How can reference services best address patron needs in the academic

library of today and the future?

Paul G. St-PierreMay 12, 2003

Overview

4 Pillars of Reference

Traditional reference service

Patron needs

Future reference service

Virtual reference

Web design

Instruction

Promotion

4 Pillars of Reference

1. Instruction Subject, process, evaluation

2. Answers Accurate, thorough, timely, authoritative

3. Resource Selection4. Promotion/Marketing

Samuel Green (1876) - VALUES

Traditional Reference

Need: Quick facts, research assistance, verification/direction.

Synchronous: Just-in-time, instant gratification.

In person: Rich face-to-face communication.

Reactive: patron identifies information deficit, seeks assistance.

Patron Needs – Changing?

Research assistance Verification/direction Information literacy levels Prefer human interaction

Quick facts web Information space much

more complex Distance & continuing

education Instant gratification Anytime, anywhere

SAME DIFFERENT

Future Reference Service Reference desk: Needed as long as there are

print collections & technophobes.

Service at a distance: Phone - synchronous, rapid, rich (lose visual

cues). May be expensive.

E-mail - asynchronous, low quality interaction, cheap.

Virtual - “almost, but not quite, real.”

Virtual Reference Synchronous - chat & co-browsing. Visual & auditory cues lost. Cheap for user, expensive for library. Requires high skill. Good for answers, poor for instruction. Slow – average transaction ~15 minutes. Restricted to e-resources. Location independent. Feedback generally positive.

Website as Reference

Blurs the line between resource & service: E-pubs = resource E-guides = service User-centered design = service.

PROACTIVE: predict patron needs & skills.

Organize for intuitive retrieval.

On-demand.

Asynchronous communication between designer & patron.

Instruction as Reference

The librarian’s time is much better spent

on first and foremost finding answers

rather than diddling with instruction… Do

most people really want to know how to

master information?

Bill Katz – SUNY AlbanyLibrary Trends, 2001, 50(2), p.269

Instruction

Give a man a fish and you feed him

for a day. Teach him how to fish and

you feed him for a lifetime.

Lao Tzu (?)

Instruction At the information desk

Just in time - motivation Great if desk not busy

In the classroom Difficult to access “Fire hose” method

Standalone course Very difficult to achieve Lacks context

Instruction Integrated into the curriculum

Difficult to achieve In class or online In context of subject Just in time Chunking Opportunity to apply learning Need faculty buy-in Large time commitment – design & feedback

Promotion Traditionally timid Library now has competition – Google Fear of Reference Information specialists in Information Age Shift emphasis from desk to curriculum Increase visibility – value to institution

Undergrads - Better grades faster

Grad students - Improved performance

Faculty - Better research, teaching

Administration - Reputation, infrastructure

Links www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/~pstpierr

UW Centre for Learning & Teaching Through Technology (LT3)

UW Online Environment (UWone)

Training with PowerPoint

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