The reference service in the digital era. Literature review

Abstract

The dramatic increase in accessing information resources due to the World Wide Web and networked full-text periodical databases has revolutionized reference services in the library. Easily accessible digital information has rapidly become one of the hallmarks of the Internet. This "information overload" has given a new dimension to library reference service. Evaluating information sources has become an integral part of everyday library reference service. This added dimension has spotlighted the importance of the reference librarian as an information mediator, and, hence, the importance of a good understanding of the basics of reference/information services. Online resources have risen in popularity as far as more individuals and organizations have connected to the global network. Thousands of organizations have turned to Internet-based information delivery as an effective and cost-efficient alternative to traditional communication methods, and many of them have further expanded their services by interacting with their users and responding to inquiries via Internet. Digital reference services (also known as "AskA services," as in "Ask-an-Expert") provide subject expertise and information referral over the Internet to their users. Interest in "digital" reference is exploding, as evidenced by the proliferation of discussion groups, conferences, reports, and articles. The terminology has not yet become standardized, and the definitions virtual, digital, remote, and electronic are applied interchangeably to any computer-mediated reference transaction, whether asynchronous (e.g. e-mail) or real-time. Real-time online service (also referred to as "chat"), however, is the application that libraries are most anxious to explore. A growing number of libraries are offering this service, and professional literature reflects the popularity of the topic. This literature review utilizes for the most part the work of Bernie Sloan (2000) and Joanne Wasik (2001) who have both gathered the most substantial bibliographies in this area. These bibliographies were collapsed, duplicates removed, and the resulting list augmented with searches of the ERIC, Lib Lit, LISA, and INSPECT databases to ensure that all publications on this topic have been identified and retrieved. Because of the broadness and heterogenity of the topic it was preferred to organize this work in three section. The first section focuses on the digital reference scenario, the second one analyzes the several forms by which this service is provided, and the last one is centered on the changing and evolving role of reference librarian in the digital environment.