Digital reference is not just reference interviews online. The main difference is the production of a â??reference artifact.â?? In face-to-face reference, work must be done to retain the transaction (it must be recorded, or written down…action must occur), whereas in digital reference the opposite is true (the e-mail must be deleted, the database purged). This may seem like a small difference at first, but it is critical. With recorded transactions knowledge bases can be created, pathfinders authored, training can occur with real data, etc. This use of digital reference output is called reference authoring. This presentation will explore reference authoring, the use of induction and complexity research to manage knowledge created through reference authoring and the increasing intersection between reference and information retrieval.
Opening Session at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference, San Francisco, CA
Presentation on current issues and themes in digital reference and overview of the Virtual Reference Desk accomplishments.
“Reference Authoring.” Virtual Reference Desk Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA
Presented current research on reference authoring emphasizing Reference Extract.
“Reference Authoring” Friday Seminar SIMS, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Discussed the intersection between digital reference and information retrieval.
“Digital and Information Trends on the Library Landscape,” AASTO RAC, Wilmington, NC
Slides from the presentation are now available here. A discussion of the changing role of libraries in industry from external information providers, to organization wide repositories.
“Building DREW,” Reference Research Roundtable, ALA Annual Conference
The goals of the DREW project are to: create a schema useful in archiving components of a reference transaction in a standardized manner; work with services to turn their archives into the DREW format; collect, clean, and remove personally identifiable information; create an exploration space for library scientists to create new models, measures, reports, and generalizations about the reference process; and create the infrastructure to allow services to directly benefit from the models the researchers create. Both librarians and researchers will learn how they can participate in the collaborative DREW project.
NYSLAA Presentation
Slides from my presentation to NYSLAA now online. Call it digital reference or call it virtual reference. Libraries are taking reference to the web and library assistants are taking an increasing role in this transformation. This workshop will cover the basics of virtual reference, virtual reference tools, current trends, and a little crystal ball gazing into the virtual reference future. Audio available on my podcast.
Tools and Precision of a User Perspective
A response/presentation on tools and the credibility of Internet information from the user perspective presented at a symposium co-sposored by ALA, the University of Washington and the MacArthur Foundation. Looks at the differentiating facotrs of Internet information.
“Cooperative Reference,” AgNIC Tenth Annual Meeting, Potomac, MD
The slides from my AgNIC presentation are now available. This presentation was a discussion of cooperative digital reference and its potential for the Agricultural Network Information Center . You can also hear an audio stream of the presentation as well.
Digital Libraries K-12
Building digital libraries for K-12 education is not a simple matter of great content. The K-12 environment has special needs for the content it uses in the classroom. From conformance to state performance standards, to linkage to lesson plans, the K-12 classroom sometimes can seem like a fortress with high walls, preventing libraries and museums from entering. This presentation will explore the realities and successful strategies for breaking into formal K-12 education. This presentation will seek to answer the question of why great content is not enough.