Journal article
Application of Reference Guidelines for Assessing the Quality of the Internet Public Library's Virtual Reference Services
Internet reference services quarterly, v 15(4), pp 209-226
10 Dec 2010
Abstract
This study aims to assess and evaluate the overall quality and effectiveness of the Internet Public Library's (IPL) virtual reference services. Toward this end, IPL's guidelines for answering user questions are used to assess the quality of reference service; a total of 528 IPL transcripts are examined to determine how well they conform to the IPL guidelines. The results of the study evince high compliance with IPL guidelines regarding responses to user questions. All six mandatory elements were used more than 90% of the time. This indicates that the IPL guidelines are effectively employed to ensure that IPL librarians adhere to reference procedures for providing quality service to users. The study results also indicate that librarians can effectively increase the socio-emotional content of the message while maintaining a high level of professionalism, thereby improving the overall experience for the user.
Metrics
9 Record Views
5 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Application of Reference Guidelines for Assessing the Quality of the Internet Public Library's Virtual Reference Services
- Creators
- Amy Burger - College of Information Science and Technology , Drexel UniversityJung-ran Park - College of Information Science and Technology , Drexel UniversityGuisu Li - College of Information Science and Technology , Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Internet reference services quarterly, v 15(4), pp 209-226
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis Group
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Information Science; Urban Health Collaborative
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-78650494170
- Other Identifier
- 991014878547204721