Delivering Digital Reference

With more and more resources available online and accessible from outside the library, it no longer makes sense to demand that patrons come into the building in order to get assistance.

If resources can be accessed from home at 10 p.m., then patrons should be able to get help then, too.

That notion has been gaining widespread acceptance. There have been numerous demonstrations at professional meetings of software for digital reference, defined here as real-time chat and collaborative browsing, and discussions on electronic lists and in journal articles about software basics. What is missing from many of these discussions, however, is the nitty-gritty details on managing digital reference service.

The reference interview is the basis for good service, and therefore trained reference staff are essential to delivering online reference help. Librarians and reference assistants who staff the reference desk are good candidates for digital reference. In some institutions library school interns are also scheduled to cover the desk. A number of libraries have chosen to contract with staff provided by software vendors or to collaborate with other libraries. If this is the case, a message should be posted alerting patrons that someone who is not affiliated with that particular library may answer their calls. For example, the 24/7 reference service of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (CA) states that questions will be answered by "live reference staff in libraries throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties."

Large academic libraries may have a number of "branches" or "units" that contain subject collections and specialists. In one model, at the University of Chicago Business and Economics Resource Center, librarians from a branch provide service to their primary clientele. Another model employs a centralized service, with librarians from a number of units answering questions from users. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), we adopted this model after analysis of questions from the first pilot project showed that users were more likely to ask questions about finding books or selecting databases that required knowledge of the catalog and web pages rather than specialized subject expertise. Questions that are out of the scope of the librarian's expertise may be referred to a subject specialist. The patron may be shown a web page with the e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or consulting hours of such specialists.

Whatever software vendor you select will provide initial training. This can cascade through an organization, with librarians in individual branches training staff. Training can be supplemented with group or individual sessions, discussion at weekly staff meetings, and on internal electronic discussion lists.

At UCLA we gave special presentations on "Digital Resources for Digital Reference" to highlight materials useful to digital librarians and reference librarians in general. Short presentations by librarians in various units include the "top three items on your library's web page that a digital librarian needs to know about," helpful directories, and tips for using search engines.

Some libraries that don't have busy reference desks also have the librarian staff the digital desk at the same time, but it's difficult for a patron standing in front of you to accept that you're helping someone online when it looks to them like you're doing your e-mail. It's best to staff the desk away from in-person and telephone interruptions. Call center software alerts the librarian that a caller is waiting via an alert such as a ring, ding, and pop-up message, so the librarian is able to attend to other tasks while staffing the service as long as she is within sight and sound of the computer. At the College Library at UCLA, librarians wear headphones to hear the "ding" and to let fellow staffers know that they are covering digital service.

How long should shifts be? One- and two-hour shifts are commonly scheduled. As at the traditional desk, a one-hour shift can be quite intense if there are a number of patrons. Although most software programs allow the librarian to handle multiple calls, juggling more than two calls at once can become confusing and overwhelming for anyone other than the most agile and experienced digital librarian. If there are a number of callers, a scripted message can be sent saying, "I'm currently helping someone, would you like to wait, click-in again later, or send an e-mail message?" Alternatively, a message can be sent to the current patron saying, "I have another caller waiting, do you think you have enough information to continue on your own?" or "May I send you additional information via e-mail?" Many services have a guideline suggesting that sessions be kept to 15–20 minutes. If the question cannot be answered within that time, the user should be directed to visit the library in person, telephone, or send an e-mail message.

Many libraries report that the heaviest usage of digital reference is during the same hours as in-person reference, usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with peak times around noon to 1 p.m. Look at web statistics for times when resources such as the library catalog get the most traffic. Track the hits to the digital reference page to see when users are trying to reach the service. At UCLA we assumed that students would not use the service on Fridays, a day that is traditionally light at the desk. However, web statistics showed we got a number of hits for digital service then, so we added Friday mornings.

The number of resources we offer overwhelms our users. As digital resources become more commonplace, the questions asked most often refer to those resources. They may not necessarily require an answer to a specific factual question, but rather, "Where should I go to look for the answer? How do I start?"

The most common question in both public and academic libraries is how to find a book. Academic users ask, "What database should I use to find information on my topic?" Or, "How can I get a full-text article?" "How can I get full-text information when I'm at home?"

