Running head: EFFECT OF INTERNET ON REFERENCE 1

The Effect of the Internet on Reference Services in Academic Libraries

Douglas Davidson

Newton, Kansas
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Abstract

The ready availability of the Internet has changed the use of reference services in academic

libraries. Patrons are generally comfortable searching for answers to most reference questions

using Internet resources, and use of the reference desk has consequently declined. Nonetheless,

Internet technology allows for innovations in reference services through virtual reference, which

is especially valuable to distance learners. Studies indicate that patrons typically view online chat

reference favorably. Two medical libraries, described here, have eliminated their reference desks

in response to changes in patrons use of reference. The literature indicates a decreasing

importance of physical reference desks, and that physical and virtual reference should be staffed

separately to ensure satisfactory service.

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The Effect of the Internet on Reference Services in Academic Libraries

How much things have changed with the advent of the Internet is apparent from

examining Olsons article from 1984 on reference service: it assumes all reference interviews are

face-to-face, and that any answers given at the reference desk will come from the librarys print

reference collection (Olson, 1984, pp. 322-323). By contrast, current writings are preoccupied

with the subject of addressing research questions remotely, and some (cf. Schulte, 2011) suggest

eliminating the reference desk. In the following, we examine some of the arguments for altering

reference services in light of technological developments.

The Consequences of the Internet for Reference Service

Coleman, Mallon, and Lo (2015) cite an overall decline in reference questions at

libraries, probably resulting from increased reliance on the Internet, though they note exceptions

at some institutions (p. 675). At the same time, there has been an increased interest in and use of

virtual referencethat is, reference service conducted over the Internet (pp. 678-679). Some

academic libraries have also maintained relevance by expanding services in creative ways, such

as registering students to vote (Bonnell, 2014).

Lubans (2008) reports a significant drop in library patrons use of reference services since

1992 with a corresponding increase in the use of CD-ROM reference and Internet search (p.

205). He found that students use the Internet because it decreases their dependency on libraries,

enabling them to access information anywhere (p. 206). A study from OCLC found that students

start research from a search engine 89 percent of the time and from a library webpage only 2

percent of the time (p. 207). However, students nonetheless recognize that they need printed
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resources in order to thoroughly research a topic; in general students recognize the need for a

combination of digital and print resources (Lubans, 2008, p. 207). Although he gives few

concrete suggestions, Lubans recommends finding new ways to integrate Internet technology

into the library.

Types of Virtual Reference

Yang and Dalal (2015), in a content analysis of 362 randomly selected academic library

websites, found that 47.5 percent offered chat reference (p. 6) and 65.2 percent have email

addresses specifically for reference questions (p. 7). Similarly, Chow and Croxton (2014) discuss

surveys indicating that e-mail is the most common form of virtual reference followed by chat and

text. They emphasize the importance of usability in a virtual reference interface and recommend

involving potential users in the design process (p. 310). Their study indicates that users prefer

different forms of digital reference depending on what questions they have (p. 313).

Undergraduates viewed chat as appropriate for a wide range of questions, whereas graduate

students viewed it as most suitable to ready reference (p. 313). In a usability study of several

types of virtual reference, chat was the most popular (p. 316). Chat also generally had the fastest

response time (p. 317).

Meert and Given (2009) discuss chat consortia, in which virtual reference through chat is

shared between several libraries. They examine the University of Alberta (U of A), which

participated in a consortium called 24/7 Reference. Meert and Given undertook a study to

determine if the consortiums shared reference staff was effectively answering questions from

students at the U of A. The study indicates that local staff effectively answered 94 percent of

local questions; however, non-local staff answered 82 percent of questions satisfactorily (p. 76).
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Non-local reference staff especially had difficulty answering questions about the U of As library

facilities, or about students personal accounts (p. 76).

Distance Education and Reference

Distance education facilitated by the Internet can also have an effect on reference

services. Li (2013) projects that 60 percent of students in higher education will be distance

students by 2020. For this reason, academic libraries have placed an increased emphasis on

virtual reference (p. 79). A few universities have embedded chat reference or incorporated

LibGuides into online courses (p. 80). However, Li sees three difficulties in virtual reference.

The first she describes a globalization of information, and recommends that reference

librarians must know how to search the Internet for resources, including other libraries catalogs,

in order to satisfy distance learners reference questions (p. 81). Second, user expectations have

increased: distance learners expect reference service to be available at all hours (p. 82). This is

confirmed by Meert and Given (2009), who assert that users typically demand 24-hour access to

reference librarians.

Li describes several methods that have been used at universities to enhance information

delivery to distance learners, especially embedding librarians in distance courses, but for the

most part she does not distinguish reference from course instruction. She does, however, report

that some universities have conducted surveys to determine the effectiveness of virtual reference

(p. 90).

Challenges of Virtual Reference

Stormont (2001) describes Temple Universitys challenges in setting up virtual reference

via an embedded instant messaging form on the library webpage. After the library used a
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program called TalkBack, two computer science students developed an alternative called Temple

TalkNow (pp. 80-82). Temple University found that it worked best to staff virtual reference

separate from the reference desk to avoid traffic congestion.

