What is virtual reference?

For a long time, there were about as many definitions of “virtual reference” as there were librarians trying to define it. While some people felt the concept could be characterized as simply as reference services delivered over the telephone, others considered a computer key to any substantial implementation.

A cooperative development effort between the Library of Congress and OCLC—both bringing pioneering experience in the new technologies of information and library sciences—has raised the bar and has redefined virtual reference as a combination of a variety of technologies to accomplish broad reference goals.

The definition we use to build and enhance the most sophisticated virtual reference system available—QuestionPoint—is as follows: Using computer and communications technology to provide reference service to patrons anytime and anywhere.

Types of digital reference include:

• Asynchronous digital reference, such as e-mail and Web-form questions, in which the patron submits a question and the librarian responds at a later time.
• Synchronous digital reference, such as chat and voice over IP, in which the patron and librarian communicate in real time.

To illustrate this definition in practice, a QuestionPoint subscription includes these features:

• Access to a professional community of librarians working together to develop standards, best practices, and the QuestionPoint service based on their experiences and needs
• An interface that enables libraries to offer online reference services locally and to refer questions to libraries locally, regionally or globally
• Tools to support synchronous and asynchronous digital reference including walk-up questions, email, web-based forms and live chat, including the ability for librarians to see and talk with library users over the Internet
• The ability to route and track the status of questions, including system views for the user, the librarian and the administrator
• Local and global knowledge bases that store previously asked and answered questions for later retrieval and use as a reference resource
• Usage statistics and reports to help librarians implement and maintain QuestionPoint successfully in their libraries
• Integration with other virtual reference systems that participating libraries already use
• A customizable administrative module