Virtual reference at a global university: an analysis of patron and question type

Since August of 2003, UMUC Information and Library Services have had a partially outsourced reference service that provides 24 hour online chat and after hours e-mail service. The service is continually monitored for quality purposes. This study tries to determine the following:Do the two services have different types of questions asked? What is the difference in the quality of in house service vs. outsourced service?Virtual Reference at a Global University: An Analysis of Patron and Question Type Joseph Rawson, Megan A. Davis, Julie Harding, and Clare Miller University of Maryland University College Information and Library Services Introduction References Methods Results Conclusion/Recommendations Since August of 2003, we have had a partially outsourced reference service that provides 24 hour online chat and after hours e-mail service. The service is continually monitored for quality purposes. Follow up occurs for about 4% of the questions answered by the outsourced service. Overall, the approval rating from students is above 90%. We provide instant messaging (IM) reference in house (staffed by UMUC librarians): Monday-Thursday: 9am-9pm Friday: 9am-5pm Saturday-Sunday: 1pm-5pm We conducted our study to determine the following: Do the two services have different types of questions asked? What is the difference in the quality of in house service vs. outsourced service? Collecting surveys: Chat – Optional survey pops up automatically IM – Survey had to be pushed out to patrons. Some left chat before survey link sent. Most did not click on the survey link. Out of 88 that clicked on the link, 37 completed the survey. Coding categories: We coded transcripts using predetermined categories. All categories, except “How Do I Cite?” were taken from Arnold & Kaske (2005). Transcripts reviewed: Chat: 1,308 IM: 37 Time period: July and October 2011* *reflects “typical library use” Transcript coding categories: • Directional: User is looking for the location of a resource or library. • How do I find the Academic Search Complete database? • Ready Reference: Require a single, straightforward answer; usually uncomplicated. • What is the capital of China? • Specific Search: Differs from ready reference query in that information is gathered in the form of “a list of citations, a book, or a report” (Katz, 1997). • I need “x” number of scholarly articles on the effectiveness of police patrols. • Research: Complicated, time-intensive questions, usually from experts in field, requiring in-depth searching. We get very few of this question type. • Policy and Procedural: Questions pertaining to policies or procedures within the library system. • How do I borrow books? • Holdings/Do You Own?: Questions about specific holdings of a library. • Do you have the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker? • How Do I Cite?: Questions about citation (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) • How do I cite this scholarly article in APA style? Staffing of Chat and IM service is sufficient. A significant percentage of the questions asked fall into the policy/procedural category, therefore: Reference staff must be familiar with the library’s circulation and interlibrary loan policies and procedures. Special consideration should be given for training outsourced chat operators. The online reference manual needs to contain all library policy and procedures and must be kept up to date IM and chat survey results indicate a high level of satisfaction with the services. The library should increase awareness of the services though the following: Open houses Online visits to classrooms LIBS 150 and UCSP 611 Arnold, J., & Kaske, N. K. (2005). Evaluating the quality of a chat service. Portal: Libraries And The Academy, 5(2), 177-193. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_a nd_the_academy/ Katz, W. A. (1997). Introduction to reference work, vol. 1, Reference services and reference processes, (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. How do I Cite? 6% Directional 10% Ready Reference 6% Specific Search 48% Research 1% Policy and Procedural 16% Holdings/Do you Own? 13% Types of Questions Asked Chat Service 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Extremely Helpful Very Helpful Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful Perceived Level of Helpfulness Chat Service Types of Questions Asked IM Service How do I Cite? 16% Directional 21% Ready Reference 0% Specific Search 53% Research 0% Policy and Procedural 5% Holdings/Do you Own? 5% Perceived Level of Helpfulness IM Service 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Extremely Helpful Very Helpful Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpfu