'I Stay Away from the Unknown, I Guess.' Measuring Impact and Understanding Critical Factors for Millennial Generation and Adult Non-users of Virtual Reference Services
by: Marie L. Radford and Lynn Silipigni Connaway
Although research on Virtual Reference Service (VRS) users has proliferated since its beginnings in 1999, a negligible amount is known about non-users and the reasons why they do not select VRS for their information needs. The international study “Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, & Librarian Perspectives” investigated critical factors in selection, use, and satisfaction of synchronous, live chat services. The project involved several data collection techniques (transcript analysis, focus group interviews, online surveys, individual interviews) using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. This paper reports results from online surveys and telephone interviews for non-users.
Suggested Citation:
Radford, Marie L., and Lynn Silipigni Connaway. 2010. “’I stay away from the unknown, I guess.’ Measuring Impact and Understanding Critical Factors for Millennial Generation and Adult Non-users of Virtual Reference Services.” In Online Proceedings of the Fifth Annual iConference, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, February 3-6, 2010, 26-33. Available online at: http://nora.lis.uiuc.edu/images/iConferences/2010papers2_Page-Zhang.pdf. Pre-print available online at: http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/synchronicity/reports/iconference2010paper.pdf (.pdf: 292k/9 pp.).