For statistical purposes, UCLA puts questions received into broad categories: art/music, biomed/science, business, humanities/social science, and library/technical. By doing this, we can see where the questions fall and justify participation by library units. About 38 percent of the questions fall into the library/technical group. These questions include, "How can I request that a checked-out book be returned?" "How do I renew a book online?" About 20 percent of these library/technical questions relate to accessing LexisNexis, because there is no obvious link to this resource on the redesigned UCLA Library homepage. Often these LexisNexis and proprietary database questions require us to explain how to connect to the proxy server, which allows students, faculty, and staff not connected directly to the unversity server access to restricted resources.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sorts questions into six categories: questions about whether the library has specific items; questions about the library and its services (e.g., hours, reserves); questions about how to get started doing subject-based research (how to find books and articles on a specific topic); fact-based ready-reference; technical problems with remote access to library databases; and questions about the service.

More than one library has decided to have low-profile or no marketing for fear the service would be deluged with questions; quite the contrary occurs when patrons have no way of knowing that a service exists. Rarely has a library been overwhelmed by the number of questions. It takes time to build recognition.

Burying the link is a sure way to sink a project. During UCLA's first pilot in spring 2001, the link was buried two clicks down on the pages of the Undergraduate Library and the Biomedical Library. We only had 14 callers during the first quarter. When the icon was placed on the main library homepage, the number of calls went up to 45. The following quarter it went up to 100. If you fear that your service will be overrun, limit it to primary clientele or to specific resources such as the catalog. Contractually, the resources you use to answer the questions may limit who your clientele may be. Do you restrict your clientele at the reference desk, on the telephone, or by e-mail? The same caveats may apply with real-time reference as well. Limit it to a few hours per week and increase it gradually so that staffing can keep up with demand. At UCLA, hours have gone from ten to 30 per quarter.

A one-time blitz is not enough. Educate staff to promote regularly and continuously at the reference desk, circulation desk, and in instructional sessions. A number of public libraries put a bookmark promoting their service in every book checked out. Others have sent out doorknob hangers to clientele. The Alliance Library System (IL) prepared a Quick Fact Sheet to be used by staff for talking points. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign posted flyers urging students to "take a librarian home tonight."

Many libraries call their service "Ask-a-Librarian," but more memorable names might be catchier; among those being used are RefeXpress, Q&A Café, Q&A NJ, Instant Librarian, and Ready for Reference.

Comments from discussion groups have also recommended using a graphical icon rather than a text link. Icons need to be simple enough to reproduce well on promotional materials.

Librarians concerned about privacy and security are hesitant to reveal any personal information when covering the service. However, the online environment can be rather impersonal, since there are no visual or verbal clues to assure the patron that they are interacting with a human being and not a computer. When UCLA first tested the software, individuals who acted as test callers commented that the names displayed, e.g., "UCLA Librarian 1," seemed very cold and impersonal. They suggested that librarians use first names, even if they were aliases. To make users feel comfortable, librarians should respond with the user's name in the chat messages, e.g., "How can I help you today, Lori?"

In general, academic libraries do not receive as many crank or nuisance calls as public libraries. To deal with obnoxious patrons, chat messages such as, "This is an inappropriate use of our service. Unfortunately, we will need to end this session," can be scripted and sent when needed. The University of Florida has a Rules of Conduct page that states, "Harassment of other people will not be tolerated. Emoted violence and obscenities are considered inappropriate."

Software programs may provide an automatic customer satisfaction survey at the end of each session via a pop-up window. However, the response rate, as with most surveys, will probably be small. In the digital environment the practice of hitting the delete key is deeply ingrained. Sending out a separate customized e-mail message to users may elicit more responses but requires more work. Telephoning users brings forth direct and spontaneous responses. The number of callers to UCLA's first pilot project was quite small, so we thanked each user personally. We asked how they found out about the service and what hours they would like it to be open. Even when the number of users increases, you can do random phone calls periodically for direct feedback.

The standards for digital reference are still being set. With the software becoming more ubiquitous, issues of management, training, policies, resources, marketing, and more are coming to the fore. How well we resolve these may determine the viability of digital reference.