In 2005, the Mississippi State University library system started its Virtual Reference program as an attempt to make research and the library more convenient for patrons.
As a part of its virtual references, the library offers the live chat “Ask a Librarian” feature, as well as e-mail interaction with reference librarians during office hours in order to help patrons find what they need.
Amanda Powers, Virtual Reference project manager, said the online services stem from the digitization of the library resources.
“Our idea was, because the library was moving all of its resources online, that we should also be moving its people online because it used to be in the reference department — people were wandering around and didn’t know what they were doing. You could help them out, but online they’re just wandering around by themselves,” Powers said.
On average, Powers said the online system gets 250 questions per month but can get more traffic depending on the time of the year. Although the service extended to 56 hours of live chat per week in 2008, Powers said the idea of online communication with librarians has been around since the 1980s.
“Chat reference has been around in one way or another since the ’80s. Really, as soon as people could talk to each other online, librarians were trying to figure out how to answer questions online,” she said.
Despite the hundreds of questions a month, David Nolen, humanities reference librarian, said two questions are rarely the same.
“I don’t know if there is such a thing as a typical kind of question. People come on with all kinds of different things, but the main thing that I try to spend time making sure exactly what they need and what they’re asking about, then I can lead them as quickly as possible to the best place to get that question answered,” he said.
Even though the option of e-mailing questions and online chat has been at MSU since 2005, Powers said only 10 percent of librarian-patron interactions take place online.
“Mississippi State is a place where people like to talk in person and we really love people coming to the desk and coming to our offices or whatever, but we want to be available for all types of people and questions they’re asking,” Powers said.
Powers said she has tried to increase exposure to the Virtual References system by hanging signs around the library, such as “Don’t get up, ask a librarian,” as well as links on nearly every page on the library website referring to the “Ask a Librarian” page. According to her, patron convenience is one of the service’s top priorities.
“Its the equivalent of walking up and asking a question but you don’t have to leave your work or your computer that’s on the fifth floor […] why would you leave your work to ask someone a question when you could be talking with them while you were working?” Powers said.
Nolen said he agrees patron satisfaction is the ultimate goal of the Virtual References system.
“If we have people who are getting their questions answered and getting to the information that they need and it’s convenient for them, that is the main measure of success for us,” Nolen said.
According to Gail Peyton, reference and campus outreach director, said the librarians behind the computer are the driving force that make all of this possible.
“It’s the librarians — they really do care about the patrons, they really want to give good service. I think we take it at heart. We take it very seriously and each question we treat them the same and we go the extra mile to help our patrons,” Peyton said. “So I think it’s the people that are working the chat that make it successful, because we do want to provide that good service to our patrons.”