M. Kathleen Kern, MSLIS, is the digital ser­vices coordinator in central reference ser­vices at the
University of Illinois at Urbana. She co-manages the library’s virtual reference ser­vice, which has
offered chat since 2001 and instant messaging since 2005. She is a past chair of RUSA’s Machine
Assisted Reference Section (MARS) within ALA and co-chaired the committee that authored
the Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Ser­vices. Her interests are
assessment of library ser­vices and integration of virtual reference with more traditional reference
ser­vices.
While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the
publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and does
not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or
omissions in this publication.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. ∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kern, M. Kathleen.
Virtual reference best practices : tailoring ser­vices to your library / M. Kathleen Kern.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8389-0975-1 (alk. paper)
1. Electronic reference ser­vices (Libraries) I. Title.
Z711.45K47 2009
025.5'2—dc22
2008015379
Copyright © 2009 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0975-1
Printed in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09
5 4 3 2 1
contents
Acknowledgments v
Introduction vii
1 Defining Virtual Reference 1
2 Implementing Virtual Reference: Is It the Right Thing, Right Now? 5
3 Who Are We Doing This For? 15
4 Buy-in: Gaining Commitment and Support 22
5 Policies: Setting Expectations of Who, When, and What 32
6 Selecting Software 46
7 Communication: Do I Have to Learn a New Language? 61
8 Determining a Staffing Model 72
9 Assessing the Costs: Budgeting for Virtual Reference 83
10 Collaborative Virtual Reference 88
11 Aspects of Training 97
12 Marketing Your Virtual Reference Ser­vice 104
13 Assessment and Evaluation: How Are We Doing? 109
14 The Road Ahead: Next Steps and Emerging Technologies 120
iii
iv contents
Appendixes
A Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual
Reference Ser­vices 127
B Market Assessment 135
C Preparing for Virtual Reference: A Checklist 139
Index 143
C h ap t e r 1
Defining Virtual
Reference
Y
ou probably have read and heard several different terms that are related to virtual ref­
er­ence—or that you think may be related to virtual reference. I cannot set standard no­
menclature, but there are some terms I prefer and use consistently throughout this book.
Most of my preferences are based on a long history with this area of reference, working
on the VR Guidelines, and involvement with the Virtual Reference Desk Conference.
Terms in This Book
Virtual Reference
This is the first definition listed because virtual reference is the central concept of this book (see
figure 1-1). The definition below is from the VR Guidelines. It is a good definition that is as
accurate today as it was when it was written in 2004:
Virtual reference is reference ser­vice initiated electronically, often in real-time, where
patrons employ computers or other Internet technology to communicate with reference
staff, without being physically present. Communication channels used frequently in virtual
reference include chat, videoconferencing, Voice over IP, co-browsing, e-mail, and instant
messaging.
In practice, sometimes librarians say “virtual reference” when they are talking specifically about
chat, or IM, or e-mail. Virtual reference is a concept apart from the technology that supports it, so
when someone says “virtual reference” they could be referring to any number of technologies. I’ve
read articles supposedly about virtual reference that turned out—halfway through the article—to
be about e-mail only. To avoid such confusion in these pages, I am specific when it is needed: if
a section is only about e-mail or only about chat, then that is the term I use. If a decision point
is relevant only to e-mail, I specify e-mail. When I use the term virtual reference, it is because the
concept being explored pertains to any virtual ser­vice.
1
2 defining vir tual reference
Figure 1-1 Tools for virtual reference
Virtual Reference
?
x
Emerging technologies
Email
Chat
x
Instant Messaging
Voice-over-IP
x
Chat (vendor-based)
Videoconferencing
Chat
Chat can be accomplished by using different types of software, but the distinguishing characteristics
are the “live” (real-time or synchronous) nature of the communication and that it is electronically
facilitated, generally using typed text transmitted computer to computer.
If you were reading this sentence on your computer screen while I was keyboarding it on my
laptop, that would be chatting. Chat is a two-way communication, so you would be able to type a
message back to me that I would be reading right now.
