Janes, J.: Introduction to reference work in the digital age. (2003)
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- Footnote
- The discussion of modes for digital reference world be incomplete without focusing an the technologies that support this activity. E-mail, Web forms, chat, instant messaging, and videoconferencing, as well as the call center based software, are now being adapted for use in libraries. The book discusses the technologies currently available and an the horizon to support digital reference services. While these sections of the book may not age well, they will provide us with a historical glimpse of the nascent development of such tools and how they were used at the beginning of the digital reference age. True to the emphasis an decision-making, the chapter an technology includes a list of functions that reference librarians world want in software to support digital reference. While no current applications have all of these features, this list provides librarians with some ideas concerning possible features that can be prioritized to aid in a selection process. Despite the emphasis an technology, Janes contextualizes this discussion with several significant issues relating to its implementation. These include everything from infrastructure, collaborative service standards, service design, user authentication, and user expectations. The sections an collaborative service models and service design are particularly interesting since they are both in their infancy. Readers wanting an answer or the "best" design of either institutional or collaborative digital reference service will be disappointed. However, raising these considerations is important and Janes points out how crucial these issues will be as online reference service matures. User authentication in the context of reference service is especially tricky since tensions can emerge between license agreements and the range of people who may or may not be covered by these contracts querying reference librarians. Finally, no discussion of digital reference is complete without a discussion of the possibility of 24/7 reference service and the ensuing user expectations. While Janes has no answers to the dilemmas these raise, he does alert libraries providing digital reference services to some of the realities. One is that libraries will get a broader range of questions, which could impact staff time, collection development to support these questions, and necessitate either a confirmation of priorities or a reprioritization of activities. Another reality is that the users of digital reference services may never have partaken of their services before. In fact, for libraries funded to serve a particular constituency (public libraries, academic libraries) this influx of users raises questions about levels of service, funding, and policy. Finally, in keeping with the underlying theme of values that pervades the book, Janes points out the deeper issues related to technology such as increasing ability to track users an the web. While he realizes that anonymous information about those who ask reference questions world provide reference librarians with a great deal of information to hone services and better serve constituencies, he is well aware of the dangers involved in collectiog patron information in electronic form.
