University of Maryland Announces First Class in Virtual Reference Librarianship

[Stephen Coffman]

Friends, colleagues and virtual reference librarians everywhere:


You really know a field is coming of age when they begin to teach classes on it.  And so I'm delighted to announce that the University of Maryland will be offering the first class specifically devoted to the practice of virtual reference librarianship later this Spring.   Of course, there have been hundreds of meetings, talks, discussions and even a few videoconferences on the subject, but so far almost everything has focused on theoretical and start-up issues (standards, selecting software, etc.), and there has been little or nothing for the hundreds---no, make that thousands, now---of virtual reference librarians who are actually out there right now sitting in front of terminals, working with patrons online---and making it up as you go along.  

Well, all that will change this May 30th as the College of Information Studies of the University of Maryland, launches Virtual Reference Librarianship 1.0 --- the first class expressly designed by and for virtual reference librarians and those who aspire to become one.   The class will focus on the nitty-gritty of what it is actually like to do reference live and online --- when the patron is waiting and you're the one in the hot seat.  You'll learn practical facts and techniques like how long is too long to make a patron wait, how to carry-on an effective conversation in chat while you are desperately looking for an answer, alternative means of sharing information when co-browsing just won't work, useful scripts to have in your arsenal and those you can do without, how to judge when either you or the patron have had enough and it is time to get back to them later, and much more.  You'll find out what we know about the kinds of questions that are best answered live and real time, and those that are not, and you'll learn about the most common mistakes virtual librarians make, and how to avoid them at least some of the time. You'll learn how to deal with some of the problems of virtual reference like patron disconnects, and the occasional abusive or harassing caller.  And everyone will get a chance to try his or her skill at the Holy Grail of virtual reference, handling more than one patron at a time.  Everyone is encouraged to attend, regardless of your level of experience---the only thing we ask is that you not be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, because this is a practical course, and you will have lots of opportunity to practice.  

Your instructors are some of the most experienced people in this still nascent field:  Dr. Eileen Abels, well-known educator and researcher on issues relating to digital and electronic information services, and one of the first to incorporate virtual reference training as part of the regular reference curriculum; Margaret Turgman, researcher par excellance, and manager of virtual reference projects at the University of Maryland, Michelle Fiander, long-time academic librarian, and now manager of LSSI's Web Reference Center---the busiest virtual reference operation on the face of the earth; and Yours Truly, who promises to shut up and let everybody else do most of the talking.  

As you can tell, we intend to have some fun here, but you will get a lot of work and learning accomplished too ... and if you make it all the way through, there will be six Continuing Education Units and a real (not virtual) diploma waiting for you at the end of the day.  

Of course, the only problem with this course, is that---although it is all about virtual reference---you actually have to physically attend it at the University of Maryland in College Park, right next to Washington DC (and just a short van ride from either Dulles or Baltimore/Washington airports).  Now, the irony of this has not been lost on us, but it was the best we could do at the time.  However, coming this Fall, you can look forward to a full-scale, truly virtual, virtual reference course that will be taught entirely online over the course of a full semester.  So if you can't make it to DC for this one, stay tuned for forthcoming announcements, and maybe you can be first in line for the Fall.  

For further information or to register for the University of Maryland's Virtual Reference Librarianship 1.0, please visit the Web site at http://www.clis.umd.edu/ce/virtual02spr.html or contact Robin Albert, CE Coordinator, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, 301-405-2057.

Thanks, and we hope to see you all there.



SC

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