When I use the term chat, I am referring to synchronous virtual communication, commercial
chat software, or instant messaging.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging is quite similar to chat in that it is text-based and computer-facilitated. The
difference is in the software used. These differences are explored in more detail in chapter 6.
defining vir tual reference 3
If I am writing specifically about instant messaging, and not about other chat software, then I
use the terms IM or instant messaging.
Collaborative Virtual Reference
Collaborative virtual reference is a joint venture between two or more libraries to offer a single or
shared virtual reference ser­vice to their patrons. There are many types of consortial arrangements,
which I review in chapter 10. You may also see this referred to as cooperative virtual reference
elsewhere, but I stick to one term.
E-mail
E-mail is the most common and oldest of the virtual reference communication tools. Libraries have
been using e-mail for reference ser­vice for more than twenty years. E-mail allows users to send a
message any time to a person who may or may not be online at the same time. The message will
be read some time after it has been sent, so in this sense back-and-forth e-mail communication is
similar to letters written on paper (but without as long a delivery delay). E-mail is, therefore, an
asynchronous ser­vice.
Synchronous Virtual Reference
Synchronous virtual reference can refer to chat, IM, videoconferencing—any computer-mediated
communication that occurs in real time. Although accurate, it is a cumbersome term. Usually, when
I am writing about synchronous virtual ser­vices I use chat as the generic term.
Asynchronous Virtual Reference
Asynchronous virtual reference refers to computer-mediated communication that is sent by one
person and received at a different time by the recipient. This includes e-mail and text messaging. In
this book, I most frequently use the more specific terms e-mail or text messaging.
VR Guidelines
There are many guidelines, but the guidelines for this book are the Guidelines for Implementing and
Maintaining Virtual Reference Ser­vices, the VR Guidelines. These were published by the Reference
and User Ser­vices Association of the American Library Association in 2004.
Other guidelines may be of interest, such as those from IFLA, the International Federation of
Library Associations. Some are listed at the end of appendix A.
Text Messaging
Text messaging is communication via text to or from a mobile phone. The text may be received
by a user with another mobile phone, or it can be sent to e-mail or even an IM account. This
interoperability allows users with different preferences and electronic devices to send and receive
text. It is typically limited to 160 characters (see SMS, below).
4 defining vir tual reference
SMS
SMS, or Short Message Ser­vice, is text transmitted to or from a digital mobile phone. See Text
Messaging, above. The SMS protocol limits the length of an individual message to 160 characters,
including spaces.
To give you a sense of how many characters there are in a typical paragraph, the above definition
is 212 characters.
Vendor-Based Chat
Vendor-based chat is a term used to distinguish between virtual reference that uses chat software
(which is most often purchased from a vendor) and that which uses software and ser­vices based on
use of IM. There is more detail on this topic in chapter 6.
Videoconferencing or Videochat
Videochat includes transmission of a live video of each person (provided both have the necessary
camera hardware) along with the typed text. It can be combined with VoIP (Voice-over-Internet
Protocol ) so that both picture and sound are sent via computer. Videoconferencing is the more
traditional telephone plus video, which requires rather unique equipment on both ends of the
communication. A few libraries have forayed into this area of service.
Terms Not Used in This Book
Digital Reference
Digital reference is another term used for the concept of virtual reference, and they are often used
synonymously. Digital reference seems to have been more popular several years ago, with virtual
reference the more common term now. I do not use digital reference because it is open to confusion
with the digital resources that libraries use. So, you won’t see the term digital reference in this book,
but you will encounter it in other things written about virtual reference.
Electronic Reference
This term is even more ambiguous than digital reference. The most common use of electronic reference
is when talking about online resources such as electronic encyclopedias. Be aware that some writers
may use this as a synonym for virtual reference; you will need to ascertain meaning from context.
index
Note: Page numbers in italics indicate
the VR Guidelines in appendix A.
