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Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in Collaborative VR

Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in Collaborative VR. Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. Marie L. Radford, Ph.D. Panel: Best Practices in Cooperative Virtual Reference. Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives.

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Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in Collaborative VR

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  1. Exceeding Expectations: E-Reference Excellence in Collaborative VR Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. Marie L. Radford, Ph.D. Panel: Best Practices in Cooperative Virtual Reference

  2. Seeking Synchronicity:Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives • Project duration • 10/1/2005-3/30/2008 • Four phases: • Focus group interviews* • Analysis of 850 QuestionPoint transcripts • 496 online surveys* • 283 telephone interviews* • * Interviews & Surveys with VRS Users, Non-users, & Librarians

  3. 175 Online Surveys: Majority female & Caucasian Academic librarians outnumber public librarians More urban than suburban or rural Most 41-50 years old 100 Telephone Interviews: Majority female & Caucasian Public librarians outnumber academic librarians More urban than suburban or rural Most 31-50 years old Librarian VRS Providers: Demographics

  4. Recommendations for • Cooperative • Virtual Reference • Services

  5. Research Findings: Cooperative VRS • Survey respondents (N=175): Eliminates geographic boundaries (96%) • Focus group interview participants • “Virtual umbrella” • Provides “dissolution of the boundary.”

  6. Recommendations: Cooperative VRS • DAZZLE ‘EM (FROM A DISTANCE) • ADVERTIZE COOPERATION • PROMOTE GLOBAL/LOCAL PRESENCE • SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD RAPPORT

  7. Research Findings: Cooperative VRS • What is Reported to be Difficult? More public librarians than academic librarians experience difficulty answering questions from different geographic areas • Working in a consortium (38%) • Different libraries and policies • Working with database access rights (18%)

  8. Recommendations : Cooperative VRS • OVERCOME BOUNDARIES & HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF REMOTE ACCESS ISSUES • DON’T TEASE OR BAIT AND SWITCH • GUIDE USERS BEYOND CONSORTIAL LIMITS

  9. Research Findings: Cooperative VRS • Survey Respondents (N=175): • Consistently rated chat second only to FtF • Satisfaction in a successful encounter very high (71%) • Users’ satisfaction in a successful encounter very high (65%) • Ability to provide reference excellent or very good (>50%)

  10. Recommendations: Cooperative VRS • DEVELOP & SHARE EXPECTATIONS • EXCEED EXPECTATIONS • AIM FOR EXCELLENT SERVICE & CULTIVATE REPEAT USERS

  11. Recommendations for • Individual VRS Providers • Librarians & • Staff

  12. Research Findings: VRS Librarians • Challenges Reported in Online Survey (N=175) • User impatience (79%) • Negative encounters in critical incidents (N=173) • Unrealistically high user expectations (47%) • Homework help (17%) • Rarely or never experience • Prank questions (46%) • Inappropriate language (60%) • Inappropriate questions (50%) • Rude users (50%)

  13. Research Findings: VRS Librarians BUT Survey Respondents • rated VRS second to FtF for users • saying “thanks”

  14. Recommendations: VRS Librarians • START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT! • ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE • MAINTAIN A PROFESSIONAL TONE • BE YOURSELF

  15. Research Findings: VRS Librarians • Positive Online Survey Critical Incidents (N=173) • Query clarification & reference interview (19%) • Challenge - Nonverbal cues missing (83%) • Information Literacy instruction (15%)

  16. Recommendations: VRS Librarians • DO NOT DISMISS QUESTIONS OUT • OF HAND • CLARIFY THE QUESTION

  17. Research Findings: VRS Librarians • Positive Online Survey Critical Incidents (N=175) • VRS is especially good in providing: • Specific resources (62%) • Database searches for articles (26%) • Specific websites (86%) • VRS is less effective in providing: • Technical support (11%) • Library policy info. (11%)

  18. Recommendations: VRS Librarians • INCREASE ACCURACY – • ANSWER THE SPECIFIC QUESTION • PROVIDE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES

  19. Research Findings: VRS Librarians • Online Survey (N=175) • VRS is “good” in ability to refer users to subject specialists • Challenge – Disappearing users (88% reported) • Public librarians report even higher incidence of disappearing users • But… all able to handle such challenges (ability excellent or very good).

  20. Recommendations: VRS Librarians • MANAGE COMPLEX OR MULTIPLE QUERIES • REFER COMPLEX QUESTIONS • THEY DISAPPEARED? • COMPLETE INQUIRY • ANYWAY

  21. End Notes • This is one outcome from the project, Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives, Marie L. Radford & Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Co-Principal Investigators. • Funded by IMLS, Rutgers University and OCLC, Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Special thanks to Patrick Confer, Timothy J. Dickey, Jocelyn DeAngelis Williams, & Janet Torsney. • These slides available at project website: http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/synchronicity/

  22. Questions & Comments • Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. • Email: connawal@oclc.org • www.oclc.org/research/staff/connaway.htm • Marie L. Radford, Ph.D. • Email:mradford@scils.rutgers.edu • www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mradford

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