Virtual reference services: Evaluation of online reference services (original) (raw)

Virtual references services: defining the criteria and indicators to evaluate them

The Electronic Library, 2012

Purpose-This paper aims to analyse the common features of the virtual reference services provided by European and American libraries in order to evaluate the service from the user's perspective, taking into account the potential of Web 2.0 applications. Design/methodology/approach-This research adopts a quantitative approach, to contribute to better understanding of the problems currently facing virtual reference services and offers solutions to them. The study also combines qualitative methodologies. Findings-The study reports that virtual reference services in university communities have not changed significantly since they first appeared, and highlights the need to incorporate new technologies. Originality/value-The paper draws attention to certain features of virtual reference services that are undervalued or have not attracted research interest, and calls for a technological shift in the services provided to users from the academic communities involved in this study.

Developing Meaningful Measures for Electronic Reference Services: New Technology, Old Questions

Abstract Throughout its history, the library profession has been bedeviled by the question of how to measure the value and usefulness of our services. In an encounter as complex as the reference interaction, how can we tell if we are serving our users as effectively as we possibly can? The effects of the Internet and information technology have only added to the chaos. As many libraries worry about losing their users to commercial information services, assessment has taken on a new urgency.

Digital reference evaluation: assessing the past to plan for the future

Electronic Journal of Academic and Special …, 2003

Historically, libraries have routinely evaluated their reference services both quantitatively and qualitatively. With the increasing volume of digital reference transactions, there is a need to modify and apply to digital reference, the same evaluation techniques that have been used successfully in the evaluation of traditional reference service. At Southeastern Louisiana University, a recent evaluation of the library's Ask a Librarian digital reference service included an unobtrusive observation of current practice through a detailed examination of archived reference transactions, as well as an assessment of future needs through a survey of users. Through this evaluation, it was possible to assess the effectiveness of the library's e-mail reference service, as well as to plan for the implementation of a new real-time digital reference service.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Virtual Reference Services: A Longitudinal Study

Measuring the Effectiveness of Virtual Reference Services: A Longitudinal Study, 2018

In the dynamic landscape of academic libraries transitioning to digital platforms, the efficacy of virtual reference services emerges as a critical concern. This longitudinal study delves into the evolutionary trajectory of virtual reference services, spanning an extended period, with a focused exploration of user satisfaction, accessibility, and technological trends. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research amalgamates quantitative scrutiny of usage metrics with qualitative insights derived from user feedback.

The reference service in the digital era : literature review -

The dramatic increase in accessing information resources due to the World Wide Web and networked full-text periodical databases has revolutionized reference services in the library. Easily accessible digital information has rapidly become one of the hallmarks of the Internet. This "information overload" has given a new dimension to library reference service. Evaluating information sources has become an integral part of everyday library reference service. This added dimension has spotlighted the importance of the reference librarian as an information mediator, and, hence, the importance of a good understanding of the basics of reference/information services. Online resources have risen in popularity as far as more individuals and organizations have connected to the global network. Thousands of organizations have turned to Internet-based information delivery as an effective and cost-efficient alternative to traditional communication methods, and many of them have further expanded their services by interacting with their users and responding to inquiries via Internet. Digital reference services (also known as "AskA services," as in "Ask-an-Expert") provide subject expertise and information referral over the Internet to their users. Interest in "digital" reference is exploding, as evidenced by the proliferation of discussion groups, conferences, reports, and articles. The terminology has not yet become standardized, and the definitions virtual, digital, remote, and electronic are applied interchangeably to any computer-mediated reference transaction, whether asynchronous (e.g. e-mail) or real-time. Real-time online service (also referred to as "chat"), however, is the application that libraries are most anxious to explore. A growing number of libraries are offering this service, and professional literature reflects the popularity of the topic.

Motivations and uses: Evaluating virtual reference service from the users' perspective

Library & Information Science Research, 2006

The questions of whether chat reference service is beneficial enough to users to justify the costs of offering it, and how valuable it is to users in fulfilling their information needs, have been primary concerns for librarians providing the service, for library administrators managing the service, and for funding agencies paying for it. The present study combines a traditional evaluation of the user's satisfaction with the reference encounter, with details of the user's information use and the user's motivation for using the chat reference service. This evaluation study assesses the effectiveness of chat reference service in meeting users' information needs.

Cost, Statistics, Measures, and Standards for Digital Reference Services: A

2003

This paper reports on work from two studies in progress related to assessing digital library reference services and developing standards that support such services. The paper suggests that two types of standards -utilization and technical -should be considered together in the costing, statistics, and measures for digital reference services. The digital reference community has the opportunity to embed quality standards and assessment data into software and infrastructure by linking technical and utilization standards early in the evolution of digital reference markets. Such an approach would greatly enhance the collection and analysis of a range of cost data related to digital reference service.