KSL real-time reference desk goes online

by Paula J. Baughn

Getting an answer to a research question now can be as quick as a click of the mouse. The Kelvin Smith Library's new online reference desk is up and running.

Students, faculty and staff no longer have to get up and run to the library or go off line in order to make a phone call to get the help of a reference librarian. The top of the KSL home page at http://www.cwru.edu/UL/homepage.html now features a link to a real-time chat with a real-life reference librarian.

"Now you can get help right when and where you need it-while you're researching online," said Catherine Wells, coordinator of reference services and information manager at KSL. "Fewer people are coming in to libraries nationwide. More are conducting research from home using the Internet, but they may be overwhelmed by the sheer size and lack of organization of information that is available on the Web.

"Our library alone has more than 200 research databases. How can we expect someone who doesn't use them all the time to know which one is best?" she added. "We think the online reference desk makes it easier for students, faculty and staff to find what they need. It is an ideal medium to answer quick questions, privide facts and figures or tell someone where and how to look for information."

Because of budget and staffing constraints, the online reference desk currently is available only from 1-5 p.m.; but the library plans to extend the service hours soon. Wells said eventually the library would like to offer the online reference desk 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With the chat, users may find that it takes them and the librarian a little time to do the typing, Wells said. Sometimes the librarian will have to do his or her own research in order to answer a question. But users will get an immediate response one way or the other. They may have to wait longer for a complete answer, but the librarian can then "push" the appropriate online resource directly to the user. And if more discussion is required, the librarian will follow up with an e-mail, phone call or in-person visit.

"Over the phone, a librarian can only tell you what to do. Online, we can show you," Wells said.

If the source needed isn't online or if the question is complex, users may still have to make a trip to the library, according to Wells. But at least the online librarian can tell them where to find the information so they don't have to wait in line at the real-life reference desk.

And like with all computer technology, the online reference desk may experience technical difficulties on occasion. But the service is usually quicker and more convenient than coming in to the library, Wells said.

If another campus library has the resources users need, the KSL online reference desk will refer them to that specific library. Currently, KSL is the only University library offering the online reference desk service. Questions in law, medicine and applied social sciences often must be answered by specialists in those libraries.

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