Not dead yet! A longitudinal study of query type and ready reference accuracy in live chat and IM reference

Radford, Marie L.; Connaway, Lynn Silipigni

doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2012.08.001

Cited by 25 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…More recent studies by Arendt and Graves (2011), Morais and Sampson (2010), Radford and Connaway (2013), and Rourke and Lupien (2010) also used these previous coding schemes in …”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their review also highlighted the fact that while the coding schemes used in these studies were usually developed by building upon one another, the Library and Information Science community still lacks a common question type coding scheme that would allow for cross-institutional analysis (Matteson et al, 2011). However, they did note that "...four basic question types were observed with nearly equal frequency: reference; specific search/known item; policy/procedure; and information/directional" (Matteson et al, 2011).More recent studies by Arendt and Graves (2011), Morais and Sampson (2010), Radford and Connaway (2013), and Rourke and Lupien (2010) also used these previous coding schemes in …”

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confidence: 99%

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Digging deeper into virtual reference transcripts

Cooke

Matheson

2015

Reference Services Review

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PurposeThe purpose of the study is to identify the information needs of patrons in a large Canadian academic library system by analyzing the types of questions asked through the Library's "Ask A Librarian" system. The results provide information on specific areas of competencies and training for staff providing virtual reference services. MethodologyThis article looks at virtual reference data collected between January and April 2012 from a large Canadian academic library and provides an analysis of the types of questions asked by library users. The researchers developed a detailed coding scheme for the analysis of question type and referrals made, and used the qualitative analysis software NVivo™ to code and analyze the data. FindingsThe results of this analysis found that patrons often tap into synchronous online library help when they encounter challenges with online library resources. Specific areas of patron training to be developed were also identified. Finally, areas for staff training were uncovered which will help the library provide a consistent level of service to patrons. OriginalityThis is the first study in the library community to conduct a detailed analysis of the virtual reference transcripts from a large Canadian university using the NVivo™ content analysis software. The study developed and employed more detailed coding categories then has been used in previous studies in order to provide more information about the questions that patrons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 IntroductionVirtual Reference (VR) also referred to as chat reference, is defined by the American Library Association as "…a reference service initiated electronically, often in real-time, where patrons employ computers or other Internet technology to communicate with reference staff, without being physically present. Communication channels used frequently in virtual reference include chat, videoconferencing, Voice over IP, co-browsing, e-mail, and instant messaging" (Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services, 2004). The text transcripts of these reference interactions provide Library and Information Science (LIS) researchers with a wealth of data which can be analyzed in numerous ways to provide insight into patrons' use of the library and its resources.Libraries continue to struggle to provide more and better service to patrons while in the midst of ongoing budget reductions. The improvement and expansion of virtual services will be seen as a logical and economical solution to this ongoing challenge. One of the challenges of any reference service is providing a consistent level of service. Differences in staff competencies, subject knowledge, and experience will impact the success of each reference transaction and patron satisfaction. This is particularly true of institutions that have more than on...

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“…More recent studies by Arendt and Graves (2011), Morais and Sampson (2010), Radford and Connaway (2013), and Rourke and Lupien (2010) also used these previous coding schemes in …”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digging deeper into virtual reference transcripts

Cooke

Matheson

2015

Reference Services Review

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“…Figure 4 (below) shows the responses in percentages against each type of question being answered by library staff on monthly basis in university libraries. For example, directional questions can be general information to seek the location of nearby places, programs, etc., whereas, "questions pertaining to the policies and procedures within the library system" [32] is a procedural question. Figure 4.…”

Section: Reference Service Question Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Reference Services through Web Search Engines: Study of Academic Libraries in Pakistan

Khan

Malik

et al. 2017

Publications

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Web search engines (WSE) are powerful and popular tools in the field of information service management. This study is an attempt to examine the impact and usefulness of web search engines in providing virtual reference services (VRS) within academic libraries in Pakistan. The study also attempts to investigate the relevant expertise and skills of library professionals in providing digital reference services (DRS) efficiently using web search engines. Methodology used in this study is quantitative in nature. The data was collected from fifty public and private sector universities in Pakistan using a structured questionnaire. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were used for data analysis. The study concludes that web search engines are commonly used by librarians to help users (especially research scholars) by providing digital reference services. The study also finds a positive correlation between use of web search engines and quality of digital reference services provided to library users. It is concluded that although search engines have increased the expectations of users and are really big competitors to a library's reference desk, they are however not an alternative to reference service. Findings reveal that search engines pose numerous challenges for librarians and the study also attempts to bring together possible remedial measures. This study is useful for library professionals to understand the importance of search engines in providing VRS. The study also provides an intellectual comparison among different search engines, their capabilities, limitations, challenges and opportunities to provide VRS effectively in libraries.

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“…Studies on service perspective has looked into type of questions being asked during the chat interaction (Armann-Keown, Cooke and Matheson 2015; Arnold and Kaske 2005;Fuller and Dryden, 2015;Radford and Connaway, 2012). Examining the type of users' questions has provided better understanding of users' information needs.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The evaluation of chat references services were conducted in several ways such as through assessment of the service quality (Armann-Keown, Cooke and Matheson 2015;Fuller and Dryden 2015;Radford and Connaway 2012), user satisfaction (Hill, Madarash-Hill and Allred 2007) and also by comparing the perceived importance and actual practices among users or the service providers (Jaarsma et al 2010;Al-Momani 2016) to identify the differences between measures, e.g. what is believed and the actual practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Librarians’ behavioral performance on chat reference service in academic libraries: Perceived importance vs actual practices

Azmi¹,

Noorhidawati

Aspura

2017

MJLIS

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Not dead yet! A longitudinal study of query type and ready reference accuracy in live chat and IM reference

Abstract: Research reveals that users of virtual reference services (VRS) value accurate answers to their queries and a pleasant interpersonal encounter.

Cited by 25 publications

References 29 publications

Digging deeper into virtual reference transcripts

Digging deeper into virtual reference transcripts

Virtual Reference Services through Web Search Engines: Study of Academic Libraries in Pakistan

Librarians’ behavioral performance on chat reference service in academic libraries: Perceived importance vs actual practices

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