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Virtual Reference
Software Update
Jody Condit Fagan
Digital Services Librarian
James Madison University
faganjc @ jmu.edu
VRD 2004
Show of Hands
• Currently use VR software or IM software
to provide help to patrons / users at your
institution
• Like your VR software very very much
• Feel “okay” about your VR software
• Are shopping for new VR software
– first timers
– continuing users
Products
Marketed to Libraries
eLibrarian (Groopz, Digi-Net)
Live Assistance (Live Assistance)
VRL Plus (Docutek)
VR Toolkit (tutor.com)
OnDemand (Convey)
Timpani (Live Person)
24/7 Reference
Question Point (OnDemand)
RAKIM (open source)
Instant Messaging
ICQ
Yahoo IM
MSN Messenger
Trillian
Call Center Software
RightNow
Siebel
Panoply of features
(refer to chart)
Docutek’s VRL Plus
LivePerson’s Timpani
LivePerson’s Timpani
Convey’s OnDemand
(at Wisconsin)
Docutek’s VRL Plus
“Geo-Location”
Gee Whiz Features
Docutek’s VRL Plus
Convey’s OnDemand
Caller’s screen
Librarian/operator
“Campaign Tracking”
Example: Email campaign tracking mechanism (Live Person)
Use a tracking variable in your links in your email campaign for example:
http://www.mycompany.com?cp=winterPromo
Gee Whiz Applications
“Live Keyword”
Visitors coming
from a search
engine are
highlighted in the
software. You see
the keywords they
used in their
search “and
instantly
understand what
they need”
Gee Whiz Applications
“Reference by SMS”
• a.k.a. “Text messaging”
Provides for inbound and outbound text
messaging services of local cell carriers.
Libraries provide a phone number to which
patrons send text messages.
• These are converted & sent to an email
account.
• Plug-in assists to shorten relies.
• Visit Altarama at Booth 5 or see demo
Monday 11:00-11:45 am
Gee Whiz Applications
Wireless / Mobile
• Videoconferencing, phones, computers
“Using Wireless Mobile Technology for
Offering “Here and Now” Service”
Monday, Nov. 8: 2:10 – 2:55 pm,
Landmark Room 2
Trends & Developments
VOIP / VR for visually impaired
• pilot project involving 12 libraries in nine states
and the District of Columbia to provide VoIPenabled virtual reference services for the printimpaired,
• testing QuestionPoint Enhanced and iVocalize.
• Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille
Service, with software, e-content, training, and
technical support from OCLC.
• “InfoEyes: Addressing VR Accessibility and
VOIP functionality.”
Monday, Nov. 8: 4:15-5:00pm, Landmark 2
Reference Universe
• 5,000 reference book indexes
• keyword searchable
• It knows which ones YOU have!
• And provides links to eBooks!
Gee Whiz Applications
Gee Whiz Applications
Your Virtual Reference Model
• Why are you providing VR service?
– In-library reference presence
– Convenience for remote users
– Full reference for distance users
– To be more proactive in identifying and
engaging customers
– To allow staff to be physically flexible
– ???
Your Virtual Reference Model (cont’d)
• Who are the staff?
– students?
– reference desk staff
– subject specialists
– Librarians at other institutions
• Where are the staff?
– Physically (home, library branches)
– Institutionally (part of your org?)
Your Virtual Reference Model (cont’d)
• Who are the users?
– Equipment
• Internet Connection
• OS / Software
• Firewall/pop-up blockers?
– Expectations / skill level
• Where are the users?
– In the library building(s)
– Able to walk to library?
