What’s Overseas from the Internet:
findings of the Victorian public library collaborative on line reference project
Brendan Fitzgerald & Stephanie McGlinchey
Brendan Fitzgerald, Manager Online Projects. VICNET
Stephanie McGlinchey, Online Resources Co-ordinator, VICNET
Abstract:
This joint paper reports on the Victorian public library based collaborative online email reference project, Ask–A-Question. Ask–A-Question is a subproject of the Victoria’s Virtual Library project ( and was set up by 6 public library services, the State Library of Victoria and Libraries Online programme. The VVL was launched in May 2000 as the library portal for the Victorian community with the Ask-A-Question component made operational June 2000. The project design and operational processes of the Ask-A-Question project is presented along with the first 12 months statistical data from the project. This includes data from the question and answer process, survey of users and survey of participating library staff. Key issues and learnings for the public library reference community arising from the first 12 months operation of the collaborative online reference project are identified, especially as they relate to the delivery of service for public libraries in the online environment.
What’s Overseas from the Internet: findings of the Victorian public library collaborative on line reference project
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Introduction
Victoria’s Virtual Library (VVL) is currently the public library portal for the State of Victoria and within the state government is considered to be the online channel for libraries and library based information. The VVL ( is a library and information gateway with quality content and value added library services for all Victorians and is available 24 hours per day. It consolidates existing online information resources and provides library services for Victorians that are not provided in other ways, of which the collaborative online reference project (Ask-A-Question) is part thereof.
This paper reports on the Ask – A Question subproject of the VVL and describes some of the key issues that have arisen from the first 12 months operation of this collaborative online reference project. In particular, as those issues relate to the delivery of service for public libraries in the online environment.
The first part of this paper deals with the policy environment and project structure within which the Ask-A-Question project was developed, i.e. where the project came from and how it operates. As well, usage statistics and other data from the project are examined and the subsequent findings are presented.
The second part of this paper explores some of the issues for public libraries, both macro and micro, around operation of online reference – in this case an email based project. Key elements and issues from this project are identified and discussed with a view to the future of online reference service.
In the beginning: Background Information
As Ask-A-Question is a subproject of the VVL project and as this is one of the Libraries Online projects, any discussion of the background to this project should really begin with the Libraries Online program and an understanding of the aim of this program.
Multimedia Victoria funded the Libraries Online program for a total of $2.4M over a period of 2 years. The policy environment that drove the development and implementation of Libraries Online was information society policy that saw citizen take up of information and communication technology (ICT) as key to the success of the so-called information society. Libraries Online to that end was part of a suite of such programs aimed at achieving that end. In Victoria these included Skills.Net, My Connected Community and the Access@schools programs.
Libraries Online had a number of subprojects which had three aims:
- Improve the infrastructure to deliver content
- Develop the skills to manage both the content and the infrastructure.
- Increase access to online content
In terms of the specific projects they can be grouped as follows:
Infrastructure
- Last Guys – connected 33 branches to the Internet.
- Workstations – rollout of over 400 Public access Internet PC’s to libraries.
- Metropolitan Bandwidth – increase to 2Mbps satellite bandwidth.
- Adaptive Technology – installation of 44 PC’s with various adaptive technology.
Content
- The Open Road – Multilingual web access (
- Gulliver - Consortium purchase of online databases from Ebsco and Gale
- Victoria’s Virtual Library – public library gateway, which includes the Ask-A-Question pilot.
Skills
Training in use of the Gulliver products, adaptive technologies and aspects of multilingual web access was continual, often undertaken onsite and reached out to most of the library staff in Victoria. The Libraries Online team also gave considerable advice on matters technological ranging from how to design a website to selection and installation of different library software/hardware options.
Ask a Question is a public library electronic email based reference service that in theory is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was launched as a pilot in June 2000 with 6 of Victoria’s large regional libraries, the State Library of Victoria and Victoria’s Virtual Library as project partners.
The aim of the pilot was to test the feasibility of providing online reference services via email collaboratively hosted by a number of Victorian public Library services. The original libraries involved in the pilot were:
- Bayside Library Service
- Casey-Cardinia Regional Library Corporation
- Eastern Regional Libraries Corportation
- Hume – Moonee Valley Regional Library .
