Diktuon: Virtual Reference

Abstract

Reference librarians have a long history of assisting users located outside of the physical library. Correspondence and the telephone have long been vehicles for the reference transaction. Email is a relatively recent introduction and with the advent of library websites, many libraries have instituted an 'Ask a Librarian' webform which can generate an email directly from the library's website. Within the mix of reference services, 'virtual reference' or a real-time chat service has been added in many library reference departments. Adapted from the source document.