Live, Digital Reference Marketplace
Buff Hirko reports that products are undergoing rapid change, with improvements in functions and features
by Buff Hirko (netConnect) -- netConnect, 10/15/2002
To those who watched automation systems evolve in the early Eighties, the world of digital reference seems oddly familiar. Vendors appear from unexpected places, then disappear. Others merge and expand. Limited function applications, such as HumanClick (now LivePerson Pro), go off in intriguing directions, integrating features like online surveys and security encryption (for transmitting credit card information) that may or may not be useful to libraries.
But there are also significant differences. The pace of development of digital reference is much faster. No one, apart from the developers themselves, can keep up with the changes. Perhaps reflecting this rapid development, no commonly accepted moniker exists for interactive digital service--virtual, real-time, synchronous, live chat all coexist. At times it seems that librarians have boarded a train without knowing where it's going, with more and more travelers climbing on every day. [For more on the issues surrounding live reference, see 'Live, Digital Reference,' LJ 10/1/02, p. 46-50.]
Rapid expansion
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To see a comparison of the features and requirements of the products listed in this article, see the Company Comparisons below. |
The number of libraries experimenting with chat reference in 1999 could be counted on one hand. It's impossible to determine the ever-changing 2002 statistic (buildings? institutions? consortia?), but certainly there are hundreds of libraries in the United States, with more around the world, offering some type of digital reference. While that is a small percentage of all libraries, many more provide both web pages and e-mail service--the beginning of digital reference.
Most of the vendors began with call center software. These applications were designed to help clients frustrated with online ordering of merchandise or services by offering a live connection to a customer service representative. Customizing the software to handle the universe of library queries has been one of the great challenges for vendors. A handful of libraries have designed local applications using free instant messaging services (e.g., AOL) or open-source software like Rakim.
Vendor diversityVendors fit into differing categories: for- or nonprofit, primarily commercial or library focused, large and small. Only OCLC and 24/7 Reference are nonprofit-based entities. LSSI and 24/7 Reference are based on eGain software, which supports commercial companies like Land's End. Both target the library market, as do Docutek and OCLC's QuestionPoint. Other vendors have a primary customer base of commercial businesses, with libraries being late additions. Interactive chat service is Internet-based, and these are tough times for Internet businesses--both LivePerson and eGain downsized recently.
Digital reference software packages range from down-to-earth to pie-in-the-sky. The combination of relatively low cost and product novelty may account for few libraries selecting digital reference software via an RFP process. Choices are based on vendor demonstrations, web site visits, features, price, and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Product variablesFunctionality and features are advancing rapidly. All applications offer live interactive chat, can push web pages, queue waiting patrons, and provide audible or visual alerts when a new customer comes online. The ability to push documents, PowerPoint presentations, and other nonweb resources is increasingly common. Most software e-mail transcripts of the chat session to the patron and generate statistics.
Report capabilities vary. Some offer spell checking and form-sharing. Persistent buttons allow patrons to initiate help requests when using licensed databases and can be set up on all library web pages without coding. Some systems generate phrases ('I'm still working on your question') at specified intervals.
To a greater or lesser degree, all of the vendors make it possible for the library to customize the look of screens, web forms, surveys, and other elements. This allows local branding, as well as harmonizing digital reference with existing web page design.
When OCLC and the Library of Congress introduced QuestionPoint, they integrated chat with the more prosaic e-mail reference and a knowledge base. The latter is a database of previously asked question and answer pairs, from which personal information has been stripped, that can be searched or browsed. LSSI announced that RefTracker, which provides similar capability, would become part of its standard package.
Remote control (application sharing) was developed as a tool for technical problem-solving. It allows librarians to share control of all programs on the computer desktop. This avoids the problem of authentication in using licensed databases, so librarians can share proprietary databases with patrons who may not be authorized users. It also allows direct access to library catalogs and other applications that are not web-based. Remote control makes it possible to correct software settings on the patron's computer, resolving issues with proxy server connections or other technical difficulties.
