[WEB4LIB] Free Live Reference Software

[Roy Tennant]

The best and most recent overview of reference software I've seen is  
Buff Hirko's piece in netConnect, see  
<http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/ 
index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA251679>. I don't believe there is  
a free option listed, though. Frankly, I'm wondering what anyone would  
expect from free software except for something like chat. Although I'm  
very much a proponent of open source, my guess is that no one in the  
open source community has yet caught up to the commercial outfits in  
regards to online reference software, and possibly never will. At least  
right now it doesn't seem like much of a horse race.
Roy (disclosure: I'm on the Advisory Board for Docutek, a company with  
a live reference product)

On Friday, January 3, 2003, at 04:13 AM, Allison Diaz-Forte wrote:

>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Some time ago I read an article on the topic of live reference  
> software. It included a discussion about free software available for  
> providing this service. Now I cannot remember where this article is  
> located and I am hoping that others on the list would have read this  
> article and would be able to either provide me with the bib. reference  
> or point me to other relevant sources of information.
>
> All the best for the New Year!
>
> Allison Diaz-Forte
> National Library and Information System Authority
> Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
>
>
>
>
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