See it, Hear it, Touch it: How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

1. See it, Hear it, Touch it:How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service? Monday, June 25, 2007 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Grand Hyatt, Constitution A-B Washington, DC ALA Annual Conference 2007

2. Eileen G. AbelsDrexel UniversityMarie RadfordRutgers UniversityLynn WestbrookThe University of Texas at AustinJoe ThompsonMaryland AskUsNow! RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

3. What do we know about users' communication and learning styles that is important for guiding decisions about library services? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

4. Heavy VR UsersMillennial Generation About 75 millionpeople born 1979-1994 Jr. High to grad school – oldest are 27! Screenagers (12-18 yrs. old) (Rushkoff,1996) By 2010 will outnumber Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) Affinity for electronic communication Heavy users of chat & Instant Messaging VR RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

5. MillennialCommunication Styles • More Choice & Selectivity • Less Attention to Spelling, Grammar • Use shortcuts influenced by text messaging • Seek Personalization & Customization • Worship Convenience • Impatient (!) • Total Multi-taskers RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

6. Millennial Learning Styles • Experiential & Exploratory Learners • Prefer Independent Information Seeking • Seek Flexibility • Practical • Learn on “Need to Know” Basis • Results Oriented • Effective Collaborators RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

7. What to Do? Implications for Virtual Service Decisions • Provide broad variety of VRs (chat, IM, SMS, etc.) • Respect the fact - users choose convenience • Teach Google & other Search Engines • Recommend/market variety of services • VRS a naturalfor Millennials (esp. screenagers) • Reassure that VRS is safe RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

8. What to Do? More Implications • Don’t force instruction • Wait for teaching moment • Appeal to desire to SAVE TIME • Introduce web ref. sources & facilitate access • Be generous with what you provide • Emphasize positives • Tell what you CAN DO, instead of CAN’T DO • Encourage enthusiasm RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

9. MORE Implications • Don’t be afraid to refer to another mode • Try new social software applications • Get comfortable, IM someone you love! • Build personal relationships • Be yourself, be personal • They will return & tell their friends! RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

10. How do the communication styles of librarians influence the provision of virtual reference services? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

11. Communication Styles • Traditionals: • Formal communication; Summarized material • Boomers: • Interactive; Easy to scan material • X-ers: • Immediate feedback; Material with few words or visual • Millenials: • Media savvy; Varied material RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

12. Librarians in Training: Influence of Information Seeking Behaviors on Reference Interactions • Using Google as search tool of choice – not selecting appropriate source/tool • Going straight for an answer not a source • Not determining the authority of the author/publisher of information on the web • Confusing authoritative sites with those supported by ads • Lacking a conceptual understanding of how information exists on the web RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

13. What threatens or supports the users' sense of self-efficacy in an exchange? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

14. Self-efficacy: Supports & Barriers + Open questions -- within reason + Differentiated choices + Clarity of purpose, role, relationship + Acknowledgement of domain knowledge, preferences, requirements; process & product - Focus on tool/process, not problem - Rush to closure; no time for scaffolding - Poor reciprocation of self-disclosure, tone - Hiding clay feet RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

15. What might be problematic or supportive in what librarians are doing? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

16. Supportive Behaviors for VR Librarians/Staff • Set positive tone from beginning • Develop personal relationship • Be open • Treat users alike! RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

17. Be Prepared… • Know what to expect! • Young user’s chat behaviors are different than ours or others! • Knowledge helps to be patient & supportive of young users. RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

18. What to Expect from Screenagers? • Highernumbers/averages • Polite expressions • Enthusiasm • Self-correction • Alternate spellings • Punctuation/repeat • Lower case • Slang • Alpha-numeric shortcuts • Abrupt Endings • Impatience • Rude or Insulting RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

19. More What to Expect from Screenagers? • Lower numbers/averages • Thanks • Self-Disclosure • Seeking reassurance • Agree to suggestion • Closing ritual • Admitting lack of knowledge RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

20. How Do Librarians Treat Screenagers? • Lowernumbers/averages • Offering opinion, advice • Closing ritual • Explaining search strategy • Explaining technical problems • Offering confirmation • Offering to continue search/e-mail answer • Repair, self-correction RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

21. More How do Librarians Treat Screenagers? • Highernumbers/averages • Seeking reassurance/confirmation self-disclosure • Inviting to return • Informal language • Abrupt Ending • Limits Time • Sends to Google • Reprimanding RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

22. Bottom Line • Your positive approach will • limit problematic behavior • teach users how to use VR • set expectations for VR • Ultimately in 1 to 1 interactions we forge the future of VR RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

23. How do user's and librarian's expectations influence virtual reference transactions?(especially when those expectations may be established through use of Google, Wikipedia, IM, and social networks) RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

24. Expectations • Net resource influences • Seamless, fluid connections • Consistency in language, perspective, tool • Choices in process, product, media • Net communication pattern influences • Blurring of task and social purposes • Unclear on narrative structure of discourse • Privacy and control RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

25. What are some of the learning opportunities available for students and professionals to gain the needed skills to provide virtual reference services?  How do these opportunities reflect the importance of communication and learning styles? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

26. Learning Opportunities • LIS programs • Degrees • Certificates • Continuing education • VR consortium training • Vendor training • Professional association training RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

27. Internet Public Library • IPL provides web-based reference training for LIS students and working librarians www.ipl.org while offering a public service • IMLS grant to transform the IPL into a virtual learning laboratory • New training materials using a variety of media • New technologies for virtual reference RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

28. IPL Student Assistance RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

29. Your questions! RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

30. What questions is it perceived 'okay' for librarians to ask about during the VR exchange? What questions is it okay for users to ask? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

31. I’m ok, you’re ok • Supporting “positive face” (shown so others will approve of us) & “negative face” (used to avoid being imposed on) • Ask for clarification, detail, examples • Invite confirmation, feedback, affective input • Losing face -- expect too much, assume trust • Ask for facts without context, justification, or reciprocation • Ask for what can be difficult to provide, e.g., speed, decisions, clarity, preferences, relevance RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

32. How can we best leverage traditional vs. virtual (including Web 2.0) applications and services to attract young people to physical as well as digital libraries, given their communication preferences and learning styles? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

33. Communication Preferences of Young Users: Leveraging Traditional vs. VRS • Offer broad variety of traditional & VRS (FtF, group, phone, chat, IM, etc.) • Promote phone reference NOW! • Go where users are (young are online) • Create inviting environments • Count every reference interaction, across modes RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

34. Try something different! • Explore staffing options (reinvent) • Cooperative services • All services from 1 desk • Explore software options (retool) • Free vs. Fee • 2.0 applications • Evaluate everything (reassess) • Think outside the desk RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

35. More LeveragingTraditional vs. VRS • Declare all reference alive & well • Renew focus on commitment to service excellence • Embrace change & new challenges • Be an innovator! • Build personal relationships 1 on 1! • Some users prefer FfF • Don’t force instruction FtF RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

36. What modes of communication are best utilized to serve the different styles of users, given the scarcity of resources for staff and collections? RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?

37. Eileen G. AbelsEileen.Abels@ischool.drexel.eduMarie Radfordmradford@scils.rutgers.eduLynn Westbrooklynnwest@ischool.utexas.eduJoe Thompsonjthompso@bcpl.netVirtual Reference Committee PageGo to: http://tinyurl.com/2h7d2y Thank you! RUSA RSS/MARS See It, Hear It, Touch It:ACRL Instruction Section How do Communication and Learning Styles Affect Virtual Reference Service?