The power of best-match routing

A reference librarian responding to a question from a library user has a variety of options for handling the question.

One of those options-when the question's answer is beyond local resources-is to submit the question to the Global Reference Network. QuestionPoint automatically locates and displays the best possibilities for obtaining an answer from specific QuestionPoint member institutions, by comparing the requirements of the question with the attributes of all QuestionPoint libraries.

All QuestionPoint members complete a profile describing their capabilities, services and expertise. QuestionPoint determines the best match between those attributes and estimated needs of the question.

The question is then routed to the best-suited QuestionPoint member. If this library is also unable to answer the question, QuestionPoint software then routes the question to the next likely candidate, and so on.

Best-match routing combines the best of personal professional contact, with the power of computer-based evaluation-and creates one of the most effective features of the QuestionPoint system.