The digital Reference Service: an essential element of the virtual library.

Introduction

A key consideration in the successful implementation of a virtual library is the provision of quality user services appropriate to the resources available and to users’ levels of training and skills.

Virtual health libraries have begun to facilitate access to collection contents and publications in a convenient and efficient manner for the user and at the lowest possible cost for the institution. In addition to access to collections, a library has to provide a support service to resolve user queries.

The traditional provision of reference services on an informal basis (personal or library e-mail, phone, etc.) is difficult to monitor. The creation of the structured Reference Service turns out very important because it allows measurement and evaluation of the resources used and also the impact on the user, thus enabling rational design and resourcing and efficient evaluation of the digitalized service.

Nowadays, efforts are underway to consolidate these costs by adapting budgets to the limited funding in the current uncertain economic climate so that services are unaffected and the supply of quality content can be maintained.

In this context of limited resources, it is essential to take special care to maintain the level of user satisfaction with the Reference Service. Libraries therefore need to aim to provide a quality digital Reference Service without increasing institution expenses, in the interests of librarians, users and, of course, of managers.

Objectives

This communication has two main objectives:

First, to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the various tools on the market for managing a digital reference service, including proprietary and open source software.

Second, to survey the current status of the Reference Services in the major Spanish Regional Virtual Health Libraries.

Methods

This study was undertaken by examining the regional virtual health libraries websites to verify the simplicity of accessing resources, services, availability, etc. In addition, a questionnaire was circulated to the library managers of the main virtual libraries in Spain in order to assess current status, trends, common and distinguishing features, problems and solutions. The questionnaire was sent to 18 organizations and in some cases mail exchanges were also conducted in order to complete the information needed. We received information from almost 70% of the libraries. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Results

For this study only those virtual libraries serving healthcare professionals and health services in the different regions were selected.

The web sites of all regional virtual libraries were analyzed and very different development levels regarding the Reference Services were found. The results are as follows:

• Around 20% doesn’t permit access to the subscribed resources or contacting them without authentication.
• Around 50% allows contacting the library through e-mail or contact form.
• Around 20% permits the access to specific requests as document supply services, bibliographic searches, education, etc. through e-mail or contact form
• Almost 20% provides an access to an Ask a librarian service, an online reference service that allows researchers to submit reference questions.

Furthermore 30% of the web sites have a FAQs section that allows users or researchers to find an answer to common questions in a highly efficient manner.

Following the analysis of the websites, the use of different software applications and providing this type of service were shown. Most offer forms to fill in the web itself, but the software used for its development has variations.

However, the analysis of the service provided through the study of these web pages, only allows a very superficial approach in most cases, so we proceeded to send a questionnaire to all the head of the regional health virtual libraries, asking a series of questions to complete and clarify the points of interest in this study.

Regarding the results of the survey, the responses have been varied.

40% of the libraries that responded contemplated a structured Virtual Reference Service, but only 20% have a specific budget for this. The rest is raised by the traditional reference service, incorporating some of the advantages offered by new technologies. A lack of specific policy of the service was found in about 85% of cases.

In cases where specific software was chosen, free software has been selected in order to cut costs of the reference service implementation. In either case, libraries have specific reference librarians, who work only in this field, normally the work is distributed between the librarians by topics or projects.

Another similar point between the libraries observed is conducting an evaluation of the service, which includes the number of requests managed and also in a lesser extent the degree of user satisfaction, the type of consultations made, the time response and the volume served by each library or librarian. Nearly 20% of virtual libraries surveyed do not perform any evaluation of reference service.

Finally, the treatment provided to the data generated in these assessments is very different, since the range covers from no storage of the dates to the storage of all transactions and conversations. There has also been little uniformity in the time of data storage and monitoring of the established policies of data protection.

Conclusions

Some differences and heterogeneity by different virtual libraries have been observed and as we thought at the beginning of the study, the development of an independent or differentiated Reference Service in the Spanish Regional Virtual Libraries is quite uneven. Nevertheless, this study might conclude that until the present moment all of them have focused their efforts on providing other services, such as the remote access of electronic resources (databases, publications) to all users from any computer connected to the web or the development of institutional repositories, which is shown in most of the cases.

The Reference Service is in general still developing, although it is remarkable to notice the big advances being made by regions such as Andalusia or Balearic Islands, which are pioneers in the implementation of this kind of service.

Regarding the technical tools used for managing the Reference Service, all libraries that replied to the survey mostly use the e-mail to respond to requests for information from its users in most cases are received through e-mail or a web form available at the library. In short, the implementation of specific software is still at a very starting point, because a comparative study of the software had to be postponed until more libraries have it implanted, so that it could be performed in a more comprehensive and comparative way.

Finally, the introduction of a digitalized Reference Service in a virtual library would be essential in order to centralize and quantify the work done by librarians, and could have a marked positive effect on user satisfaction, but the results of this study show that there is still a lot of work to do in the Regional Virtual Libraries in Spain.