Support for browsers earlier than Internet Explorer 5.0+ and Netscape 4.0+ varies; requirements on the patron end often are lower. All vendors support Windows, while about half also support the Mac platform.
It is important to consider where the service is hosted since that will impact both costs and benefits. Some vendors offer the option of installing and maintaining the software and data on a library server. Benefits of local hosting include increased speed, direct access, control of transcripts and logs, and more flexibility for adding forms and surveys. But it also puts an added burden on local IT staff.
Looking aheadDigital reference software is developing quickly, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Some applications have difficulties with frame-busting web pages, which take over the operator's entire window and cause the browser to freeze.
As digital reference matures, it is likely to incorporate more sophisticated features and emerging technology. Much is made of the lack of visual or audio cues available in live online reference transactions. Voice-over IP offers a solution to patrons with single phone lines who want to speak with a librarian and search the Internet simultaneously. It has had limited use to date because it requires that the patron's computer be equipped not only with a sound card but also with a microphone.
Digital video cameras allowing online 'face to face' interactions also require equipment at both ends of the transaction. A more interesting concept is the call center bridge, which queues incoming telephone and interactive chat queries on a single digital line. This has great potential for efficient use of staff, but compatibility issues between digital reference and telephone company software must be resolved.
Predictions, while fun, may be a bit foolhardy. What we can be certain of is continuing change in the type and number of vendors, significant improvements in capability, and unforeseen developments in technology.
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| Author Information |
| Buff Hirko (bhirko@secstate.wa.gov) is Statewide Virtual Reference Project Coordinator, Washington State Library (wlo.statelib.wa.gov/services/vrs) |
| Convey | Docutek VRLplus | DesktopStreaming | eLibrarian | HorizonLive | LiveAssistance | |
| FEATURES | ||||||
| Push web pages | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Cobrowsing | YES | Available in Oct. | YES | YES | YES | NO |
| Push non-web-based documents | YES | NO | YES | NO | YES | YES if referenced in URL |
| Multilingual | NO | YES | NO | YES | YES | NO |
| Queue Management | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Reports/Transcripts | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | Reports downloadable to MS Excel or Access |
| E-mail Message Center | NO | YES | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| Exit surveys | NO | NO | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Q&A Knowledge Base | YES | YES | NO | NO | NO | YES |
| Meeting/Conferencing | YES | NO | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| Remote Control | YES | NO | YES | NO | YES | NO |
| Voice-over IP | YES | NO | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| REQUIREMENTS | ||||||
| Download plug-in | YES | YES | YES | NO | Only for audio | NO |
| Host server | Vendor | Local or Vendor | Vendor | Vendor or local | Vendor | Vendor |
| Platform supported | Windows | Windows & Mac | Windows | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac |
| Works w/IPACS | Any | Contact vendor | Any | Contact vendor | Any | Contact vendor |
| LivePerson | LSSI | NetAgent |
QuestionPoint | 24/7 Reference | ||
| FEATURES | Basic | Enhanced | ||||
| Push web pages | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Cobrowsing | NO | YES | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Push non-web-based documents | PRO version only | YES | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Multilingual | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Queue Management | PRO version | YES | n/a | YES | YES | YES |
| Reports/Transcripts | Transcripts YES; reports with PRO version only | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| E-mail Message Center | PRO version | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Exit surveys | PRO version | YES | YES | NO | NO | YES |
| Q&A Knowledge Base | NO | YES | NO | YES | NO | NO |
| Meeting/Conferencing | NO | YES | NO | NO | YES | YES |
| Remote Control | NO | YES | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| Voice-over IP | NO | YES (added fee) | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| REQUIREMENTS | ||||||
| Download plug-in | NO | Only for remote control | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| Host server | Vendor | Vendor or local | Vendor or local | Vendor | Vendor | Vendor |
| Platform supported | Windows & Mac | Windows | Windows & Mac | Windows & Mac | Windows | Windows |
| Works w/IPACS | Contact vendor | Most; all with remote control | Contact vendor | Contact vendor | Any | Most |