- State Library of Victoria
- Yarra Melbourne Regional Library Service
- Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service
- Victoria’s Virtual Library
The State Library of Victoria actually had three roles in the project:
- State Library Services answered questions for 2 x 1 month periods,
- The Vision service acted as back-up for libraries when they couldn’t answer specific questions,and;
- Victoria’s Virtual library staff monitored and co-ordinated the project.
Since the initial group of libraries developed the project the following libraries have or will in the near future be taking part in the Ask-A- Question project:
- Brimbank Library and Information Service
- Whitehorse- Manningham Regional Library
- Upper Murray Regional Library
- Mildura Rural City Council Library Service
- Glen Eira Library & Information Service
It should be said that from the outset the Ask-A-Question project was seen as an experiment and part of the action research ethos that underlies the Libraries Online program. The original group of six and the SLV felt that the pilot was an opportunity to explore a range of issues around the implementation of online reference service. This included the crucial issue of cost and sustainability, as well as gaining an understanding of the mechanics of online reference.
With the 5 additional libraries listed above at least a quarter of Victorian Public library services will have contributed and been part of the learning process aimed at improving library reference services. In a shared and collaborative environment this can only be seen as a healthy development for Victorian Public libraries. Recently a decision was taken to continue the service for another 12 months with the aim to continue adding to the knowledge gained from the initial pilot.
Ask-A-Question project design
As previously mentioned, Ask-a-Question is a collaborative service delivered by a number of Victorian Public Libraries on a voluntary basis. The service is hosted and maintained by Victoria’s Virtual Library
When designing the project the libraries involved felt that as a key working philosophy we should have limited rules to begin with. The reference librarians involved representing the initial group of participating libraries felt that by imposing comprehensive rules and parameters from the start may mean that useful information may be excluded. Much discussion and debate was held on such questions as,
- What if the question comes from outside Victoria?
- What if we get homework questions?
- Should we answer student queries?
- What if demand exceeds capacity to answer?
It would appear likely that the fourth issue listed above is likely to cause the most concern especially as the service is promoted and becomes more widely known and accepted.
For some librarians having few guiding rules isn’t an easy concept to grasp, however the internet isn’t conducive to known models of operation and sometimes a “suck it and see” approach is equally effective as a well designed and tried business model. It is interesting to note that in 12 months of operation no substantive issues have arisen from this and the librarians answering the queries have adapted with ease whenever it was their turn in the roster. It should also be noted that this confident approach from the librarians involved perhaps reflects the fact that this is a public library based project. As such the reference staff are used to an ethos of providing information for any person who may happen to come through the front door of a public library.
“Please Sir, Can I have some more?” - Asking a question.
The process for asking and answering questions was kept simple,
- Questions are sent using an online form at
- The participating library receives the question in the form of an email. This email is also copied to the staff of Victoria’s Virtual Library.
- Librarians identify the best sources for discovering the answer and reply back within a period of 48 hours.
A typical email question received will look something like this:
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My Name: Cyrus Cloudstreet
My Address: Moe 3850
My Age: 102
My Question: The Commonwealth Govt have a new Privacy Act about to come into force. Do you know its correct title?
Library User: Yes
Time Sent: 2001-08-08 21:49:24
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The question may not necessarily have all the fields filled in, however the compulsory fields are Name, Email Address, Library User and Question. Age and Address are optional.
The service moves from library to library on a monthly rota basis. Ask a Librarian employs the idea that there are a critical mass of librarians around the State, with common skills and more specialised ones. The idea runs that if these skills are networked, they are more powerful and provide a greater potential resource. This builds on the ideas of Kevin Kelly which he outlined in his book "Out of Control: the biology of machines". He portrays human knowledge as a "shared brain" that is the centre of our universe. For Kelly, the fax effect rules: where networked resources are exponentially more valuable than their stand-alone counterparts.
Libraries receive confirmation of their turn via a phone call from the VVL staff 1 week before their turn is due. On the day of the changeover a test question is submitted, to make sure the changeover is successful.
