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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Chat’S Positive Side, Carol Tenopir
Chat’S Positive Side, Carol Tenopir
School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works
"I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS about enhancing our reference services through chat." "It's been a smooth and successful expansion of our existing reference service." "It's so successful we've moved from being a pilot project to an ongoing service." These are the positive voices of virtual reference, the librarians who feel chat reference is now an integral part of their library. After giving time in my column last month to negative views ("Rethinking Virtual Reference," LJ 11/1/04, p. 34), this month I've asked librarians in notable virtual reference services to tell their stories.
Rethinking Virtual Reference, Carol Tenopir
Rethinking Virtual Reference, Carol Tenopir
School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works
Virtual reference services seem a natural extension of libraries digital collections and the emphasis on access to the library anytime, anywhere. If patrons use the library from home, it makes sense to provide them with person-to-person online reference. The Library of Congress (LC), OCLC, and several large library systems have developed and promoted virtual reference services, which are now offered by thousands of libraries. Recently, however, some virtual reference pioneers are questioning the cost benefits of online reference and recommending caution. This article shares some negatives and alternatives to online reference chatting.