Chasing the Sun : an international virtual reference service between health libraries

1. Chasing the Sun: an international virtual reference service between health libraries Mary Peterson(RAH/IMVS, Adelaide, Australia) John Loy (Bristol, UK) Internet Librarian International 2007

2. Outline • What is Chasing the Sun? • History, setup, problems • Recent developments within CTS • Future goals

3. What is Chasing the Sun? • co-operative free virtual reference service between health libraries • Takes advantage of time differences

4. 10pm in Vancouver Midnight in Montreal 5am in the UK 1pm in Perth 3pm in Sydney

5. Aim of Chasing the Sun • To put health/medical practitioners in contact with a Librarian for after-hours reference queries related to a clinical question. • Risk management – supporting use of clinical decision-making support tools for EBP

6. What CTS does • Provides help with database searching or information retrieval • Must relate to patient care • Cannot wait until the library is open in the morning • Target group • junior doctors, nurses working after-hours

7. 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.

8. Participating institutions • share common subject themes • are of equal professional standards • use similar information resources

9. 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 • Soft launch November 2004 • Expansion in UK and Aus 2004 – 2007 • New Zealand trialling 2006 • Canada joins 2007

10. Awards • Swets Professional Envoy Award (Aus) 2004 • International Information Industry Awards, London 2004 - Best Team in the Public Sector

11. Virtual Reference Software • Three types of Virtual Reference Software • Remote Control software • Web Contact Centre Software • Chat / Instant Messenger • CTS based on live chat – immediate response

12. Our requirements: • Affordable • 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

13. 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

14. OCLC’s QuestionPoint • Allows discrete groups (BMEs) in different countries • Individual SPUs for internal VR • Multiple librarians can be logged on • All CTS questions seen by all librarians • Most appropriately skilled librarian able to take question • Transfer of questions easy • No rostering is required

15. CTS administration • Each CTS country BME has an administrator to represent their group of librarians. • The CTS administrator liaises with the other administrators from other countries

16. CTS administration • The administrator’s duties include: • ensure Chat sessions are taken up and that Librarians are logged on each day • schedule training for librarians • activate accounts and manage MOUs • customise country’s global scripted messages • organise branding (Logo) of group • generate usage reports (statistics) • assist with set-up of new member libraries • Liaise with OCLC on technical developments etc

17. Problems / risk factors • Unreliable internet / response times • Blocking of download sites by IT depts • Reliable source of recurrent funding • UK – NHS • Aus – sponsorship • Canada – already QP users • NZ – funding source barrier to participation • Time and energy levels

18. Ongoing issues • How best to promote the service to medical and health staff • emails, promotions on intranet web sites, promotion at regional medical conferences • System administrators – workload

19. Where are we now? • Launch of new Flash version of QP 22nd October 2007 • Canada joining as full member • Increased librarian training • Promotion to health librarians • CHLA June 2007 • AGMB Sept 2007 • HLG July 2008 • Promotion to clinicians

20. Goals • Intensify promotion to clients • Broaden CTS participant group – NZ / USA. • Explore sources for longer term funding

21. 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 • Interesting new side to our work.

22. A Virtual Future • Health Libraries to be part of the way of the virtual future. • Virtual reference goes with virtual diagnosis, virtual surgery, virtual teaching, telemedicine, Robotics • Virtual world imposes no distance or size restrictions.

23. Further information: • Rockliff S, Peterson M, Martin K, Curtis D. Chasing the Sun: a virtual reference service between SAHSLC (SA) and SWICE (UK). Health Information and Libraries Journal 2005; 22: 117–123. • Website: • http://www.salus.sa.gov.au/cts/ctsmain.htm

24. Live demo! • Tonight at about 5.30 – live chat with Canada. Come and help us welcome Canada to CTS!

25. Chasing the Sun: an international virtual reference service between health libraries Mary Peterson(Adelaide, Australia) John Loy (Bristol, UK) Internet Librarian International 2007