An Ask –a- Question Librarian’s Manual is available to provide guidelines for libraries wishing to volunteer. This manual is crucial as it gives new library staff some clear parameters to work within. The background of the project and the operational aspects of the project are explained in the manual. As well, the expected guidelines relating to how questions should and shouldn’t be answered are included even to the extent of providing examples of typical answers for staff to follow. This quite deliberately included the style and nature of language to be used when responding. This manual has been developed and refined over the life of the project and draws heavily on the work of EARL and the NYPL Ask Librarians Online service
“No” – Answering a question
Libraries are given 48 hours in which to reply, however one of the issues identified with the rota system is that libraries have different operational hours especially in and around weekends. A library may receive a question over a long weekend and be unable to reply until the next working day. Typical of all reference work libraries may receive a question that may take two minutes to answer, or a week. To this end the project team is designing an automated response to assist.
A typical response to a question , this one asking what Onyx looks like, will look something like this:
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-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Staffmember
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 12:19 PM
To: ''
Subject: RE: My Question
Dear Kelly
Thanks for your question about onyx.
The following information comes as a result of a general Internet search....
Onyx: Black Magic
" In fine jewelry, the black backdrop is often supplied by onyx, a chalcedony quartz with a fine texture and black color. Some onyx also displays white bands or ribbons against a black background. If the layers are even, this type of onyx can be carved into cameos.
Onyx was very popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The name comes from the Greek word onux, which means fingernail. The story is that one day frisky Cupid cut the divine fingernails of Venus with an arrowhead while she was sleeping. He left the clippings scattered on the sand and the fates turned them into stone so that no part of the heavenly body would ever perish. ..in Greek times, almost all colors of chalcedony from fingernail white to dark brown and black were called onyx. Later, the Romans narrowed the term to refer to black and dark brown colors only.
Onyx which is reddish brown and white is known as sardonyx. Sardonyx was highly valued in Rome, especially for seals, because it was said to never stick to the wax. Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio was known for wearing lots of sardonyx.
Black onyx especially shines when used a backdrop for color play. Its fine texture also makes it ideal for carving, making it a favored material for today's lapidary artists. Onyx was often used as the perfect foil for carved rock crystal or the drop dead red of rubies in Art deco designs. It is also popular in marcasitejewelry."
from
This is part of the website of the International Colored Gemstones Association
Almost identical information is provided at
with the following reference..."Information on gemstones provided in part by:
The International Colored Gemstone Association, The United States Geological
Survey & by Privet [sic] Individuals"
I hope you find this information useful. If you are looking for more information, your local public library, the Berrigan Shire Library Service, with a branch at Tocumwal, holds a book called Gems and minerals by Robin Kerrod.
Yours Sincerely
Tim staffmember
Victoria's Virtual Library
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Libraries participating in the project are encouraged to use whatever resources are deemed the most suitable to answer the question- print, WWW, Gulliver. Gulliver is the brand name for a consortium purchase of EBSCO and GALE online databases by 41 of the 45 Victorian public libraries. It began as a Libraries Online funded project and has now been taken over by VICLINK.
Web resources, however are the preferred resources as these can be referred to the respondent far more easily than other formats. Librarians participating in the project moved in this direction with no prompting, almost a Darwinian approach to answering reference questions online. Another thing the librarians staffing the Ask-A-Question service did naturally was to check the online catalogue of the nearest library to the user.
The predominance of web resources used in answering questions brings into question one of the original assumptions made when setting up the project, i.e. libraries needed to be large with well resourced traditional reference collections to participate effectively. As the findings show most of the questions were answered using web based resources which indicates that the smallest library with a good internet connection, well trained staff and a subscription to quality online databases can provide effective online reference service.
One key element of the project design was service backup. Libraries were concerned that if they couldn’t answer the question, or didn’t have the resources to adequately or comfortably do so then we would be raising expectations above capacity. The Vision service of the State Library of Victoria was used as backup. Vision is a dedicated reference service to public libraries and has been in operation for nearly a decade. Libraries, if they couldn’t answer a query for whatever reason would refer the question to the staff at Vision who would in turn research the question and provide the answer back to the participating library. Overall very few questions were referred onto Vision, approximately 2 - 4% of the total.
The Findings
Ask-A-Question was designed for and targeted primarily at Victorian residents and online library users. However, we did recognize that the Internet is a global medium and therefore questions from outside Victoria would be asked. Hence the question in the title of this paper, ”What’s overseas from the Internet?”