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The first part of the paper develops a framework explaining the need to disambiguate user inquiries to improve information systems and services. Theoretical grounds for this framework are explained for how questions are categorized on the basis of their ambiguity type, while the relevant literature is reviewed including both the traditional and the digital information service environment. The second part of the paper categorizes a set of questions (400 Qs), originally collected for TREC 8 and 9 QA Tracks, according to ambiguity type. Three types and two dimensions of ambiguity are identified by the author with the acceptable levels of inter-coder agreements presented. The last part of the paper discusses three aspects of information systems and services, mainly related to user-system and user-information intermediary (i.e., a reference librarian) interactions, on the basis of the results of categorization. Those three aspects include (1) increasing user input to make initial queries less ambiguous, (2) reducing search space by disambiguating queries, and (3) clustering search results based on the characteristics of prospective answers. In each of the three aspects, discussions on the evolving environments of virtual reference services were presented.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with the two major programs of the 2002 Annual Conference of the American Library Association in the U.S. Number of librarians who were invited to write white papers in advance of the conference; Opinion of reference librarian Catherine Ross regarding the value of reference interview and how it affects the reference process when it does not take place; Views of reference librarian David Tyckoson on reference interview.

Theory is increasingly important as libraries transition traditional reference practices to online learning environments. This paper suggests and explores the boundaries of a new theory of reference interaction in the online environment that is grounded in online learning theories and the educational theory of transactional distance. The paper examines an operational definition of the librarian's instructional intent in email reference service, considering it the level of customized content in canned, instructional messages at institutions that provide e-mail reference service. This definition is tested statistically, suggesting that when a canned response is edited for content by the responder more instruction is likely to occur and transactional distance is overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their inception, virtual reference services have evolved considerably and are now a significant component of library services in many types of library environments. The current paper reports on a study undertaken at a research-intensive academic library that analyzed and evaluated a decade-old virtual reference service. The main goal of the study was to obtain a broad and comprehensive picture of the current service, grounded in the actual day-to-day provision, usage, and organization of the service. The group of librarians involved in the study developed a feasible, efficient, and adaptable methodology for assessing and evaluating a virtual reference service. The developed methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative methods can be used and applied for a similar evaluation of the service in any type of library environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the research literature that has investigated library-based chat reference service. We define library-based chat reference as a synchronous, computer-based question answering service where users of the service ask question(s) which are answered by library employees or contracted agents. Following the methods for conducting a systematic review, we developed inclusion criteria for our data set and collected data from research on chat service dating from 1995 to January 2010. We limited our data to empirical research using established qualitative or quantitative methods. The final data set included 59 documents. We used White's (2001) digital reference service framework to guide our data analysis and unitized the data to the level of the research question(s) asked in each of the studies, resulting in 146 research questions. We focused the bulk of our analysis on the six categories of the framework where the research emphasis was strongest: parameters of the service; clients; parameters of the service; questions; question-answering process; response guidelines; staffing and training; and mission, objectives, statement of purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to provide empirical evidence about how users use text reference service, especially what kinds of questions they ask, to further the professional understanding of this emerging reference service venue and how to best deliver text reference service via this venue. More than three thousand transactions from My Info Quest, the first nation-wide collaborative text reference service, were studied to identify the types of information needs fulfilled by text reference. Additional analysis of characteristics such as transaction length and interactivity provides a more in-depth picture of the nature of text reference. Findings of the study will be beneficial to libraries that are interested in starting a text reference service and developing best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of virtual reference services (VRS) in libraries, focusing on the process of query clarification in live chat scenarios. It presents a study of live chat transcripts between reference librarians and library users, offering qualitative analysis of transcripts from the cooperative reference service QuestionPoint, from the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). The study reports on the actions of both librarians and researchers in clarifying information during the searching process. Topics include differences between VRS and face-to-face (FTF) reference services, the ratio of self-generated queries against imposed queries, and the accuracy of queries.

