Scottish Culture Minister launches AskScotland virtual reference service
An interactive digital reference service that will enable people all over the world to get answers to questions about Scotland has been launched by Michael Russell MSP, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution.
AskScotland is a collaborative national service developed by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), using OCLC's QuestionPoint software, that will pool the staff and resources of Scotland's public library services to bring their knowledge and rich collections to a global audience.
AskScotland is part of the wider ScotlandsInformation.com service that brings together information available in Scotland's libraries, museums and archives to offer a single, user-friendly access point to the vast array of important resources and collections held in Scotland.
Launching AskScotland in Peebles at the annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland (CILIPS), Mr Russell said: "I am pleased to be able to launch the latest innovative service from the Scottish Library and Information Council – AskScotland. This interactive digital service will educate and inform people all over the world about Scotland and Scottish culture.
"As information technologies develop throughout the world, we must continue to come up with new and exciting ways to promote Scotland to the wider world. AskScotland will not only improve access to these valuable resources to people in Scotland, but also open up access to our country to people across the globe."
Elaine Fulton, Director of the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) said: "Scottish Libraries have a long history of formal and informal collaboration and this embryonic service builds on this, enabling libraries to deliver more effective services which minimise duplication and save resources.
"More importantly, this service will help libraries to engage with users and promote their collections to a wide audience. The ongoing development of this pilot service demonstrates that libraries are embracing new technologies to ensure that Scotland's information services are designed for the future."