Virtual reference and instructional services: summary of responses

[Sue Swanson]

This is being cross-posted to five listservs; please forgive duplication.  

Virtual Reference:  Examples of Current Practice

Quite a few people asked that I summarize and post responses to a question
I asked about virtual reference services.  My original question was:  "What
are other academic libraries doing to provide reference and instructional
services to undergraduate students in a remote setting (i.e. not in the
library)?"  

Most replies included information about email reference, web-based
tutorials, and a wide variety of resources.  A few libraries are beginning
to offer synchronous (real-time) electronic reference, using CUSeeMe,
Netscape Conferencing, Netscape Communicator and MOOs, but no one had been
doing it long enough to have a sense of how this works.  Several people
asked for information, but had nothing in progress to report.  This is
certainly a burgeoning field for us all!

/Sue Swanson
Reference Librarian
Brandeis University Libraries


Here are the replies:

From: Carol Hughes <carol-hughes at UIOWA.EDU>
University of Iowa is revising their "Library Explorer" tutorial
<http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/libexp> to include more subject-specific
information and some interactive tests.  They are planning to introduce a
CUSeeMe/Netscape Conferencing type real-time interactive service between a
library reference desk and the honors dorm.  The dorm will have a video
camera and a PC, which will connect students to reference librarians until
10pm Sunday-Thursday.

From: "Barbara J. D'Angelo" <bdangelo at selu.edu>
The University of Arkansas is just beginning a real-time remote reference
using MOO technology for specific courses.  The librarian works with tutors
and contributes relevant research assistance.

Also from Barbara: Southeastern Louisiana University is also planning for a
MOO-based real-time reference service.    Meanwhile, they offer an "Ask a
Librarian" service for reference questions and a number of web-based
tutorials which also link to the service.  An "Off-Campus Librarian"
provides mediated searches and document delivery to distance education
students through an 800 number, email and fax services.

From: Judy Anderson <janders at camino.delmar.edu>
Del Mar College in Corpus Christi is "testing the Netscape Communicator
with headset for possible use with our remote sites (or any users, for that
matter) to be able to contact our reference and circulation desks," but has
no experience with it yet.

From: Saundra Lipton <lipton at acs.ucalgary.ca>
"Here at the University of Calgary, we have noticed as significant drop in
reference questions at the reference desk.  This has coincided with the
introduction of desktop access to a considerable number of our electronic
indexes
. We too are looking at interactive services.  There is one that
was tested here last year that looks very promising.  It allows you to
dialogue with the user and at the same time send them web
pages.  So that you can "talk" about the information they are seeing on the
web page."  The company's URL is <http://www.extratis.com>

From: Steve Cavrak <Steve.Cavrak at Uvm.Edu>
"UVM's [University of Vermont] menu is not really a menu, but it includes: 
o a helpline (email and telephone, 8 am to 8 pm)  See also
<http://cit.uvm.edu>
o a resnet brigade (for install and hardware trouble shooting visits) -
an eventual goal is to have resident techs in each residence cluster /
hall / floor ! 
o digital library services, a la "sage", but addressed as "sageunix"
<http://sageunix.uvm.edu>  Includes catalog, many academic indices,
lexis/nexis, etc.
o academic computing services - we've had "total" email for about 4 years,
 with only a minor meltdown during a major system upgrade :)  We've just
now working through a "catalog / index" of services and wondering how to
put it together "online"."  

From: "Scott Cohen, Head Librarian" <SCOHEN at JSCC.CC.TN.US>
"We are offering limited reference service via e-mail and will hopefully be
combining reference service via the web with use of a 1-800 number. I am
really discouraged by the faceless, impersonal web reference service that
libraries are offering
 The use of the telephone number gives people in
remote locations a human voice to talk with."  Jackson State Community,
Jackson, TN 

From: "Emma Worsfold" <Emma.Worsfold at BRISTOL.AC.UK>The NetLinks Project out
of Sheffield, England lists many examples of online and virtual library
services offered in the UK, Europe and North America.  Check out the
"Current Practice Case Base" for more details.
<http://netways.shef.ac.uk/rbase/intro.htm>

From: "Laura Rounds (ADM)" <lrounds at dudley.lib.usf.edu>
"I am in a position to design library instruction to all of Florida's SUS
and CC DE students, and am making it up as I go along (this being only my
second week.) I envision most will be web-based and printed  instruction
materials for online searching, but there is a push here for an interactive
CD-ROM tutorial, tho I think a video would be easier as a CD-ROM implies
some level of computer know-how and assumes that everyone has a CD-ROM
drive in their computer (provided they even have a computer!)"  Laura works
for the Florida Distance Learning Library Initiative.

From: Corinne Ebbs <cebbs at wisdom.wsc.mass.edu>
James Madison University has a web-based, interactive instructional module
entitled, "Go for the Gold" <http://library.jmu.edu/library/gold/modules.htm>

From: CHANDRIKA SHANTARAM <shanta_c at libfl.baker.edu>
Baker College has recently hired a "Distance Education Librarian" who
offers email reference and is developing a series of FAQs and online
tutorials for their webpage.