– In another time zone
Your REFERENCE Model
(a long,
long,
(not so
longtime
ago)ago)
Telephone number
to Reference Desk
Reference Desk
Edward, Science Specialist
person
Mary, Business Specialist
Angela, Education Specialist
Your REFERENCE Model
(post-Internet)
Online Subject Guides
Edward, Science Specialist
Chat
Ask Us e-mail service
Telephone number
system
or
person
Mary, Business Specialist
Other innovative
service points
Face-to-face
consultations
Angela, Education Specialist
One VR Model
•
•
•
•
•
Residential undergraduate campus
Many off-campus, but on-network, users
Some dial-up users
Traditionally-aged college students
Provide help at point of need
– In-building users
– Remote users
• Track user behavior on web site
One VR Model (cont’d)
• No Desk
• All librarians online most of the time
• Users pick librarian / subject expertise
from web site directory and initial contact
technology.
• Librarian picks response technology:
email, phone, chat, video, face-to-face.
One VR Model (cont’d)
• E-mail, chat, librarians need to be able to chat
with one another
• Want librarians to be ok at home, or with laptop
• Co-browsing not the most important
• Or ability to turn off gee whiz features
• Web site tracking / great statistics & transcripts
• Need a pricing model where I can have all my
librarians online (licensed?)
One VR Model (cont’d)
• Text-only chat (RAKIM); message board
for e-mail (WebBoard); all librarians on the
same commercial IM.
• eLibrarian (licensed, to save money) for
chat, email, and librarian chat
• Explore licensing OnDemand for chat,
application share; use message board for
email
• Possibly the next two-tiered VRL Toolkit
What’s the Buzz?
What librarians are saying
• “co-browsing has become increasingly difficult to
use with the prevalence of fire walls on home
computers”
• “Choosing the right software may not mean
choosing the one with the fanciest features”
• “I feel that is our responsibility to offer a service
that may be used on the widest array of patronside machines. Unfortunately I feel like we
might be headed in the opposite direction.”
Responses from three different VR users to a post on DIG_REF listserv
What librarians want to know
• When will software record metrics for cost
estimates?
• How useful – and used -- is co-browsing?
• When will co-browsing work during
federated searching?
• When can I put a VR link on ALL my
database pages?
• When will we get Voice? How will voice
transcripts be stored?
Responses from various VR users to a post on DIG_REF listserv
What librarians want to know (cont’d)
• Research in Digital Reference
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 9:25-10:10am, Caprice
Rooms 1 & 4, 4th floor.
• A “town hall” meeting to create research
agenda.
What vendors are saying
• eLibrarian: Integration with phone,
datafiles, documents, plug-ins to other
apps, such as a marketing system
• LiveAssistance: people are focusing too
much on technology and forgetting the
original purpose: reaching out to students
and what they are doing
What vendors are saying
(24/7)
• VR software needs to be accessible on a
variety of browsers and OS, including
AOL, Netscape, Macs and Web TV (24/7)
• VR software should be accessible with
adaptive techologies (24/7)
What vendors are saying
(VRL Toolkit)
• software needs to be easy to setup and
use for librarian
• Intelligent routing to correct librarian within
collaborative group
• Integrated reference management tools.
Email, chat, phone, desk.
• better collaboration within building, library,
and reference cooperative.
Dial-up, firewalls & pop-up blockers
• Dial-up performance test
• “24/7 software works with hardware
firewalls and with the latest versions of
most software firewalls. Versions older
than 2004 may be a problem.”
• “For pop-up blockers, usually the software
works around them.”
Dial-up, firewalls & pop-ups (cont’d)
• eLibrarian: overcomes pop-up blockers already
by using Java engagement windows rather than
Javascript pop-ups. This results in a 30-50%
chat rate as opposed to 12-28% with invitation
window.
• eLibrarian: pushed pages do get blocked
• LiveAssistance: “works great with pop-up
blockers and firewalls.” They have an anti-popup version that only loses the ability to know
where customer came from on your web site.
Dial-up, firewalls & pop-ups (cont’d)
• VRToolkit: 2005 version plans a two-tiered
version with basic and enhanced (requires
patron download) to combat disruptive
features
• Tutor.com Demonstration
of Integrated Reference Solution, Tuesday,
Nov. 9: 1:15-2:00pm
• Also Booth 4
Interoperability
• OCLC and MCLS to combine Question Point,
24/7 Reference Services (9/10/04, OCLC web site)
– QuestionPoint: over 1,000 libraries in 20 countries.
