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A Case Study of AskERIC Reference Specialists' Transition from E-mail to Live Reference
As more libraries begin to offer real-time chat reference services, it will be necessary to teach reference specialists how to adjust to this environment. This presentation looks at the transition from e-mail to live chat reference among AskERIC staff. Topics include the results of a staff survey on attitudes and experience with digital reference service, and a summary of the interview and exchange process from the review of over 1,000 chat sessions.
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Asking Questions in the Digital Library: Can Users Define a VR Service?
As more digital reference services come online, librarians are defining the services to be offered. But can librarians infer user expectations of an online reference service from the opening statements and questions users make as they begin a transaction? This session presents an inventory of opening statement elements from 877 virtual reference transcripts.
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Automatic Question Answering in the Aerospace Domain: Technical Reference Using Dynamic Searches
This presentation discusses a Q&A system funded by NASA and AT&T for use by undergraduates majoring in aeronautical engineering. Students are able to ask "how" and "why" questions of the system, which in turn dynamically searches a predetermined selection of relevant textbooks, technical papers, and Web sites for the answers.
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Birds of a Feather: Subject-Based Consortia for Virtual Reference
What if virtual reference consortia could share subject expertise rather than geographic contiguity? This presentation explores the idea of creating consortia along subject-specific lines instead of institution-specific lines.
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Bring It All Together: Training for Integrating Electronic Reference
One of the greatest challenges facing libraries today is seamlessly integrating electronic reference into existing reverence services. This presentation describes a training program for librarians created by the University of California, Irvine Libraries.
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Characterization of Volunteer Expertise Within the Internet Public Library Reference Service
The results of a study to characterize the level of expertise and subject specialization among Internet Public Library (IPL) volunteers is presented, and a question routing model based upon behavioral characteristics of the volunteer population is proposed.
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Chat Software: Open Source or Commercial?
What are the issues involved in deciding to use either open source or commercial software for a chat service? This presentation looks at one academic library that is involved in both: open source software used for a local service that has been offered for two years, and commercial software used for an academic statewide consortia that has been in place for a few months.
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Collaborative Reference Software: A Managed Solution
Ask A Question is a cross-sectoral, collaborative, digital reference service, serving clients of 15 post-secondary libraries and most public libraries in Alberta. It was developed entirely with open source tools.
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Collaborative Reference Software: A Managed Solution: AAQ Handout
The Ask A Question Collaborative Virtual Reference Service provides asynchronous digital reference to clients of participating post-secondary libraries and to clients of Alberta public libraries. Although the service is integrated into a single software application (AAQ3), a different service objective and registration process governs each sector. This handout provides introductory information regarding System Facts, Service Objectives, Patron Registration, Software Functionality, Staff and Coordinator functions, Collaboration, Staffing, Training, Staff Support and Statistics.
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Creating a Preferred Future
The theme of the VRD 2002 Conference is "Toward a Preferred Future," but in reality, how exactly does an organization identify its preferred future? This paper examines the essentials of the "preferred futuring process": what the process is, how it differs, but also how it fits into traditional strategic planning. The paper includes ideas for how service providers can use preferred futuring to jumpstart their planning processes.
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Cross-Continent Chat Collaboration: Cornell University - University of Washington
This presentation discusses the planning, preparation, and training involved in the implementation of a collaborative, real-time, online reference service between Cornell University in New York state and the University of Washington in Seattle.
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Cross-Continent Chat Collaboration: Cornell University - University of Washington: Handout
This checklist provides tips and suggestions for chat collaboration.
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Evaluation of Chat-Based Reference Service
This presentation reports on a pilot study undertaken to evaluate the service provided in chat-based reference services. Topics include the factors that influence the quality of service and how the quality of responses and service can be measured. The presentation focuses primarily on the study's methodology and a model of chat-based reference, rather than actual research findings, although the findings are mentioned briefly.
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Forging a Real-time Reference Relationship with High Schools
This presentation discusses an online chat reference and outreach service to high school students and teachers that offers assistance with research and basic reference requests. Topics include the project's background and implementation, as well as software selection and maintenance.
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Future of Reference: The View from a Professional Association
This presentation discusses how ALA's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is shaping the future of reference services, both virtual and traditional. Also included are examples of the kinds of research publications and discussions that are in progress.
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Future of Reference: The View from a Professional Association: Paper
This paper discusses what RUSA has done and is doing about the future of reference. Other topics include the role that professional associations have in general and what they can and cannot do.
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Impact and Opportunity of Digital Reference in Primary and Secondary Education
It has been proposed that the inclusion of scientists, mathematicians, authors, and other experts in the classroom through the Internet can motivate students and enrich the education process. This presentation discusses what is currently known about digital reference in the classroom, and what questions need to be addressed to further our understanding of digital reference in service of education.
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Integrating Digital Reference into the Digital Library Environment
The difference between a digital library and a library with which a digital reference service is affiliated will be discussed, and digital reference in these contexts is defined. There are several issues involved in integrating digital reference service into a digital library environment, but two that are unique to the intersection between digital libraries and digital reference: collection development of previously-answered questions, and presentation of specialized subsets of the materials in the digital library's collection. This presentation explores both issues.
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Introduction: Charting the Course of Reference: Toward a Preferred Future
Opening comments for VRD 2002 Conference.
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Legal Issues in Digital Reference
This presentation identifies digital reference legal issues, summarizes results from preliminary surveys, and describes next steps towards developing guidelines and best practices for all parties involved in digital reference processes and services.
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