A Study on the Digital Reference Service using Electronic Bulletin Boards in Academic Libraries through Content Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the current state of digital reference services using electronic bulletin boards in Korean academic libraries and to suggest improvements. Through the examination of 205 academic library websites, 56 libraries were identified to use electronic bulletin for digital references. The digital reference service questions and responses from four libraries were further analyzed: the types of reference question, the structure and accuracy of answers, and digital reference completion time. The implications of this study for future research and practice lie in its provision of a systematic way to design practical guidelines for virtual reference services.