The article presents a case study about the integration of virtual reference and digital reference tools into academic libraries, focusing on the integration process at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It addresses the impact of the needs of library users on the integration process and provides information on the school's reexamination of the library's reference services.

The article discusses the development of the subject encyclopedia and its role in library reference collections. It comments on the birth of the encyclopedia during the Enlightenment and the impact of compact discs (CD) and the Internet. The author focuses on student use of the online collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia. He also explores libraries' efforts to promote online encyclopedias. Other topics include federated search engines and platforms for online reference databases such as SAGE Reference Online, Gale Virtual Reference Library, and ABC-Clio.

In today's climate of accountability in higher education, most colleges and universities—and therefore academic libraries—consider student learning the cornerstone of their missions. Reference service is one area in which libraries can demonstrate their commitment to support student learning. Are librarians using reference service to teach students? Or are they letting teachable moments pass by? This study identifies eight instructional strategies librarians can apply in digital reference transactions and analyzes the presence of these strategies in digital reference transcripts. The results suggest that librarians use a few instructional strategies, but could learn and employ several more in their efforts to create information-literate students. The authors hope that increased training in the use of these eight instructional strategies will allow librarians to maximize their impact on student learning. Portions of this article were presented at the RUSA Reference Research Forum at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to determine and compare the nature of virtual reference services in both academic and public libraries outside the United States, we analyzed data compiled from webform transactions e-mailed to and from libraries via the Question- Point virtual reference service. The study reviewed transactions that were handled during a typical week in April 2006 and in April 2008 by twenty-three libraries in ten countries: Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. We analyzed transactions by language, type of institution (public or academic), question type (access, bibliographic, or subject), answer type, subject, and response time, with attention to how these characteristics had changed in two years. The results of the study provide insight into how students and the general public use virtual reference services in various countries and how service efficiency differs among countries and library types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ready reference collections were originally formed, and still exist, because they perform a valuable function in providing convenient access to information that is frequently used at the reference desk. As library collections have been transformed from print to electronic, some of the materials in these collections also have inevitably been replaced by electronic resources. This article explores the historical roots of ready reference collections and their recent evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the renewal and revitalization of library reference services. Creative approaches to digital and face-to-face reference services are explored and include the ASK cart at the Thun Library, Penn State, library house calls to faculty offices and academic departments, and chat reference. Collaboration among librarians and barriers to service excellence are also discussed.

The article examines usage of chat reference services at the Milner Library at Illinois State University. It focuses on information behavior and information-seeking strategies among college undergraduate students and members of the "Millennial" generation. A description of the chat reference service provided by the library is presented, including hours of availability, marketing efforts, and Web site design. The results of focus groups conducted by the library are also presented, including student use of instant messaging services, use of library reference services, and study habits.

The article offers three personal narratives in which the authors reflect on their experiences with library reference services in the virtual environment of Second Life.

