Chasing the Sun : a virtual reference project between SAHSLC (SA) and SWICE (UK)

1. Chasing the Sun : a virtual reference project between SAHSLC (SA) and SWICE (UK) Mary Peterson (Royal Adelaide Hospital and Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science) Sue Rockliff (The Queen Elizabeth Hospital) July 2004

2. Outline • What is Chasing the Sun? • Virtual reference technology • CTS and QuestionPoint

3. What is Chasing the Sun? • co-operative free virtual reference service between: • SAHSLC (South Australian Human Services Libraries Consortium) • SWICE (South West Information for Clinical Effectiveness) in the UK. • Uses time differences between Australia and the UK.

4. Aim of Chasing the Sun • To put health/medical practitioners in contact with a Librarian for urgent after-hours reference queries related to a clinical question.

5. What CTS is for • Urgent assistance with database searching or information retrieval • Must relate to patient care • Cannot wait until the library is open in the morning.

6. What CTS is NOT for • General IT problems or computer connectivity - i.e. database crashes. • Password difficulties • Queries not relating to patient care (i.e. assignments or research) • Material unique to the other institutions’ intranets.

7. History of CTS • Initial contact by NHS late 2001 • service parameters agreed during 2002 • logo developed 2002 - UK • evaluation of VR softwares 2002-3 - AUS • detailed evaluation of QP 2003 - AUS • Project proposal delivered to UK Dec 2003 • UK agreed to fund QP for one year

8. Virtual Reference • VR works best when participating institutions : • share common subject themes • are of equal professional standards • have common levels of information resources

9. Virtual Reference for CTS • Small and mostly co-operative groups exist in each state and in each country • Expectations of users fairly similar • Subject collections and software used similar

10. Virtual Reference Software • Three types of Virtual Reference Software • Remote Control software • Web Contact Centre Software • Chat / Instant Messenger

11. Initial Attempts • Initial attempts - Yahoo listserve • Email request form • This failed because: • Unpredictable time delays • Form data could only be sent to a single email.

12. Evaluation of VR software • Commercial VR software • Based on the model of “buying a seat” • The seat is rostered around the participating libraries. • Queries would not be able to be 1: many but only 1:1.

13. Our requirements: • Reliable and quick response times • Easy to use interface • Able to brand web pages with our logo • Able to gather statistics and generate reports automatically • Does not require special software or hardware for user or librarian • Able to have tailored standard messages

14. Our requirements cont: • Able to provide link from “Chat” to “Web form” when library is closed • Allows librarian to use other applications at the same time and to move/float chat window • Provides a cue for incoming request • Web forms can be customised • Able to time/date stamp both the request and the response given to the request

15. QuestionPoint • “Institutions” in different countries • Up to 25 librarians access to simultaneous “chat” and “web” queries • Most appropriately skilled librarian able to take question • No rostering is required, all are able to take questions • More than one query can be answered by different librarians simultaneously • Once a question is “taken” by a librarian, all can see who has it.

16. Librarian logon screen

17. QP Home page for Librarians Librarian will click on ASK to go to CHAT mode

18. Active and finalised questions Librarian clicks on CHAT to activate the CHAT session for the day. This is minimised.

19. Chat screen for the Librarian Librarian can minimise this screen for the day and await for a prompt that a new chat user has come online To initiate a chat session with a waiting client, click on their name

20. What the Client will see.

21. Question Form

22. Screen the client will use to initiate a chat session Client fills in their details and their question and clicks on “Chat”

23. Chat screen starting up for user

24. Chat screen for the Librarian To initiate a chat session with a waiting client, click on their name

25. Chat screen for the Librarian

26. Chat screen for the Client

27. Chat screen for the Librarian

28. Active and finalised questions

29. Issues yet to be dealt with • Licensing issues • Legal liability issues (Disclaimer) • Practicability of running QP

30. Issues yet to be dealt with • Compliance of all account holders • Promotion of service to medical and health staff • emails, promotions on intranet web sites, promotion at regional medical conferences • System administrators - workload

31. Where we are now • 8 Adelaide / 6 UK librarians trained • Train remaining librarians in Adelaide & UK and have them up to speed by end of August 2004. • Testing between UK and AUS July/Aug 2004 • Soft launch Chasing the Sun in late 2004. • Swets Professional Envoy Award

32. End of 2004: • Intensify promotion to clients towards the end of 2004. • Approach additional countries / states / NHS Divisions • Explore sources for longer term funding.

33. Outcomes • Improved opportunity for good evidence based clinical decision making in patient care by medical / health staff. • Overcome issues of having to have physical after hours access to the library. • Platform for co-operative ventures established • Good political mileage for librarians

34. Chasing the Sun : a virtual reference project between SAHSLC (SA) and SWICE (UK) Mary Peterson (Royal Adelaide Hospital and Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science) Sue Rockliff (The Queen Elizabeth Hospital) July 2004