virtual enquiry project presentation
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Using online Instant Messaging tools to provide virtual reference services to users in HE and FE. Includes results of surveys from practitioners.Delivered at the Innovation and Development Fund conference.TRANSCRIPT
R U There?Virtual reference in academic libraries
The Virtual Enquiry Project 2008-09Carolyn Groom, Eithne Barry and Laurence Patterson
Overview
1. The Project– What is virtual reference? Background to the
project– Carolyn
2. The Survey– Virtual reference survey – Eithne
3. The Software– Virtual reference software products -
Laurence
1.The Project
Virtual Enquiry Project
• 1 year project
• Funded by Scottish Library and
Information Council (SLIC)
• Project partners• Edinburgh Napier University
• Carnegie College
Terminology
• Virtual reference
• Virtual enquiry
• Digital reference
Virtual reference
“Using instant messaging or chat
software to allow users to interact
with Library staff in real time”
Why offer a VR service?
• Another way of communicating with
the library users
• Reach distance and part time
students
• Support users at point of need
Examples
• Open University
• Librarians on Call
• http://library.open.ac.uk/
• LivePerson software
Examples
• University of Wolverhampton
• http://www2.wlv.ac.uk/lib/qp/chatinput.html
• ASSIST Service
Virtual enquiry project
2 research strands:
1. Evaluating current practice
– Survey
– Follow-up interviews
Virtual enquiry project
2. To provide guidance for libraries
implementing a virtual reference
service
– Road map
– Case studies
– Software matrix
Project website: www.virtualenquiry.net
2.The Survey
Our questions
1. How many academic libraries have
virtual reference services?
2. What do they think of the software
products?
3. What stops institutions from having a
service?
Methodology
• Email survey in Aug - Oct 2008
• Sent to eleven UK email discussion
lists related to academic libraries and
advertised online.
• Prizes - iPod Touch and Amazon
vouchers
Response
• 190 responses from 130 institutions
– 82 from Higher Education (HE)
institutions
– 42 from Further Education (FE)
institutions
– 6 „other‟
Representative?
• Half of Higher Education institutions
in the UK*
• One tenth of Further Education
institutions in the UK*
Survey bias? Or lack of interest from
FE?
*Department for Children, Schools and Families, (2008). Education and
Training Statistics for the United Kingdom
1. How many institutions have virtual
reference services?
How do those with services
rate feedback about the service?
Average feedback:
Users 4.15
Library staff 3.77
51
2. What do they think of the
software?
• Which products are libraries using?
• How satisfied were they with the
software they chose?
Small number of responses listing
which software had been used
Which products are
libraries using?
How satisfied were you
with the software you chose?
Comparison software charts in
090316 copy only?
„Technology - chat services are blocked to stop students messing
around in class
and LRC.‟
(FE college)
3. What stops institutions from
developing a service…?
„It's not just a case of no staff time, but
rather staff not being available at the
time that our users would most need
the service. 99% of our students are
part-time, and taught in the evenings
and at weekends, when our staffing
levels currently don't allow for
additions to services offered.‟
Reasons why institutions
haven’t offered a service
What are the future plans for
your library's service?
Most institutions were either planning to
continue the service or expand.
• Those still in trial were often looking to evaluate the service before rolling out more widely.
• No respondents were planning to remove or cut services.
Advice for others
„Get your staff on board with a
description of the benefits to them,
and to the users. Don't promise too
much at the beginning - better to offer
fewer hours that you know you can
fully staff, rather than more hours
where the service becomes
unreliable because of lack of staff.‟
„Go for it. It's been a fantastic service and opens up lots of new ways of helping
students and opportunities for collaboration between librarians and
between institutions. It's great for getting alongside students who don't
come into libraries very often - distance learners, placement students, carers
etc. Good for deaf students too!
Summary
• A quarter of institutions currently have a service.
• Most with services (77%) had offered a service for less than two years.
• Over half had never offered a service but said that they are considering doing so.
Still new to many libraries, and a lot of libraries considering this for the future.
3.The Software
queuing
remote hosting
statistics
mac compliance
transcripts
authentication
libraryh3lp
Free popular
Free dedicated
Commercial
OverviewUser Impressions
Library Staff Impressions
Pricing
Technical Issues
User Support
Additional Considerations
Hosting Options
User Authentication/Anonymity
Multiple staff logins
Co-browsing
Multi-platform/browsers
Video/Audio
Transcripts
Meebo
Free doesn‟t always
mean bad…
…commercial doesn‟t
always mean good.
Most services require you
to install something…
Some features sound
great…
…but don’t always
work in a library world.
Software support is
forthcoming…
…either through the developer
or through the community.
4.Moving Forward
www.virtualenquiry.net
Matrix
Roadmap
Case Studies
Final report
Questions, Comments, Suggestions