Virtual Reference: The Role of Personalization on an Impersonal Service
Session Format
In-person Lightning Talk
Short Description
Face-to-face reference is a very personal service, and initially virtual reference was impersonal, but much investigation has gone into personalizing virtual reference. Some have created short answer videos for FAQs that can easily be shared or linked. Others are developing, or have recently implemented, visual virtual reference tools like Zoom, WebEx, or Teams into their virtual reference. But what about the use of names in services like chat or e-mail reference? In this poster, two librarians from separate institutions will present different practices on the use of personal or system names in chat and e-mail reference to explore possible effects on virtual reference interactions.
Virtual Reference: The Role of Personalization on an Impersonal Service