Table of contents
Evaluation of two library‐based and one expert reference service on the Web
Richard McCreaIt has become increasingly common for libraries to provide a reference service which operates via e‐mail or through online forms. This paper compares the performance of three…
Digital reference services: how do the library‐based services compare with the expert services?
Karen CloughleyReports on the performance of five free digital reference services (DRS) in answering ten reference questions. The first five questions were of a simple, factual, nature which…
How good are the free digital reference services? A comparison of library‐based and expert services
Stephen LochoreReports on a small‐scale experiment designed to assess the performance of the freely available digital reference services. Ten questions – five purely fact‐finding, and five on…
Digital reference services for young library users: a comparison of four services
Caroline HenleyReports on a study comparing the performance of four digital reference services: Ask Bob; Ask a Librarian; Ask Zach and IPL Youth Ask a Question. Posing as a primary seven pupil…
Call centres for enhanced reference services: a comparison of selected library call centres and the Reference Point at National Library of Singapore
Abdus Sattar Chaudhry, Chua JeanneThe concept of a call centre is defined and the technologies employed in call centre applications are examined. The principles and practices relevant in the context of telephone…
Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries
Gobinda Chowdhury, Simone MargaritiDiscusses the current practices followed by some major libraries in Scotland for providing digital reference services (DRS). Refers to the DRSs provided by three academic…
“Beyond the virtual shore”: an Australian digital reference initiative with a global dimension
Keith Davis, Sally ScholfieldThis paper gives an overview of the evolution of digital reference services at the University of Technology Sydney, and the emergence of a new phase to this service as part of a…