Fee-Based Services and Digital Reference Networks at ALA Midwinter

[Steve Coffman]

Important Discussions of Fee-Based Services in Libraries at ALA MidWinter.


Want to know more about fee-based services in libraries and the role they
might play in the new digital reference networks that are being developed?

Then you won’t want to miss the FISCAL meetings at ALA Midwinter.   FISCAL,
for those of you who have never heard of it, is the ACRL Discussion Group
for Fee-Based Information Service Centers in Academic Libraries 
 but in
practice, we really represent the interests of those of who manage and
operate fee-based services in all types of libraries 
 academic, public and
corporate.

At ALA MidWinter we will be holding two important discussions about
fee-based services and the roles they might play in the evolving digital
reference networks---which should be of interest to all of those who
currently operate fee-based services, or who are thinking of starting one.

Roles Fee-Based Services and the Collaborative Digital Reference Service
Sat. Jan. 15  Marriott Rivercenter - Salon D  2-4pm

Diane Nester Kresh and Linda Arret of the Library of Congress will be
joining us to discuss the new Collaborative Digital Reference Initiative
underway at the Library of Congress and to talk about the potential roles
for fee-based services in such a network.   Some of the applications are
quite obvious 
 librarians could refer patrons to fee-based services in
libraries when they needed extended research services, or rapid document
delivery, or needed specialized information products like credit reports,
demographic reports, and others that were not available for free ...  and
there are many others, but we will save those for the meeting.   Also, we
need to give some careful thought on the logistics of incorporating
fee-based services in the CRDS.    Would the patron simply be given a list
of services to select from 
 and if so, how do we qualify services to be on
that list?  Or would something more formal work better for the customer?
For example, what if we created a network of fee-based services where
patrons could submit their proposed research project online and solicit
proposals from a number of us.   These are just a few of the ways this could
work 
 now, you bring us your ideas and thoughts to the discussion on
Saturday afternoon, and let’s see what we can make of this opportunity.

Then on Sunday, Jan. 16  Holiday Inn Express - Alamo  9:30-11am.

Damon Camille, Director of the RICE Service at (you guessed it) Rice
University, will discuss “Coop-petition” a strategy that is frequently used
in the commercial sector that may have some useful application for us as
well.   The idea is to explore the ways that we fee-based services might be
able to better cooperate with one another to improve services to our
customers and grow our businesses.   This will be an opportunity to continue
thinking through some of the networking ideas we will have started
considering in Saturday’s program.   Also, for Sunday morning, we are trying
to get a representative from the Sci-Tech Publishers Linking Program over to
tell us what they are up to, and what implications it might have for us 

but they are still unconfirmed.   Stay tuned.

Also, those of you interested in fee-based services won’t want to miss

The RUSA-MOUSS Fee-based Reference Services Committee: on Sunday, Jan. 16,
at the  Hyatt Regency - Nueces  4:30-5:30pm.

If you have any questions on the FISCAL programs contact Steve Coffman,
Chair of FISCAL at FYI / County of Los Angeles Public Library,
1-800-582-1093 or coffman at cerfnet.com.

Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you all in San Antonio.