This article describes a content analysis of virtual reference transcripts taken from the NCknows virtual reference service. The analysis sought to determine why librarians consider some questions to be unanswerable at the time they are submitted by users. Questions were coded by a classification of question causes and by how complete the reference interview was in the transaction. The transcripts were then coded according to the reasons given for ending the chat early. The analysis showed that most reference interviews were incomplete and that the most common explanation for why librarians could not answer questions at the time was that they were already busy assisting other users. The study indicates that more North Carolina librarians should be hired to staff the service and that librarians should make a greater effort to conduct a complete reference interview so that more questions can be answered while users are still online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the teaching role of reference librarians by studying the teachable moment in reference transactions, and users' response to that instruction. An empirical study of instruction was conducted in both virtual and traditional reference milieus, examining the following three services: Instant messaging (IM), chat, and face-to-face reference. The authors used the same criteria in separate studies of all three services to determine if librarians provided analogous levels of instruction and what factors influenced the likelihood of instruction. Methodologies employed included transcript analysis, observation, and patron surveys. Findings indicated that patrons wanted instruction in their reference transactions, regardless of medium, and that librarians provided it. But instructional techniques used by librarians in virtual reference differ somewhat from those used at the reference desk. The authors conclude that reference transactions, in any medium, represent the patron's point-of-need, thereby presenting the ideal teachable moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study of unsolicited thank you messages from e-mail digital reference users analyzed the information provided in these messages for user perspectives on digital reference success, outcomes, and quality elements in answers. Digital reference interactions receiving thank you messages were also compared with nonthanked interactions. Results indicated that librarians who used more words in answers were more likely to receive a thank you response from users and that many other factors, such as e-mail or Web form use or the librarians' expressing thanks to the user, did not appear to impact the thank you rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the valuable offerings of librarians in the digital age is the human intermediation of information needs. In physical libraries, these reference questions are answered, and few artifacts remain from the transaction; therefore, the knowledge created through the work of the librarian leaves with the patron. Due to the medium of communication, digital reference transactions capture the knowledge of information professionals. There are hundreds of digital reference services generating knowledge every day; however, the lack of a schema for archiving reference transactions from multiple services makes it difficult to create a fielded, searchable knowledge base. The development of such a schema would allow researchers to develop tools that practitioners can employ. In turn, this would create a collaborative environment for digital reference evaluation. The goal of this work is to outline the steps needed to develop this schema, present the results of a survey of digital reference services, explore some of the pitfalls in the process, and envision the future uses of this Digital Reference Electronic Warehouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because reference sources are a staple of reference service, reference source education is an intrinsic part of reference education. However, limited information exists about the strategies reference instructors use to teach their students about sources. Reference instructors at forty-eight ALA-accredited programs of library and information studies were surveyed as to what strategies they used to teach about sources, what methods they felt were effective, and what challenges they faced in teaching about reference sources. Forty respondents described a total of sixty-one courses taught. In describing those courses, instructors indicated that reference source instruction primarily occurred through discussion and students' hands-on experience, although that experience was not always provided in class. Instructors provided information on challenges in source instruction, including access to print and electronic reference sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the results of an unobtrusive study used to measure whether online chat reference can effectively answer short, subject-based research questions. The University of Illinois Ask a Librarian virtual reference service is run from the regular reference desks of the Main Reference Library and Undergraduate Library, two of the more than forty departmental libraries on campus. The unobtrusive study took place during April 2003. For the period of the survey, there were 856 total chats received. Proxies were trained in using the chat software from both the patron end as well as the staff side, and instructed to try a few sample questions on their own before asking the actual study questions. Complete or ideal transactions were recorded for 47 percent of the reference encounters, with Mostly Complete transactions accounting for another 32 percent. The average duration for all the chats was fifteen minutes, fourteen seconds. The transactions ranged from four minutes to thirty-three minutes in length. One important trend was that the less complete a chat, the longer the average duration. A breakdown of chat duration by the types of sources used shows that asking for two books has the shortest duration, asking for two articles averages fifteen minutes and forty-four seconds, and asking for one book and one article takes the longest at sixteen minutes and twelve seconds.

Provides suggestions for effective online reference interviewing based on the RUSA Guidelines on Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Professionals. General observations in text-based chat and instant messaging spaces; Sanctions implemented when misbehavior approaches a level of harassment or disruption where verbal admonishment from fellow online users are not effective in curbing the behavior; Behavioral guidelines for chat librarians.

Deals with the role of the reference interview in the more traditional reference encounter and in the virtual realms of Web-based reference services in the context of the Ross and Ronan pieces. Explains why reference interview needs to be used in every reference transaction. Reasons why reference interview is needed only sometimes or only under certain circumstances and not for directional queries or for ready reference questions; Findings in a library visit developed in early 1990s; Common problems encountered by the users when asking questions to the staff members.

Addresses the strategic issue of access and policy in the development of Web-based interactive reference services via academic library home pages in the U.S. Status of Web-based interactive reference services; Assumptions on Web-based interactive reference services; Extension of traditional reference services into the electronic environment in academic libraries.