Virtual Reference Services in a Real World

NOW THAT LIBRARIES have substantial digital collections available to users from their homes or offices, it isn't surprising that remote access ("virtual") reference services are the latest trend. LJ recently provided an overview of virtual reference services and reported on local progress and national initiatives to implement online reference help 24 hours a day, seven days a week (see "The Shape of E-Reference," LJ 2/1/01 p. 46ff.).

Recently, I asked the directors of reference in the academic member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to describe changes in their reference services over the last three years and how electronic resources have impacted them. Although most do not yet offer real-time virtual reference services, all offer some reference services to their remote users, and expanding virtual reference services is in the planning stages at many more.

pp. 38-40