[13870] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Policy Issues in Digital Reference Service
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Millard Johnson)
Thu Apr 12 20:13:54 2001
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 09:21:23 -0500
From: Millard Johnson <zendog@INCOLSA.NET>
In-reply-to: <8DD31AE07607D511B1E70002B31FCB04136299@eagle.pb.uiuc.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-to: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
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My opinion concerning a cooperative multi-type library digital reference
service:
The number 1 policy issue that will determine whether the function survives
or dies as a networked service - who pays who. This could be the decade's
equivalent to cooperative cataloging. It has the potential to provide top
notch reference service to any person with a library card at substantially
less cost than all of us currently spend working in isolation. But it all
hinges on the economics of cooperation.
Second issue is the question archive - do we keep a file of all answered
questions and ask the patron to search it first. My opinion is that this is
a waste of time and effort as the universe of possible questions is all
human knowledge, but it is, I conclude, a mistake we must make before we can
reject the idea.
Third issue is question negotiation. An early step in most systems is the
user sending an Email question to the reference desk. Good reference
librarians know that a critical step in reference is "negotiating the
question". Get the user to ask for exactly what he/she wants in correct
terms. My opinion is that we will discover that a short chat session for
question negotiation will be found to be a necessary early step.
Fourth. Document delivery. Many reference questions are better answered
with a document than a typed answer from a reference librarian.
These issues may be less relevant to a single library, in-house digital
reference system.
MJ
***************************************************************
Millard F. Johnson zendog@incolsa.net
INCOLSA (317) 298-6570
"I would rather risk failure than achieve it without risk."
***************************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum [mailto:PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU]
On Behalf Of Sloan, Bernie
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 10:51 AM
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Subject: Policy Issues in Digital Reference Service
Next month I will be participating in a panel discussion on policy and
theoretical issues in online/digital reference services.
As part of my preparation for the panel discussion, I would appreciate
hearing what others think are the major policy and theoretical issues that
need to be considered for online/digital reference services.
Thanks!
Bernie Sloan
Senior Library Information Systems Consultant
University of Illinois Office for Planning and Budgeting
338 Henry Administration Building
506 S. Wright Street
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 333-4895
Fax: (217) 265-0454
E-mail: bernies@uillinois.edu
