WebJunction

For May 2006 we highlight some of the rich resources from the Virtual Reference Desk project that are now available on WebJunction in the Virtual Reference area. In particular we've selected several presentations from the 2005 7th Annual Virtual Reference Desk Conference. Presentations from many previous Virtual Reference Desk Conferences are also available as well as a variety of evaluation and research papers, and technical standards.

We also touch on two approaches to virtual reference service: using instant messaging for virtual reference and participating in a virtual reference consortium. These reflect two different, and possibly complementary ways to help your patrons online.

7th Annual Virtual Reference Desk Conference

Using Instant Messaging for Virtual Reference

You Are Not Alone: Virtual Reference Consortiums

7th Annual Virtual Reference Desk Conference
The complete 2005 7th Annual Virtual Reference Desk Conference presentations are available here. To tempt you to browse through the full conference here is a sampler: (All of the conference presentations and handouts are available as downloadable PDF files.)

Listen to Their Pleas(e)! Customer Service Online
Buff Hirko, of the Washington State Library shares ways to improve the online reference experience for everyone, both patrons and staff. You can access her presentation, resources handout, and quotes from patrons and staff.

Choose Your Chat Adventure: Anytime, Anywhere Answers
In this handout Buff Hirko and Mary Ross share resources used by Washington State Library in their virtual reference training.

"Hurry! Hurry! r u dum? *#%@!"
Have you encountered inappropriate use of your virtual reference service? Jack Maness and Sarah Naper discuss how inappropriate use can be defined and how to reduce it. Their work is based on a study of inappropriate use of AskColorado, a statewide, multi-type library virtual reference service. Take a look at their presentation and handout.

Using Instant Messaging for Virtual Reference
This has become a hot, and sometimes hotly contested, topic in virtual reference circles. Some make the case for using free commercial instant messaging services for virtual reference as a replacement for tools and services designed specifically for VR. And others have pointed to its drawbacks, especially as compared to consortium based services. But most advocates point to instant messaging as an important tool, especially for reaching young patrons. They also note that it is a way a small library with limited resources can quickly add a chat-based component to its reference service. This is especially true for libraries without access to an affordable virtual reference consortium.

Sarah Houghton, also know as the Librarian in Black, is a convincing advocate for reaching patrons and building online communities though chat services that people use every day. See her article, U R the Best: Community Building through Chat.

Sarah also presented her take on traditional virtual reference tools versus instant messaging at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference:
Heavyweights Beware: Alternatives to Traditional Virtual Reference Products.

Here are a few more presentations from the Virtual Reference Desk Conference on instant messaging:

IM Working with Trillian

r u there?: Adding Instant Messaging to an Established Virtual Reference Service

A Tale of Two Screen Names: How IM is Changing Virtual Reference at UNC-Chapel Hill

Want a place to start for practical guidance in developing an instant message based reference service for your library? Take a look at the Online Reference page in Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki.

You Are Not Alone: Virtual Reference Consortiums
One solution to the staffing and cost challenges of providing virtual reference service-especially if your goal is to provide round-the-clock service to all patrons-is to join a virtual reference consortium. Start with your state library or other networks or systems that include your library. Here are some examples of active consortia:

AskNow (California)
http://www.asknow.org/
AskNow is a project of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System and the California State Library. Find out more here:
http://www.asknow.org/about.cfm

AskColorado
http://www.askcolorado.org/
AskColorado is a project of the Colorado State Library and participating Colorado libraries. Information about the project is available here:
http://www.askcolorado.org/info/about.html

InfoAnyTime (Connecticut)
http://www.infoanytime.org/
InfoAnyTime is a virtual reference service for Connecticut libraries, managed by the Connecticut Library Consortium. Details are available here:
http://www.ctlibrarians.org/services/infoanytime.html

Please note that these are just examples-to find out what consortia might be available to your library, please check with your state library and other networks that include your library.

The LISWiki  provides a longer list of libraries that provide chat reference services, including some state library and other consortia-based services. (But it is not a complete list either.)

Don't have a virtual reference consortium? Start your own! Judy Trump and Morrisey Locke show how the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities launched its own virtual reference service with 19 participating libraries across the country in their Virtual Reference Desk Conference Presentation:
Virtual Reference Service: Starting Your Own Consortium in Less Than Six Months.