Electronic Reference Services

[Sloan, Bernie]

In my "Service Perspectives for the Digital Library" paper (see
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~sloan/e-ref.html) I explored the concept of
providing electronic reference services (i.e., via the Web, e-mail,
interactive video, etc.). Now I want to explore that topic further and
investigate what "works" and what doesn't "work" in providing
electronic reference services.

I am looking for examples of successful electronic reference sites.
By "successful", I mean sites with fairly high volume, and a fairly
high level of user satisfaction. Such sites can be providing electronic
reference service to distance learners, or providing "remote" electronic
reference service to library users located on the same campus, or
in the same community.

If you think your electronic reference services are "successful", I'd
like to hear from you.

Thanks!

Bernie Sloan
Senior Library Information Systems Consultant
University of Illinois Office for Planning & Budgeting
338 Henry Administration Building
506 S. Wright Street
Urbana, IL  61801
Phone: (217) 333-4895  
Fax: (217) 333-6355
Email: bernies at uillinois.edu