Reference: What’s Happeningin the New Millenium?

“It only makes sense that since we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars making resources accessible remotely, we now need to serve the people who use them.”(Computers in Libraries,

vol. 21, no. 4, April 2001)

www.answerzone.org

• Funded by a LSTA collaborative grant for fiscal year September 2001 -August 2002– Partners

•Carrollton Public Library: city population 112,000– located in Denton County

• Irving Public Library: city population 194,407– located in heart of Dallas Fort Worth area in

Dallas County•North Richland Hills Public Library: city population

58,627– located north of Fort Worth in Tarrant County

Goals of Interactive Online Reference

• Extend Reference service outside of library walls to users who can’t make it to the library

• Feature and promote the extensive Texas State Library databases

• Expand library service hours and evaluate usage patterns

• Provide expert Reference assistance to users who are increasingly turning to the Internet search engines for their information needs

Key Grant Writing Issues

• Legal aspects of Interlocal Agreement between cities needed to be worked out

• Grant had to be approved by city grant committees

• Software had to be evaluated and chosen• Sustainability and staffing issues needed

to be addressed

Key to meeting grant application deadline was communication

Key Grant Implementation Issues

• Staffing issues are an ongoing concern• Training: fear of the unknown, new

technical and reference techniques to learn • Quality control - need someone in charge

at each city to maintain standards and communicate problems

• Had to work through designing the logo and web site content, acquire domain name

• *Marketing plays a very important role

LSSI Software Features Highlights

• A hosted service with software residing on LSSI’s servers

• Ability to push web pages and send screenshots• Can take control of patron’s browser and escort

them around the Web• Co-browsing of library subscription databases• Sharing of slideshows, word files, etc.• Two-way feature that you control with the click of a

button• Call Center can provide backup and additional hours

LSSI Software FeaturesRelease 2.0 Enhancements

• Easily work with multiple patrons at the same time

• Start and stop Interact Database Co-browsing• Pointer in Interact to highlight sections• Spell Checking• Full Administrative control provided to each

library• Increased variety of reports available• EZProxy authentication system improved

Librarian’s tools

Sample Questions

• I’m looking for the score of the 1978 NFL Superbowl and the teams.

• I need a love spell to fix my cheating boyfriend.• I’m doing a research paper about HP Compaq

merger, can you help me?• How can I get a new library card?• I am trying to access the databases from home.

Can you help me?• I’d like info about the Drug Institution in Seattle

which provides clean needles for addicts. • Numerous requests to locate books or movies,

etc.

The Future• Emerging technology

– voice over IP– video streaming– multilingual

• Sustainability: staffing and funding• Expanded hours: staffing cost versus usage patterns• Increase use of marketing and innovative services

with schools• Partnering with additional libraries in DFW area• Statewide service under Texas State Library utilizing

TIF funding?

Resource List

• Bernie Sloan - Dig Ref Serviceshttp://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/digiref.html

• Stephen Francoeur - Digital Referencehttp://pages.prodigy.net/tabo1/digref.htm

• Gerry McKiernan - Live Refhttp://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/

LiveRef.htm#Public

Discussion Lists

• Livereference http://www.egroups.com/group/livereference

• Dig_Ref - http://www.vrd.org/Dig_Ref/dig_ref.html

• VirtualPubLib - http://communities.msn.com/VirtualPubLib

Questions?

• Contact:Linda M. DrazNorth Richland Hills Public Library817-427-6814ldraz@nrhtx.comhttp://www.library.nrhtx.com