Balancing Digital Reference Services with ”Real Life” in the Library

Ann Kunish Greta Bruu Olsen

Deichmanske BibliotekJune 28th, 2003

Our Digital Services:

Spør biblioteket

SMS

MappaMi: Patron account management

•Keeping track of loans•Renewals, reservations•Register subjects of interest•Focus on patron responsibility•Cuts down on telephone calls/e-mails that have to be handled by library personell

http://www.deich.folkebibl.no/cgi-bin/mappami

Spør biblioteket

•”Ask a Librarian”

•First of its kind in Norway

•Begun in 1997

•Financed by the governmental organ for libraries from 1998

•The future?http://nyhuus.deich.folkebibl.no/deichman/spor.html

Quality-controlled, cataloged links Limited number of hits Introduced in 2002 General topics, topics of interest til

school children, music Intended for patrons and librarians

http://detektor.deichman.no/admin

Nett Gateway

SMSReference by SMS

•Most appropriate for short, fact questions•First-day chaos!•Popular•New patron group

http://www.boostcom.net/Interactive?page=login

Chat - a worthwhile service or a bad substitute for a phone call?

•Tønsberg/Nøtterøy the first library to offer chat•National service, patrons don’t necessarily know which library is serving them•Mixed feelings in our library

http://www.bibliotekvakten.no/

How do our librarians experience chatting?

•All were eager to try it

•Slightly stressfull to begin with

•Challenging

•Not an extra work burden!?

”Kikkhulet”

http://www.deich.folkebibl.no/kikkhull/

•Patrons can see what others have borrowed, what’s coming up…inspiration for reading

•More a ”fun” feature than a real service

Global reference nettwork

Patrons and librarians make use of colleagues and collections the world over

Library of Congress, OCLC

http://www.questionpoint.org/crs/servlet/org.oclc.home.BuildPage?show=authorize&language=1

…provides professional reference service to users anywhere, anytime, through an international, digital network of libraries.

Question Point…

•Respond to, track and manage reference questions from patrons via the Web

•Refer unanswered questions to other libraries in the library's cooperative as needed based on availability and expertise

•Refer still-unanswered questions to expert resources through a global web-based network

With Question Point you can…

•Provide libraries with tools to add simple links from any page in their library portal to support a locally branded and customizable question-asking service including: Web-based submission forms, email-based interaction, and live chat for their patrons.

•Integrate QuestionPoint's global reference network with alternative service providers the library might be using to address their local needs.

•Search a global knowledge base of previously asked and answered reference questions

AcademicAcademicLibrariesLibraries

NationalNationalLibrariesLibraries

ConsortiaConsortia

SpecialSpecialLibrariesLibraries

UnaffiliatedUnaffiliatedExpertsExperts

ASK-AASK-AServicesServices

PublicPublicLibrariesLibraries

PartnersPartners

Professional Professional Assn.Assn.

Members

QuestionPoint

QuestionPoint is a Web-based LC-OCLC co-branded service that:

Enables user to ask questions of his/her local library

Allows local library to escalate to other libraries within cooperative

Allows reference librarian to escalate to global network

HowDoes ItWork?

Global

Local/RegionalConsortium

A

LibraryLibrary

Library

Local KB

Patronaccess

viainstitution web pages

Individual Library

ConsortiumB

Library

Library

LibraryGlobal Only

Library

Global Only Library

Global Only Library

Global KB

Library

QuestionPoint Process

The GlobalProcess

RequestingRequestingLibraryLibrary

Patron

KnowledgeBase

AnsweringAnsweringLibraryLibrary

Librarian

ILL, DocumentILL, Document DeliveryDelivery

REQUESTREQUESTMANAGERMANAGER

SEND QUESTION

GET QUESTION

NOTIFICATIONNOTIFICATION

EDITEDQ & A

GETANSWER

SENDANSWER

Member Profile

Member Profile Member

Profile

Traditional and Online Resources:

Catalogs, Web Resources, Print Resources,

Subject Specialists

Member Profiling

Member Profiling

How Does Routing Work?

•Step One - Exclusionary Elements:

•Weekly Quota Filled

• Education Level Served

•Step Two - Best Fit Matching:

• Subject 30%

•Geographic Area 20%

• Load Balancing 20%

• Availability 20%

• Format Expertise 10%

Sample Q & A Set

Knowledge Base

Editorial Board Guidelines:

Copyediting, link checking Add subjects and keywords for enhanced searching Removal of patron information Identify need for later review

Volunteer editors from membership 2,100 + records edited since December

QuestionPoint Member Benefits

• Extend traditional reference services• 24x7 service• Access to virtual collections• Access to subject/language specialists worldwide• Web-based (no software)

• Reporting and tracking tools

• Forge collaborative partnerships with other libraries and librarians

• Develop digital reference best practices

What’s next?

WAP-search

http://www.bibsyst.no/bibverktoy/netthent.html

•Circulation of electronic material

•Streaming

•Audio-books, speeches, lectures…

•Licenses

•Our legal answer to file-sharing

•Forging new partnerships

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