Page 128 - DLIS105_REFERENCE_SOURCES_AND_SERVICES

Unit 11: Information Services and Products of Documentation

patrons in the emerging virtual communities such as offering online and real—time reference service. Notes
This way, the user can get assistance from the reference librarian without physically coming to the
library. The terms ‘Live reference’, ‘Virtual reference’, ‘Digital reference’, ‘Online reference’,
‘Electronic reference’ and ‘Remote reference’ are often used for similar services because they all
encompass all forms of electronic means.

11.2.2 Digital Reference Service/Virtual Reference Service

Digital reference is an Internet based question and answer service that connects the users with
experts in a variety of subject areas. The experts in addition to answering the questions also provide
the users with referrals to other online and print sources of information.

Digital Reference has been defined as “a mechanism by which people can submit
their questions and have them answered by a library staff member through some
electronic means e.g. e-mail, chat etc. not in person or over the phone” (James et. al
1999).

The early digital reference services primarily used e-mail to receive questions and provide responses
and received very little attention from the users. But with the passage of time, it became popular
eventually growing to services like ERIC in 1992 and Internet Public Library in 1995.
Virtual Reference Service is also an Internet based reference service where a user can ask a question
online, where the user and the librarian communicate in real time. It uses computers and
communication technology to provide reference service to users anytime and anywhere. In this
digital or virtual information environment various reference services are being imparted to the
users, some of them are as:
• Asynchronous Digital Reference: In this service , the user submits a question and the library
responds at a later time for e.g., e-mail and Web form.
• Synchronous Digital Reference : In this service, the user and the librarian communicate in
real time. Instant messaging and Short message service, Video conferencing, online chat etc.,
are the various developments in the field of Virtual Reference Service.

11.2.3 Web Based Reference Service

These services provide free access to various online reference sources and allow users either to
select a specific source or conduct a search on a range or all of the reference sources. The examples
of some such services are as following:
1. Internet Public Library- ask a question (http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/):

The Internet Public Library (IPL) is a public service organization and learning/
teaching environment founded at the University of Michigan School of
Information and hosted by Drexel University’s College of Information Science
and Technology.

The IPL is having separate division to at tend the various questions. Trained professional, librarian,
volunteers and graduate students in library science programs attend the IPL’s question service.

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