Ward (2005) points out that chat reference lacks the visual cues of traditional interactions

and can therefore be challenging for reference librarians and patrons alike. Breitback and Demars

(2009), however, argue that employment of proper techniques can make virtual reference as

effective as a face-to-face reference interview. To improve interaction with patrons in virtual

reference, especially chat reference, they recommend learning common Internet abbreviations

and employing emoticons (pp. 84-85). They also note multiple studies indicating that virtual

reference takes longer than face-to-face, but they argue that an examination of transcripts

indicates that much of this time is spent in worthwhile instruction (p. 85). They recommend

using web annotation services and videos, or even creating new instruction videos as needed

during reference transactions (pp. 86-87). A chat box should be embedded in a librarys webpage

to avoid asking users to install software or work through a proprietary service (p. 88). Although

Breitback and Demars offer many creative solutions to commonly perceived problems with

virtual reference, they give no indication that their ideas have been tested and proven successful.

Powers, Nolen, Zhang, Xu, and Peyton (2010), however, report a case study involving

improvements in chat reference at Mississippi State University (MSU), in which some of

Breitback and Demarss ideas were used. MSU had joined a consortium through which multiple

colleges and universities shared responsibility for virtual reference, and which employed a

proprietary chat service that allowed co-browsing, through which the reference librarian and

patron could share a browser window, making it easier for the librarian to direct the patron to
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web resources (pp. 169-170). Eventually, the consortium dissolved through a combination of

technical problems and insufficient funding (p. 170). New training was initiated as, without the

consortium, reference staff had to handle virtual and face-to-face reference simultaneously The

training incorporated ideas expressed by Breitback and Demars, including the use of emoticons

and short phrases in chat (Powers, et al., 2010, p. 180).

The combination of virtual and face-to-face reference at the same desk led to issues of

traffic congestion, similar to that reported by Stormont (2001), so the library rearranged to have

the person in charge of chat at a less accessible desk, and to place signs informing face-to-face

patrons that the reference staff was dealing with online questions (Powers, et al., 2010, p. 182).

In the year following these changes, the MSU library system saw an increase in virtual reference

questions even with a reduction in reference hours (p. 182). Most of the difficulties articulated by

Powers, et al., appear to stem from having the same staff answer virtual and face-to-face

questions simultaneously. This indicates that separating the two is preferable at least during high-

traffic hours; such a separation developed, as they put it, organically out of the difficulty of

managing reference traffic (p. 185).

Eliminating the Desk

Barrett (2010) proposes a more radical solution to the problem of dealing with virtual and

face-to-face reference simultaneously: simply eliminate the reference desk. In examining

reference interactions from 1990 to 2009, Barrett discusses the result of removing the reference

desk from the University of Illinois Crawford Library of the Health Sciences at Rockford, a

medical library serving the University of Illinois College of Medicine. In the new scheme, ready

reference questions were handled by the circulation desk while more intensive research questions
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were referred to reference librarians. The total number of reference transactions decreased over

time, dropping from 8,738 in 1990 to 2,505 in 2009 (Barrett, 2010, p. 309). However, the types

of questions asked remained constant, requests for directions and ready reference questions being

the most common (p. 310). In spite of the decrease in overall usage, faculty use of reference

increased after 1998; though student usage declined overall, it declined at a slower rate than that

of unaffiliated patrons, and may be showing signs of reversal (p. 309). Barrett attributes this to

chat and email reference, services she believes students and staff are more likely to use (p. 310).

Unfortunately, while Barrett points out that her study echoes other findings that use of reference

is decreasing, she fails to address the removal of the reference desks correlation to the numbers.

However, Schulte (2011) describes the results of removing the reference desk at the Prior

Health Sciences Library of Ohio State University, where, in 2009, the traditional reference desk

was replaced with a Personalized Information Consult Service (PICS) (p. 273). There is no

reference desk or walk-in reference; instead, reference is by appointment. The service desk

handles basic reference questions and ready reference, but refers more difficult questions to the

reference librarians (pp. 273-274).

Perhaps surprisingly, the number of reference interactions increased, though,

unfortunately, Schultes analysis only compares data between the year immediately preceding the

models introduction and the year immediately after. He found that involved reference

interactions lasting more than thirty minutes increased from 134 in 2009 to 240 in 2010, almost

doubling (p. 277). All types of reference interaction increased from 383 to 503. The percentage

of questions answered by non-librarian staff did not change dramatically (from 70 to 76 percent),

all indicating that the elimination of the reference desk and implementation of the new system
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was effective. Because this is a medicaland therefore highly specializedlibrary, it is possible

that this model is not transferrable to other academic libraries, such as a central library system

serving multiple schools and departments. Schultes data also must be understood as preliminary

because it examines only one year of the new systems implementation. Nonetheless, it indicates

that this model of reference can be effective at least in limited applications and is worthy of

further testing.

Conclusion

What this brief literature review suggests is that walk-in and face-to-face reference are of

decreasing importance in todays academic library. However, reference services are still used and

are still needed. Future trends may see increased emphasis on ready reference, especially the

relatively rapid answers to questions available through chat services, which can be embedded

directly into a library web page. Extended consultation on more in-depth research questions will

likely continue to be important, and will continue to require face-to-face reference interviews.

However, some libraries such as the two medical libraries described in Barrett (2010) and

Schulte (2011) have eliminated the reference desk. Powers, et al. (2010), indicate that virtual

reference is best separated from physical reference in order to avoid traffic congestion.

Altogether, this indicates a decreasing emphasis on reference desks. The traditional desk may

cease to be a major part of reference services as digital technology continues to advance.

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