B
A
abbreviations in online chat, 64–65
access services department, 25
access to information and patron verification policies, 33,
35
accessibility to handicapped users, 55, 132
acquisitions staff. See collection development staff
administration
commitment from, 23
in consortia, 96
training for, 103
in VR guidelines, 128
advertising, 86, 106, 108
after-hours service
software, 50
staffing, 79, 89
Alliance Library System (Ill.), 122
alumni as target audience, 19
American University, 89, 92, 107
Ann Arbor Public Library, 117
approachability of librarian, 65–66
Ask a Librarian, 59, 106–107
AskAway Illinois collaborative, 90
assessment and evaluation, 109–117
and consortia, 90
in context of other services, 110–111
defining success in, 111–112
methods of, 112–113
tools for, 57–58
unexpected results in, 115–117
in VR guidelines, 128, 133
assessment plan, sample, 116
asynchronous virtual reference
definition, 3
software for, 46, 49
See also e-mail; text messaging
attractiveness of website, 66
audio enhancement, 125
authentication of ID and privacy, 41, 129
auto-reply for e-mail, 37
auto-response messages, 56, 67
Background company and vendor-based chat, 6
bandwagonism, 7
blogs and training, 101
Boeing Company, 77
boredom, professional, as incentive to begin VR, 7
Boston Library Consortium, 93
branding, 106–107
Brooklyn College, 122
budgeting
vs. costing, 83–84
membership fees in consortia, 96
in VR guidelines, 132
See also costing; funding
business cards, 104
buy-in from organization, 22–31, 128
identifying stakeholders, 23–26
preparations for, 27–29
starting the conversation, 28, 30; exercise, 31
C
call center software, 59
canned messages, 56, 67
cataloging staff, commitment from, 25–26
Champaign (Ill.) Public Library, 56, 75
chat reference
exercise, 99
policy on times available, 37
privacy of stored transcripts, 40
software, 49, 50
vs. virtual reference, 1–2
checklist for implementing VR, 139–141
circulation services. See access services
clarity in website, 65–66
clientele in VR guidelines, 129. See also patrons
closing a service, 117
co-browsing, 52
Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS), 88
collaborative virtual reference, 88–96
benefits, 89–90, 96
definition, 3
143
144 INDEX
collaborative virtual reference (cont.)
and e-mail software, 49
and local patrons, 91
within the organization, 94
in VR guidelines, 130–131
withdrawal from, 91, 92, 95
See also consortia
collection development staff, 25–26, 128
commitment, achieving, 22–23
communication skills. See online communication skills
community user groups, commitment from, 26
compatibility of hardware and software, 53, 55–56
Concordia College, 27
confidentiality and software capabilities, 25. See also
privacy
conflicts among affected groups, 9, 12
consortia
and incentive to begin VR, 6–7
issues in collaboration, 90–93
joining or finding, 93–94
and marketing campaigns, 107–108
quality control in, 90–91
and software support, 58
staffing in, 77–78
training for administrators, 103
withdrawal from, 91, 92, 95
See also collaborative virtual reference
consultants
cost of, 86
for focus groups, 18
contact center software, 6, 52, 59
continuing education. See training
cooperative virtual reference
and policy on times available, 37
See also collaborative virtual reference
copyright issues, policy on, 43
Cornell University, 88, 120, 124–125
costing, 83–87
worksheet, 85
cross-marketing of all reference services, 106, 108
CUSeeMe, 124
customer service using vendor-based chat, 6. See also
contact center software
customization of software, 57
Cybrary City, 122
D
data collection
and ease of collecting, 113
and IT department, 24–25, 26
in online communication, 66
and privacy, 133
and reference services, 110–112
from software, 58
databases, access to, 91, 93
deferred implementation, 13
demographic information about target audience. See
market assessment
difficulty of offering VR, 12
digital reference, 4. See also virtual reference
document delivery, 129
Docutek VRplus, 6, 58, 59
E
electronic reference, 4. See also virtual reference
electronic resources, usage statistics on, 26
e-mail
as “after-hours” service, 50, 79
definition, 3
and Net Generation, 6
policy on schedule for returning, 37, 129
