Virtual references services: defining the criteria and indicators to evaluate them

Pinto, María; Manso, Ramón Alberto

doi:10.1108/02640471211204060

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…While there is a wealth of professional literature about reference competencies, much of this focuses on specific skills or new service models, such as virtual reference (Pinto and Manso 2012), ebooks (Bell 2009), embedded librarians (Hoffman 2011; Kennedy 2011), or roving reference (Gadsby and Qian 2012). Considerably less attention has been paid to the overall context of reference work in academic libraries, or the range of skills staff need to be effective.…”

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians: Current and future skills and competencies

Chawner

Oliver

2013

Australian Academic & Research Libraries

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A survey of New Zealand academic subject/reference librarians was conducted in mid-2011 to identify the most highly valued knowledge, skills and competencies of reference librarians working in libraries in the tertiary sector. The project was part of an international collaborative project involving 13 countries. The results from New Zealand show that serving academic library customers requires not only traditional 'reference' skills, but also skills in customer service, technology support, and training. Good communication skills were also rated highly by respondents, and the high value placed on adaptability/flexibility shows that most respondents expect their roles to continue to change in the next decade. Software troubleshooting skills were also considered important. The results also suggest that traditional paper-based reference sources are expected to become much less important than online ones. There is also a shift towards using social media to interact with customers, and a focus on building sustainable relationships.

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Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians: Current and future skills and competencies

Chawner

Oliver

2013

Australian Academic & Research Libraries

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“…6 At McGill University Library, there were no immediate concerns with regard to quality of the service. The group also chose not to evaluate individual transcripts for quality because the study would be selective in nature and may not be representative of the overall quality of service provided.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do You Want to Chat? Reevaluating Organization of Virtual Reference Service at an Academic Library

Côté¹,

Kochkina²,

Mawhinney³

2016

RUSQ

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Since their inception, virtual reference services have evolved considerably and are now a significant component of library services in many types of library environments. The current paper reports on a study undertaken at a research-intensive academic library that analyzed and evaluated a decade-old virtual reference service. The main goal of the study was to obtain a broad and comprehensive picture of the current service, grounded in the actual day-to-day provision, usage, and organization of the service. The group of librarians involved in the study developed a feasible, efficient, and adaptable methodology for assessing and evaluating a virtual reference service. The developed methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative methods can be used and applied for a similar evaluation of the service in any type of library environment.

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“…He found that Web 2.0 is influencing the way in which people learn, access information and communicate with each other. Pinto and Manso (2012) analyzed common features of the virtual reference services provided by European and American libraries to evaluate the service from the user perspective through considering the potential of Web 2.0 applications. The research showed that certain features of virtual reference services which were undervalued or had not attracted research interest required a technological shift in the services provided to users by academic communities involved in that study.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and use of Web 2.0 by librarians in university libraries of East Azerbaijan, Iran

Pirshahid

Naghshineh

Fahimnia

2016

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Purpose-The present study aims to investigate levels of awareness and use of Web 2.0 tools by librarians in the university libraries of East Azerbaijan (EA) in Iran and to determine how librarians use these tools in everyday life. Design/methodology/approach-A Web-based questionnaire was used to collect data from 38 per cent librarians in the university libraries of EA. Findings-The research findings indicate that the librarians were more familiar with Web 2.0 tools such as wikis and blogs. While librarians widely use blogs and wikis, tools such as social bookmarking, social networks, RSS feeds, instant messaging and digital maps were less frequently used. Results obtained from present study indicated that librarians use Web 2.0 tools mostly to communicate with friends and family, to keep up-to-date, to collaborate with colleagues and for curiosity and fun. Also, librarians believe that Web 2.0 tools can be used mostly for sharing information about library resources. Internet filtering, lack of access to high-speed internet and lack of training were the major obstacles for Web 2.0 adoption by librarians. Originality/value-This study is a useful source for implementing Web 2.0-based technology in libraries. Also, this study will help managers understand the librarians' needs about Web 2.0 to improve their library services.

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Virtual references services: defining the criteria and indicators to evaluate them

Cited by 22 publications

References 11 publications

A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians: Current and future skills and competencies

A survey of New Zealand academic reference librarians: Current and future skills and competencies

Do You Want to Chat? Reevaluating Organization of Virtual Reference Service at an Academic Library

Knowledge and use of Web 2.0 by librarians in university libraries of East Azerbaijan, Iran

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