Implementing Digital Reference Services: Setting Standards and Making it Real

Citation

Johnson, S. (2004), "Implementing Digital Reference Services: Setting Standards and Making it Real", Library Review, Vol. 53 No. 4, pp. 240-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530410531910

Digital reference services in libraries have had both good and bad press lately: good in that they demonstrate that librarians are going the extra mile to meet the needs of remote patrons, but bad in that live virtual reference currently has a number of limitations to its use. That said, librarians are continuing to explore all options for implementing these services, as well they should. The Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) Conference, now in its 5th year, is the premier event for information professionals interested in keeping up with the field. Implementing Digital Reference Services, the print proceedings of the third annual VRD conference (held in Orlando, Florida, 12‐13 November 2001), provides a good overview of recent developments.

Although the title suggests something along the lines of a how‐to manual for digital reference, this is a misnomer, and it is only in the Preface that it is mentioned that these are conference proceedings. The electronic proceedings, which are different, are freely available online (www.vrd.org/conferences/VRD2001/proceedings/index.shtml). This Web site includes copies of speakers' PowerPoint presentations, although not all of the articles in the print proceedings have online PowerPoint counterparts, and vice versa. The fact that neither the print nor the electronic proceedings seem to be comprehensive is confusing, and it also forces interested parties to go to two separate places (or, better yet, attend the conference in person!) to obtain the most complete information.

The present volume comprises 19 peer‐reviewed papers from the event, divided into six categories according to a logical timeline. These divisions include identifying the need for virtual reference, management of key issues, implementing real‐time reference, implementing collaborative reference service, building on previous research, and evaluating quality. The authors, predominantly American, come from a variety of settings, which include academic libraries, public libraries, special libraries, museums, library schools, and vendors. The articles themselves are of high quality and contain a mix of theory and practicality. Most are based on case studies performed at the speakers' home institutions. Of particular note are Scott D. Johnston's “Rethinking Privacy for the Virtual Library,” which covers an aspect of virtual reference not often considered by its practitioners; Juleigh Muirhead Clark's “Analyzing E‐Mail Reference Service in a Museum Library,” which looks at e‐reference issues related to cultural and historical institutions; and Judith Smith's “Collaborating with Our Users,” which discusses the virtual reference needs of adult learners in an academic library.

Librarians brand new to digital reference who are interested in implementing such a service would be better served by Marc Meola and Sam Stormont's Starting and Operating Live Virtual Reference Services: A How‐To‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians (Neal‐Schuman, 2002), which, though fairly short and heavy on screenshots, contains more advice of a practical nature than these proceedings. The present volume is one to be dipped into as necessary for suggestions on particular aspects of digital reference. It should also be useful for librarians conducting their own research in this area or those interested in getting an overview of current practices.