Ohio Reference
Excellence
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Virtual or Remote Services, Chat
Virtual reference demands special skills
What are the differences when you can't see or hear the patron?
Remote, online, virtual, or digital reference is "the provision of reference services, involving collaboration between library user and librarian, in a computer-based medium. These services can utilize various media, including e-mail, Web forms, chat, video, Web customer call center software, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), etc."[4]
Although remote or virtual reference requires many of the same
interviewing skills you have learned in this module, the physical requirements and the
nature of the virtual environment will require mastering the skills of interviewing with
remote services technology. With Chat, for example, you will encounter these differences:[1]
Face to face:
- Communicating is direct. The patron sees and hears you.
- Visual cues give you information.
- Silence is okay if the patron can see what you're doing.
- Pacing is based on seeing other users waiting.
- Responsibility for follow-up can be transferred to the patron.
- Process is sequential as you go through the reference interview process.
- You are serving your primary clientele.
Chat environment:
- Communicating is complex, as you manipulate software, and keying is slower than speaking
- There are no visual cues to give you information about the patron or the patron's
response to the dialog.
- Silence is not okay, the user can't see what you are doing for them.
- Pacing requires extra steps, requiring looking at the patron list and patrons being
informed of wait times.
- The librarian needs to be proactive in following-up on transactions, knowing when to
place the responsibility of follow-up on the patron.
- Multitasking is required for conversation, software, keying, and sending while searching
or waiting for patron response.
- You may not be serving your primary clientele.
Keeping the patron informed and comfortable in the virtual world
The reference process, remote or face-to-face, requires
putting your users at ease and keeping them informed. Some specific tips for remote
services:[2]
- Be friendly!
- Include an explanation of your search process or strategy in your responses when
possible.
- Send non-scripted information in small pieces, not large paragraphs, to help
communication and reduce delay time.
- Try to let the patron know what you are doing approximately every minute - so that the
patron does not feel abandoned.
- If you must be away from the transaction, send something for the patron to review or
read until you return (quickly!).
- Try to strike a balance between speed and professionalism while adapting to the
customer's comfort level with the software.
- Use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation & capitalization.
- Fully cite all resources quoted or used in responses.
And a few more![3]
- Type like you talk, in a conversational manner.
- Use the client's name.
- Avoid yes/no responses. Yes/no's can be interpreted as cold and unfriendly, just as in
face-to-face reference.
- Clarify confusing terminology and avoid excessive jargon. Use terminology that is
understandable to the patron.
These suggested model behaviors for remote services have been
added to the Model Behaviors Checklist.
Major Point: Remote reference services require using the reference process and following standard reference
interviewing steps, without seeing or hearing the patron.
1. Ohiolink Chat Reference
Service Manual, Appendix II, March 10, 2005. Adapted from: Lipow, Anne Grodzins &
Steve Coffman, "How Virtual Reference Differs from Face-to-Face Reference,"
Section 1-2, in Establishing a Virtual Reference Service: VRD Training Manual, LSSI's
VRD (Virtual Reference Desk) Software, Service Policies and Guidelines, Design and Content
of Screens. Berkeley, CA: Library Solutions Press, 2001.
2. Ohiolink Chat
Reference Service Manual, "Providing Chat Reference Service Guidelines: Chat
Netiquette for Librarians", March 10, 2005. Adapted from LSSI and LivePerson
documentation.
3. Digital Reference Guidelines,
Reference and Information Services Section, Standing Committee on Reference Work,
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2003. Latest
page Revision: April 19, 2005.
4. Digital Reference Services Bibliography from Bernie Sloan, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, September 20, 2004.
Follow-up and
Ending the interview
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For telephone and email reference tips, go to Module 3 phone/email page.
Virtual Reference Desk, now part of WebJunction, has standards, Aska Digests, DIG_REF forum, conference proceedings, evaluation and research about virtual reference practices and procedures.
Digital Reference Blog, with "News and views on chat reference," plus IM, email, VoIP, video, SMS, phone, roving and face-to-face reference from TeachingLibrarian.org.
Virtual Reference: Alive & Well, by Brenda Bailey-Hainer. LibraryJournal.com,
January 15, 2005
Virtual versatility required! Manipulating software while conducting
reference interviews without hearing or seeing the patron requires special
multi-tasking skills.
West Alexandria Library, Preble County District Library
Wright Memorial Library
"Virtual reference, also known as e-reference, is online
reference service that assists patrons by placing answers to frequently asked questions
(FAQs) on a library’s Web site, mounting selected reference tools, providing an
e-mail address or Web form for library patrons to ask reference questions, and/or
providing real-time assistance using chat or instant messaging software. Virtual reference
can be provided by a single library or it can be a collaborative effort among many
libraries. When the service is provided by a single library, the service offers 24/7
access, but not 24/7 response. When it is a collaborative effort among many libraries in
different time zones, 24/7 response becomes possible."
Statewide Virtual Reference Project, Washington State Library, sponsors
"Virtual Reference 101" with "What is
real-time reference?, Software
for chat reference, Trends
and ways to stay current," etc.
The
Collaboration and innovation section lists examples, including InfoEyes, a question and answer service for people with a visual impairment or other print limitation. "You can ask a question about anything! Talk Live with a Librarian on the Internet! We use iVocalize software."
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Overview
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