privacy of, 41
software for, 49
in training, 101
vs. virtual reference, 1
emoticons, use of, 67
enterprise collaboration software, 59
equipment
costs of, 86
hardware requirements, 24, 53, 55–56
in VR guidelines, 132
Erudition College, sample market assessment, 135–138
evaluation of services. See assessment and evaluation
evaluation of staff, 101
exercises
Coffee Break Discussion of Service Philosophy, 34
Perceptions of Virtual Communications, 62
Practice with Chat/IM Communication, 99
Reflections on Purpose and Goals, 21
Service Policies: Setting Our Expectations, 45
Small Group Decision on Staffing, 82
F
Facebook, 121
facilities and infrastructure, 131–132. See also equipment
faculty as target audience, 19–20
FAQ page, 38, 39
fee-based services, 132
feedback from patron, 67, 69
Field Reports
disadvantages, 54
implementing a VR service, 114–115
Meebo, 50
one desk, 75
staffing, 75
starting over, 118–119
VoIP, 54
withdrawal from consortium, 92
file sharing, 52
Flickr cards, 103
focus groups, 17–18
forms, design of, 57
freeware, 59–60
friendliness in cyberspace, 67, 71
Friends of the Library, commitment from, 26
funding
and ability to provide VR, 8
and commitment from administration, 23
INDEX 145
in consortia, 89
and costs, 87
and Friends groups, 26
in VR guidelines, 128
See also budgeting
G
gaming environments, 122
George Washington University, 89
giveaways in marketing, 104–105
goals and expectations, 12–13
and assessment, 109–110, 111
determination of, 18–20
exercise, 21
and measurable objectives, 112
grammar in online chat, 64
grants
and consortia, 89
and recurring costs, 86–87
See also funding
greeting in online communication, 66–67
Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference
and Information Services, 130. See also online
communication skills
Guidelines for Cooperative Reference Service, 88, 95
Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual
Reference Services. See VR guidelines
H
handicapped users, 55, 132
hardware requirements, 24, 53, 55–56. See also equipment
highlighters as giveaways, 103
hold times, acceptable, 63, 67, 69, 71
home-based librarians, 77
hours of operation scenario, 9, 12
hours of service, 79–80
humor in marketing, 107
I
Illinois Wesleyan University, 39, 106
IM (instant messaging)
appeal to nonusers, 6
definition, 2–3 (see also chat)
example, 27
exercise, 99
and hours of service, 80
for internal communications, 98
need for patron to have account for, 55
policy on times available, 37
popularity of with Net Generation, 5
privacy of stored transcripts, 40–41
software for, 49
vs. virtual reference, 1
and VoIP, 53
implementation stage, 13
Information Technology department. See IT department
initiating contact with patron, software for, 52
instant messaging. See IM (instant messaging)
interlibrary loan. See access services department
Interpersonal Communication in Chat Reference, 68
IT department
commitment from staff, 24–25
costs for, 84, 86
and open-source applications, 60
and patron verification policies, 35
and security risks of VoIP, 53
and software selection, 55
and verifying compatibility, 53
in VR guidelines, 128
IT policy, compatibility with, 24
K
keyword services, 124
L
leading edge technologies, 120
levels of service, 129, 130
library board, commitment from, 26
library director. See administration
Library of Congress, 88
Library 2.0, 121–122
library websites. See websites
Live Homework Help, 59
long-range planning, 113, 115
M
market assessment, 15, 19
sample assessment, 135–138
worksheet, 16
See also target audience
marketing, 86, 89, 104–108, 132
Maryland AskUsNow!, 88, 89, 104, 106, 107–108
measurable objectives, 112
measures of use, collection of, 24–25, 26. See also data
collection
Meebo, 98
Michigan Community Colleges, 93
Millennial Generation, 5–6
mission statement. See philosophy of service
multitasking
and acceptable hold times, 63
helping in-person patrons and remote patrons, 74
See also queuing
MySpace, 121–122, 125n1
N
Net Generation, 5–6
New York Public Library, 76
nonusers
appeal of VR to, 6
and policies on verification of affiliation, 33–35
O
objectives, setting of, 112
observation as survey technique, 18
OhioLINK, 93
146 INDEX
