Virtual Reference 2.0
Virtual Reference 2.0
·Virtual Reference· RefTracker · RefxSMS · IM online reference ·
Altarama has created a collection of co-ordinated products and services designed to provide operational efficiencies for reference librarians. We provide the tools to enhance your ability to operate with your choice of information resources and to deliver reference services in new ways.
Of course all the components are web based to co-ordinate with the wealth of information resources available on the Internet, and your Intranet, in order to empower you to extend that information to the widest audience. For Altarama, Virtual Reference is a concept that you can implement a component at a time. Start with the component of most importance to your library and add others as and when they become appropriate, with the confidence that all the products will work efficiently together.
Components of Virtual Reference
Think about the tasks involved in delivering your reference service. Wouldn’t it be simpler if all the tools that you used worked together. Altarama's Virtual Reference components complement each other and cover the full range of your reference operations, for example:
§ Managing Requests – RefTracker manages the traditional desk and phone operations of your library whilst adding a comprehensive ask-a-librarian interface to allow questions to be submitted and tracked via your web pages and responses sent via email. Importantly it ensures that the questions you receive are answered on time and according to library policy.
§ Instant Messaging online assistance –For many libraries, Instant Messaging can be used to provide an online reference service that your clients will love! Click here for more information about using Instant Messaging in your library's reference service. See the RefTracker Contact Freedom functions for more details about how Instant Messsaging can be used in conjunction with RefTracker to increase the ways in which you can contact your client, during the process of answering their question.
§ Co-browsing online assistance – You can use any online/chat co-browsing product, with Altarama's products, whether the product be a commercially available co-browsing product, or an open source product. Choose a cobrowsing product if you need to provide an open to the public online reference service where working together in an application is an essential feature of the service. No matter what co-browsing product you use, you can hand off questions to RefTracker when they cannot be completed online and you can use the RefTracker knowledge base to find standard answers.
§ VoIP/SMS texting – What communications methods would you like your clients to be able to use to access your library? Altarama offers the widest range with integration provided though RefTracker and specialist communications services provided through products like Reference by SMS.
§ FAQ knowledge database – Questions handled through RefTracker can be used to create a knowledge database that can be searched by clients, providing instant responses and reducing the volume of repeat questions that have to be handled by staff. Staff can also use the answers and search strategies saved in the knowledge database to reduce the work required to respond to similar questions received.
§ Citation tool – You can use any citation tool that you normally use, with Altarama's products to create bibliographies for the resources you recommend via your online, web/email or traditional reference service.
§ Second level reference services – Utilise the expertise of specialist libraries such as a specialist central team, or your National Library, by referring reference questions off to them. Gather the information in RefTracker to charge for these services, when and if appropriate.
§ Statistics – No more totalling of tick sheets each month. Save time and frustration with RefTracker DeskStats, an electronic tick sheet. And DeskStats are integrated with RefTracker’s comprehensive statistics about patron usage, staff workloads and the effectiveness of your information resources, ensuring that you can justify your reference staffing levels and your information resource purchases.
§ Library Management System integration – Offer assistance to your clients wherever they need it with online and email/web assistance available from every ILMS patron interface screen. Quote ILMS OPAC search strings in your reference responses. Validate patron access rights and obtain contact information from your ILMS patron file (coming soon). These are just some of the ILMS integration options we can provide. Already we have a partnership with Dynix for RefTracker to operate as its reference management module.
§ Integrate your information sources and search tools – Choose the information sources most relevant to your library. Manage their inclusion in your web pages - you can even integrate federated searching engines. Save the search strategies and use them as responses in RefTracker.
§ Reference by Blog and other two way communication tools – Blog's, wiki's, picture libraries, and a many more two way communication products are now available and provide opportunities for libraries to interact with patrons in new ways, such as providing the opportunity for your community to directly contribute to your local history information. See our blog on Library 2.0 as an example of communication by blog.
§ Schedule staff onto reference services with ease – Anyone tasked with creating schedules for library staff will say what a thankless task it is. Reduce the hours taken and simplify dealing with last minute changes by using ScheduleSource - a subscription service that pays for itself in significantly reduced time to create schedules and happier staff.
§ And more. . . Tell us about your integration needs! Our experience with reference operations and our ability to develop to library standards means we will continue to lead the way in provision of tools that open new services and improve staff satisfaction for the reference function of libraries. Our blog on Personal Service vs Self Service describes how libraries can position themselves as an important community supplement to the Internet.
Benefits
of Virtual Reference
§ Opens your reference services to those who cannot, or prefer not to, visit your library premises
§ Ensures a library service that increases its relevance as the level of information on the Internet increases
§ In conjunction with your ILMS, and appropriate computer equipment, provides the tools to allow you to operate a “library without books” when this is appropriate.
§ Provides kudos for your library through the implementation of new services that deliver information to your clients in every way they could need it.
§ Improves efficiency through, integrated statistics produced with less effort and more accuracy, an integrated set of information and services all easily accessible by staff and clients through your web pages, productivity tools like library specific workflows and standard clauses, and through increased co-operation between libraries and between the different staff roles within your library.
For libraries, your
choice of Virtual Reference products from Altarama produce a no fuss
path to Virtual Reference mastery.
Click here to request further information about Altarama's
Virtual Reference!Choose
a link to see additional information about Virtual Reference:
·Virtual
Reference·
RefTracker ·
RefxSMS ·
IM online reference ·
All contents copyright © 2001, Altarama Information Systems Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Revised: October, 2006