24/7: 500+ libraries
– “in the Fall of 2005, OCLC will release a product that
will contain the best elements of a combined 24/7 and
QuestionPoint solution.” – email 11/5 from Susan
McGlamery
– January 2005, 24/7 will have email integration and
knowledge base capabilities of QuestionPoint
– OCLC & 24/7 demo Monday, 3:20-4:05pm, Salon H&I
– OCLC & 24/7 at Booth 2
Trends & Developments
Interoperability (cont’d)
• NISO Standard: Question and Answer
Transaction Protocol
"NetRef on Trial: Testing the QATP"
Monday, Nov. 8th, 3:20 p.m.–4:05 p.m., Landmark
Room 2
• NISO standards need to be not only
adopted but expanded for live chat
portability. Forwarding a request is
achievable; forwarding a “live” request
unwieldy, but not impossible. (tutor.com)
Trends & Developments
Integration with IM
• “an automated "bot" that could bridge the
gap between IM networks and VR
software.” --Luke Rosenberger
• Googlematic: an IM Google bot
http://interconnected.org/googlematic/
• Perl modules for bots
Trends & Developments
Integration with IM (cont’d)
• eLibrarian, LiveAssistance don’t see
integration with IM happening
• Tutor.com’s new system “is extensible to
IM and to any common Internet browser.”
Will provide two levels of service: “basic”
that is unaffected by “disruptive”
technologies; “enhanced” that requires a
client side application like AIM or MSN for
increased functionality.
Trends & Developments
Integration with IM (cont’d)
• "Istanbul," capable of instant messaging,
telephony integration and PC-based voice and
video. (Microsoft)
• MS Office Live Communications Server 2005
(LCS). http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com/public/
– Enterprise Edition supports up to 20,000 users per
server and server pools of up to 100,000 users.
Information stored in an SQL database and identities
are authenticated though Active Directory. Only
$3,000 !
• users will be able to communicate with suppliers
and customers using MSN, AOL and Yahoo!
public IM networks.
Trends & Developments
References
• Coffman, Steve. "We'll take it from here: developments we'd like to
see in virtual reference software." Information Technology and
Libraries, v. 20, no. 3.
http://www.ala.org/ala/lita/litapublications/ital/2003coffman.htm
• Lupien, P. Bilingual Virtual Reference: It's Better Than Searching
the Open Web. Computers in Libraries v. 24 no. 5 (May 2004) p. 6-8,
53-4, 56
• NISO Question/Answer Transaction Protocol.
http://www.niso.org/standards/dsftu.html;
http://www.loc.gov/standards/net_ref
• OCLC. “OCLC and MCLS to combine Question Point, 24/7
Reference Services.” http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/20048.htm
• Olivares, O. May: Virtual Reference Systems. Computers in
Libraries v. 24 no. 5 (May 2004) p. 25-9.
• Peters, T. Auditory Options. Library Journal (1976) part Net Connect
(Spring 2004) p. 8-9
• Reference Universe. http://www.paratext.com
References (cont’d)
• Rosenberger, Luke. LBR. (web blog for VR librarians)
http://lbr.library-blogs.net/read/840396.htm
• Schmidt, Bonnie, Donald Woolston, and John Wanserski “Live, OnLine, at a Time Convenient for You, It’s?...Your Advisor!”
Presentation at the 2004 NACADA conference, Oct. 2004 Cincinatti,
OH
• Wired Bots (pre-rolled Perl modules for creating IM bots)
http://www.wiredbots.com/tutorial.html
• Webb, Matt. Googlematic. Program and web page:
http://interconnected.org/googlematic/
• Woods, Bob. “Search the Web via IM,” April 19, 2002 (Article
describing Googlematic)
http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com/public/article.php/10817_10
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