From: Carolyn Kacena <Carolyn_Kacena at tamu-commerce.edu>
Texas A&M University (Commerce) has a wide variety of resources available
through their webpage.  They do not have any official email reference
service.  They are recruiting for a Distance Education Librarian to develop
such services.

From: Bill Floyd <bfloyd at library.unt.edu>
The University of North Texas also has many online catalogs and indexes.
Their reference desks often function as computer help desks dealing with
database users' questions.

From: "Ezzell, Joline" <jre at mail.lib.duke.edu>  
Duke University provides both phone and  email reference (used most by
people not connected with Duke), a "Virtual Reference Desk,"
www.lib.duke.edu/reference/  and a series of  "Resources in Specific
Subjects" which includes major disciplines and other topics.
<http://www.lib.duke.edu/reference/subjects.htm>

From: "Genier, Gerry" <Gerry.Genier at NRC.CA>
SwetScan is a table of contents service used by several libraries in the US
and Canada.  <http://www.nrc.ca/cisti/eps/swetscan.html>

From: Janet H. Taylor, Systems Librarian, Harvard University Library
"I know that Berkeley College of Music, Milton Academy, Philips-Andover and
a few other area schools wired to dorm rooms in the past few years.
Syracuse, too, for that matter.  Philips had an elaborate strategic plan
for library-based value-added services."

From: Karen Harker <KHARKE at MEDNET.SWMED.EDU>
"The UT Southwestern Medical Library offers an 'Ask a Librarian' page on
their web site which allows a primary client (those affiliated with UTSW
and three hospitals) to send a reference question."
<http://www.swmed.edu/home_pages/library>

From: Lars Nooden - LUB Netlab <lars at MUNIN.LUB.LU.SE>
"The Internet Public Library has been providing a remote reference service
for all subject categories via since 1995."  <http://ipl.lub.lu.se/ref/QUE>
 "The Information Technology Department at the University of Michigan has
been  providing reference services specific to the campus computing
environment for at least a decade via e-mail and telephone.
<online.consulting at umich.edu>  "Both have implemented systems for tracking
questions, answers, etc."
 
From: "Linda L. Scarth" <lscarth at mmc.mtmercy.edu>
"
we cannot offer 24 hour help.  We do have e-mail reference and support
which are not much used.  It does not seem essential in our situation. One
of the problems with off-campus access to periodical indexes, etc is the
prohibitive licencing fees required by vendors to have that accessibility.
To ameliorate that we have a series of webpages with links to information
which can substitute for that at least in a limited way. We do link to
ERIC, Medline, CARL UnCover etc on our off-campus webpages."  Mount Mercy
College,  Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

From: <pmcd at westminster.pvt.k12.ct.us> (Pam McDonald)
"I am an assistant librarian at Westminster School, a four year prep school
in Connecticut.  We just rewired our school a few months ago.  We are
obviously at the fledgling stages of this process and, sadly, the library
has thus far taken very little leadership in this project.  We do have a
knowledgeable and approachable system administrator."

From: Shawn Sinn <ssinn at westblue.com>
Western Blue Print has an increasingly digital library, where information
requested by company engineers is digitized and incorporated into a
database.  "Our ultimate goal is to be able to make the database available
via the web.  So the engineers can be anywere in the world and have full
access to the whole collection."

From: "Sloan, Bernie" <bernies at uillinois.edu>
Suggested two websites dealing with similar issues:
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~sloan/e-reference.html
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~sloan/e-ref.html

From: Janet Kaul <jmk at Synopsys.COM>
"I heard Kenneth Liss, the Internet Services Librarian at Harvard's Baker
Library, speak on this topic about 4 months ago. They also have their dorms
wired, and provide a lot of reference and course work online."

From: Jerry Notaro <notaro at bayflash.stpt.usf.edu>
Suggests the model used at the University of South Florida as a "great
starting point."
<http://www.lib.usf.edu/virtual/>

From: Jana Richman <jrichman at poly.edu>
Suggests the model used at Polytechnic University:  <http://dibner.poly.edu>

From: Melanie Long  <Melanie.Long at lerc.nasa.gov>
"Have you looked at Case Western Reserve University's web site? I believe
they have a totally wired campus."  <http://www.cwru.edu>

From: "William C. Barrow" <w.barrow at csu-e.csuohio.edu>
"You might want to talk to Ray Neff, V.P. for Information Services at Case
Western Reserve University here in Cleveland.  He's been heading up, for a
year or two, an ambituous campus wiring program that includes, I believe,
the dorms."   

From: <derrett at digitel.net> (Donna Errett)
Carnegie Mellon University has had wired dorms for five years, but specific
services weren't mentioned in the posting.

From: <cottan at eso.mc.xerox.com> (Francoise Brun-Cottan)
Pat Pitkin at the Rochester Institute of Technology Library
<pitkin.pa at a1.isc.rit.edu> has "picked one solution."  She also suggested
contacting accrediting bodies for distance education programs.

*****************************************************************************
Susan E. Swanson
Reference Librarian
Brandeis University Libraries
415 South Street			telephone: (781) 736-4689
Waltham, MA  02254-9110			e-mail:  swanson at brandeis.edu