Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
Special thanks to Patrick Confer, Timothy J. Dickey, Jocelyn DeAngelis Williams, & Janet Torsney.
These slides available at project website: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/synchronicity/
Questions & CommentsQuestions & Comments
Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D.
• Email: [email protected]
• www.oclc.org/research/staff/connaway.htm
Marie L. Radford, Ph.D.
• Email: [email protected]
• www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mradford