online communication skills
and consortia, 93
making up for lack of vision or voice, 65–69
styles of, 63–65
training in, 100
in VR guidelines, 129, 130
open-source applications, 59–60
Orange County (Fla.) Library System, 124
organization of service, 131–132. See also staffing models
output data and costs, 84
outreach, 125
P
page pushing, 52
paging services, 125
parameters of service, 129
patron attitudes in assessment, 109
patron behavior, 69, 70, 71, 129
patrons
comfort with older technologies, 120
communication with, 61–71; exercise, 62
conflicts with staff needs, 9, 12
difference between chat and IM for, 50
and need to download software, 55
and privacy policy, 40–42
questions for in surveys, 18
patrons without questions, communications with, 52, 69
patterns of use and hours of service, 80
peer pressure, 7
Penn State University, 36
philosophy of service, 32–33
exercise, 34
planning, 5–14
checklist, 139–141
cost of, 86
need for, 12–13
in VR guidelines, 128
planning, long-range, 113, 115
policies, 32–45
in consortia, 95
on database use in VR guidelines, 131
example, 39
exercises, 34, 45
on priority of service, 35–36, 74
publication of, 37–38
on response to harassing users, 44
on scope of questions, 36, 38–40, 44
and software selection, 55
on time limitations, 37
training in, 100
on unaffiliated patrons, 33, 35, 44
for use of free VoIP, 53
pop-up blockers, 53
pop-up windows, 24
preparation for VR, 128. See also planning
Princeton University, 54
print resources, access to, 74
priorities
among types of patrons, 35–36
between in-person and virtual patrons, 35–36, 74
of library, 8–9; worksheet, 10–11
See also queuing
privacy
and patron verification, 35
policies on, 40–43
and software capabilities, 25
in survey design, 17
in VR guidelines, 130, 131, 133
promotion of library, 7. See also marketing
punctuation in online chat, 64
Purdue University, 80
Q
Q and A Café, 108
QandA NJ, 88, 105–106
qualitative analysis, 112–113
quality assurance and training, 101
question analysis in assessment, 109
QuestionPoint, 6, 58, 59, 88
queuing
in collaboration, 95, 131
and videoconferencing, 124
See also priorities
R
reach-out software, 52
readiness of organization to begin VR, 8–12
recurring costs, 86–87
reference interview, 63–64, 68, 71
reference services
roaming by librarians, 125
role of VR in, 110–112
in VR guidelines, 130, 131
referrals
of difficult questions and quality control, 91
in VR guidelines, 131
regional libraries and incentive to begin VR, 7
reports from software, 57–58
Research Help Now, 93
results, unexpected, 115–117
results, uses of, 113
retention policy for transcripts, 41–42
roaming by librarians, 125
rude and impatient patrons, 44, 69, 70, 71
S
Samford University, 50
scheduling of services, 79
scope of questions
and abusive patrons, 44
out-of-scope questions, 38, 40
policy for, 36, 38–40, 44
scripts for text message questions, 49
Second Life, 122
security
and e-mail software, 49
and VoIP, 53
See also authentication of ID and privacy; privacy
INDEX 147
self-disclosure, 69
self-evaluation, 101
shareware, 59–60
simultaneous questions, priorities for, 35–36, 74, 95,
131
Skype, 53
slang in online chat, 64–65
SMS (Short Message Service), 4, 123–124. See also text
messaging
social networking, 121–122
software, 46–60
administrative and assessment tools, 57–58
and branding, 107
compatibility issues, 53–56
compatibility with existing systems, 24
for e-mail, 49
features of, 50–53, 56
sources of, 59–60
for text messaging, 49
training on, 97–98
worksheet, 47–48
software licenses, cost of, 84
Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU), 123
speed, expectations of, 63
spelling in online chat, 64
staff
and ability to provide VR, 8
commitment from, 23–24
conflicts with user needs, 9, 12
cost of, 86
nonreference, 24–27
privacy policy for, 42–43
in promotion of service, 106
in VR guidelines, 132
See also staffing; training
staffing
in consortia, 77–78, 89, 96
decision-making exercise, 80–81
opting out of service, 78
in VR guidelines, 128
See also staff; staffing models
staffing models, 72–82
exercise, 82
nondesk locations, 73, 76–77
from one desk, 73–74, 75
separate virtual desk, 73, 76
in VR guidelines, 72, 131–132
