Transcript Electronic Reference.ppt

Electronic Reference
Matt Marsteller
July 17, 2000
Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm./erefcv/classvis.html
Electronic Reference
– a definition
Utilization of computerized tools to augment
or assist traditional reference services in a
library.
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E-mail
HTML Forms
Paging software
Chat software
Wearable computers
Smart rooms
Avoiding the Techno-glitz
Software, hardware, etc. are tools
Tools are not a panacea
Find the right tool for a task
Thought provoking recent article by
Walt Crawford
Crawford’s “Principled Library”
“Technology doesn’t define today’s
library, and it won’t define good libraries
in the future. Technology provides
tools; librarians use those tools.
Technology will keep changing.
Effective librarians will use changing
technology without letting the tools
take over.”
When tools take over…a story
of e-mail
Special library environment
Physical visits to the library frowned upon
Voice-mail deeply entrenched
A LAN arrived …
… along with very friendly e-mail software
We started doing e-mail reference without
realizing what hit us!
But Wait…it gets worse
The politics of the situation
Ask-A-Scientist-and-A-Librarian
http://www.fetc.doe.gov/coolscience/res_archive/q&a_31.html
Thoughts about policy
A good topic for WVLA
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/erefwvla.html
E-mail Reference observations
Negatives
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Lack of visual cues
Difficult reference interview
Time delays
Eileen Abels’ article
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Taxonomy of e-mail reference approach
The winner – the systematic approach
Systematic approach  HTML Forms
Some thoughts from before…
Beyond E-mail
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/page5.html
Web Forms
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/page6.html
QB http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/page7.html
TalkBack http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~matthewm/page8.html
“Something Like Chat” – Why
Not Chat Matt?
University Libraries at CMU is beginning work
with LivePerson (http://www.liveperson.com/)
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Chat software geared to customer service and real
time interaction with the customer
Supposed to include ability to ‘push’ web sites to
the customer
Already beginning to be used in library settings
LivePerson
Resides on LivePerson’s Server
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Requires no hardware, no software, no
java, no plug-ins
Just a standard browser
 Netscape 3.0 to 4.6
 Internet Explorer 3.0 to 5.0
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Firewalls shouldn’t be a problem
The 24/7 Reference Service
Needed?
Privacy Concerns
Needed or not – here it comes
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Collaborative Digital Reference Service
 http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/digiref/cdrshome.html
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Real-Time Reference for Undergraduate
Students in Science, Mathematics and
Engineering
Wearable Computers for
Electronic Reference
A few of us out there calling for
exploration
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My views deal with support of electronic
reference
 Memory Augmentation
 Ease the use of print materials for electronic
reference
General approach
CMU known for research in wearable
computers
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Learn more of their research
Open dialogue/make suggestions for
possible usage of wearable computers in a
library setting
Bibliography
Abels, Eileen G. “The E-mail Reference
Interview,” RQ, vol. 35, no. 3, (Spring 1996),
pp 345-58.
Crawford, Walt. “Principled libraries: finding
stability in changing times,” Online, vol. 24
no. 2 (Mar./Apr. 2000), pp 48-53.
Eichler, Linda and Michael Halperin.
“LivePerson: Keeping Reference Alive and
Clicking”, Econtent, (June 2000)
http://www.ecmag.net/awards/award13.html
Bibliography (cont)
Haines, Annette and Alison Grodzinski. “Web
forms: improving, expanding, and promoting
remote reference services,” C&RL News, vol.
60, no. 4, (April 1999), pp 271-272,291.
Kresh, Diane Nester. “Offering High Quality
Reference Service on the Web: The
Collaborative Digital Reference Service
(CDRS),” D-Lib Magazine, vol. 6, no. 6, (June
2000), http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june00/kresh/06kresh.html
Ma, Wei and Joyce Wright. “QB Online,”
C&RL News, vol. 59, no. 10, (November
1998), pp 772-774.
Bibliography (Cont)
Mizrachi, Diane. “Info-Fashions for the
New Millenium,” Online, vol. 24, no. 1,
(Jan./Feb. 2000), pp 82-4