Title: Resurrecting Reference
1Resurrecting Reference
- An Infopeople Webinar with Joan Frye Williams
and George NeedhamJuly 31, 2008
2Librarians Love Reference
- Thrill of the chase
- Constant variety
- Fun facts
- Independence
- Gratitude
- Feel smart
3Civilians Dont
- Boring
- Takes too long
- Information doesnt solve the problem
- Dependence
- Feel stupid
4which leads to
5and raises the question of
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
6What to Do?
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11Cant We Just Educate These People?
12Time to Rethink
13Rethink Who?
- Reference associates
- Dispatcher
14Rethink When?
- 24/7 services
- Appointments
15Rethink Where?
- Virtual
- IM (Meebo Me, etc.)
- Wikis
- Twitter
- Co-browsing
- Roving (lurking)
- Embedded
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17How The Library World Treats Civilians
18The Decline and Fall of the Expert
19What Civilians Really Want
- Convenience
- Quality
- Acknowledgement
- Ability to customize
- Respect for their time, intelligence, and
priorities
20Social Information Discovery
21Disintermediation of Proprietary Databases
22Limitations of Current Reference Models
- Library-centered
- Process dense
- Transaction-based
- Anonymous
- Unaccountable
- One at a time
- From scratch
23Beyond the Right Answer to the Right Result
- Leverage library resources to
- Enable civilians to solve problems on their own
terms - for
- A reasonable investment of time, money, and
effort.
24Reference Deconstructed
- Intercept
- Triage
- Response
- Follow-up
25Intercept
- At point of interest/need
- Integrated with other tasks
- Hip to hip
- What can we do for you?
- MLS not necessary
26Triage
- How will answer be used?
- Chunk into increments as appropriate
- Match request to appropriate library
service/resource - MLS not necessary
27Ready Response
- Directional
- How-to
- Referral
- MLS not necessary
- Symptomatic of need for system improvements
scripts, signage, automation, policy
simplification
28Upselling
29Extended Response
- Consulting
- Review/update/enhance your work
- Research
- Coaching/training
- MLS desirable
30New Relationship
- Peer-to-peer
- Shared control
- Iterative
- Inclusive
- Collaborative
- Transformative
31How Do We Define Ourselves?
- Information Transformation
- Institution Infrastructure
- Altruism Return on Investment
- Past Future
- Frill Necessity
32Ask yourself
- Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
- Can a computer do it faster?
- Is what Im offering in demand in an age of
abundance?
33Library as a Tool for Self-Actualization
34Lay Reference
35Participatory Reference
- Work table rather than desk
- Layout, assemble, invite
- Show both information objects and relationships
between them - Save, revisit, and build upon previous
collaborations
36Follow-Up
- Did response meet expectations?
- Was response useful in specific circumstances?
- Would you use this service/consult this staff
member again?
37More Co-creationLess Desk-centricity
38What Would Librarians Accomplish if We Didnt
Spend So Much Time on Desk
39Lets Continue the Conversation
- joan_at_jfwilliams.com needhamg_at_oclc.org
-
- Podcasts at http//feeds.feedburner.com/InfoblogGe
orgeAndJoan