stakeholders, identification of, 22–26
start-up costs, 86–87
state libraries, 6–7
statistics, collection of, 24–25, 26. See also data
collection
style, personal, 65, 67, 69
style of online communications, 63–65
subject expertise in consortia, 90
support for VR. See buy-in from organization
surveys, 17, 18, 58
synchronous virtual reference, 3, 46, 49–50. See also
chat reference
T
target audience, 15–21, 33–36
exclusions of patrons from, 19
identification of, 18–20
marketing to, 107, 132
preferences for one mode over another, 120
in VR guidelines, 128, 129, 132
See also market assessment
teachable moments, use of, 67
technical services staff, 128. See also cataloging staff;
collection development staff
technology, changing, 120–126
teens as target audience, 19
telephone reference, 76
text messaging, 3, 49, 123–124. See also SMS (Short
Message Service)
text-based communication, software for, 46, 49–50
Thomas Ford Memorial Library, 69, 80, 95
time accounting, 79
time limitations, 37, 129
timing of projects and ability to provide VR, 8–9
traffic patterns in assessment, 109
training, 97–103
for administration, 103
in communication skills, 100, 130
in consortia, 89, 91, 93, 103
costs of, 86
e-mail in, 101
exercise, 99
of groups, 97–98
in marketing, 108
in online communication skills, 100
in policies, 100
quality assurance and, 101
on software, 97–98
in using blogs, 101
in VR guidelines, 130, 132
transcripts
access to transcripts by others, 42, 43
and assessment, 58
length of storage, 41–42
patron privacy for, 40–41
uses of, 42, 101, 102–103
trends in VR, 120–126
trust in consortia, 93
Tutor.com, 6
24/7 schedules, 50, 79, 89
typing, speed of, 63–64
U
unaffiliated patrons, policies on, 33, 35, 44
University of Alberta, 125
University of Florida, 77, 94
University of Illinois at Urbana, 72, 101, 102–103, 104
University of Minnesota, Mankato, 114–115
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104
University of the Pacific, 117, 118–119
University of Washington, 88
users. See patrons
148 INDEX
V
Vancouver Public Library, 6
vendor-based chat, 4, 6
verification of patron affiliation, 33–35
video enhancement, 125
videoconferencing, 124–125
virtual reference
advantages, 5–7
barriers to use, 55
definition, 1
disadvantages, 7–8
multiple channels for, 55–56
in VR guidelines, 128
vision statement. See philosophy of service
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), 52–53, 54, 124
volunteer librarians as staff, 78
Vosges Haute Chocolate company and vendor-based
chat, 6
VR guidelines, 3, 127–134
W
Washington State Library, 89, 103
Web 2.0, 121–122
websites
approachability of, 65–66
and continuing education, 101
links in, 105–106, 129
welcoming in website, 66
wikis and training, 101
worksheets
costing, 85
market assessment, 16
priorities of library, 10–11
software, 47–48
Moving from general guidelines to making concrete decisions about
integrating virtual with traditional reference, Virtual Reference Best Practices
•
•
•
•
•
•
Provides a handy checklist of issues to consider
Suggests plans for sustainability of services
Offers activities and discussion points that support decision making
Shares proven sample policies and materials currently in use
Presents research in practical one-page summaries
Outlines the pros and cons of collaborating in a consortium
V i r t ua l R e f e r e n c e B e s t P r a c t i c e s
W
hen it comes to virtual reference, one size doesn’t fit all. What
works in one library won’t necessarily work in another. How do
you figure out what to do? Kern, a leading virtual reference expert,
outlines the tools and decision-making process that will help you and your
library evaluate, tailor, and launch virtual reference services that are a perfect
fit for your community and your library.
Reference librarians, heads of library services, and managers of virtual
reference services will welcome this flexible approach with its wealth of
exercises and resources to implement immediately. This book contains
everything you need to reach sound and sustainable decisions about virtual
reference services.
ALA
1-866-SHOP ALA
(1-866-746-7252)
www.alastore.ala.org
KERN
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611