Why Does Digital Reference Matter? Library of Congress

1. Why Does Digital Reference Matter?Library of Congress Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

2. what we do • examine the information needs of our communities and individuals • survey and understand the tech & info environment • devise, evaluate, plan, manage and refine the most efficient and effective ways of meeting those needs • or else

3. expansion • of our traditional strengths into a new technological domain • service orientation • determining needs & understanding context • multiple modes of searching • evaluation of resources • when to stop • education about the process • tool-making

4. expansion • to where it is arguably more important than ever • more stuff, wider diversity of stuff • easier to find something – not necessarily good stuff • broader service capability • -- but not mindlessly

5. test • of things we took for granted • interview • quality, accuracy, satisfaction, evaluation • traffic, volume, clientele

6. questions • What is the current state of practice in electronic question negotiation, in both synchronous and asynchronous modes? • Who is best served by digital reference services, and by which methods of interaction? • What makes a reference interview successful? • What is the role of non-verbal information? How important is it, in what situations? What parallels exist or can be created in email, web form, and chat environments? • Is there a relationship between the method of interaction and the success of that interaction?

7. demonstrate • the multiplicity of ways in which we can serve • in person • by voice • email • synchronous digital interaction • whatever comes next • the medium is only part of the message – it ain’t all about the chat

8. an opportunity • for improvement of the quality of service • training • competencies • transcripts

9. share • opportunity to take advantage of the shared experience of lots of librarians on multiple levels (QP, WA VRS, etc) • not without some potential issues • (over)specialization/generalization • equity • questions re funding, quality, interoperability, standards

10. relevance • part of the fight for it, for the very future of libraries • no us, nobody else • our continuing, ongoing relevance, importance, centrality in the information lives of our communities, which is under question now

11. why does DR matter? • it won’t, if… • we do it badly • we do it alone • we do it in only one way • we do it in secret, in hiding • we do it too slowly • we do it from a position of fear

12. why does DR matter? • it will, if…. • we serve more people better and more efficiently than before • because it isn’t “digital reference”; it’s “reference” (or something else), and that’s what matters

13. Why Does Digital Reference Matter?Library of Congress Joseph Janes The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu