Virtual Reference DeskDigital Reference Education Initiative MSLIS Training

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Virtual Reference Desk/Digital Reference
Education Initiative MSLIS Training

• IST605, Sept. 2006

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Project Goals (1999-2005)

• Connect K-12 education community and beyond to
  experts and expertise.
• Set standards for digital reference.
• Conduct annual conference related to digital
  reference

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VRD Project

• Clearinghouse
• Digital Reference Conference
• Publications
• Facets of Quality
• AskA Consortium
• Instruction and Support
• Research and Development

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VRD/DREI Learning Center

• Public section for patrons
• AskA Services
• Previously Asked Questions
• FAQs
• Top Sites

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QABuilder Services

• VRD Learning Center (General Reference)
• AskNSDL (National Science Digital Library)
• Ask Mrs. Stanton (Womens History)

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Sample K-12 Questions

• What is the exact length of the planet Mars' day
  to 4 decimal places?
• Where can i find pictures of the poverty and
  destruction during the Great Depression?
• i am looking for information on domestic violence
  to write my term paper.could you please e mail me
  any information and web pages that you have.

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Sample Subject Lines

• and then there were none report
• Book-Alchemist
• Constantinople
• dinosaurs sleeping
• does space end
• Falkland War
• getting sucked into black hole
• korean history

• Marilyn Monroe
• noun clauses
• People working for NASA
• teach the decimal placement
• bloody Mary
• Brown v. Board of Ed.
• countries in Asia
• Political endorsers
• moon look orange

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Quirky Questions

• what is the average air velocity of a European
  swallow?
• Let's assume I am on the moon wearing a space
  helmet and regular Earth clothes, or naked. The
  helmet is sealed and able to deliver a healthy
  flow of air to my lungs. Let's also assume the
  sun is shining brightly and I have not frozen to
  death (that's a question for another day). Given
  the lack of atmosphere will my body expand
  slightly or explode? I reasoned that minus the
  14.7 psi acting on my personal surface I would
  puff up to some extent, not as much as the
  Michelin Man or Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, but I
  would not actually explode. Several coworkers
  insist that I will explode so your opinion/fact
  will be used as the final answer.

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Out of Scope

• How long does it take blood to dry?  Given these
  facts Temperature  90-95 degrees, blood is on
  concrete.  time of day  600 p.m. - 700 p.m. in
  July, which is usually a hot and dry month.
  Please don't think I am weird.  My husband is a
  former homicide detective and is in the process
  of being sued.  This involves a homicide he
  investigated.

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Thank You Notes

• I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to
  respond to my questions. Your response was full
  of wonderful information I am pleased to know.
  Keep up the good work.
• Thanks for your advice (and your brain) It will
  help me allot with my assignment, and I think
  (and hope) it will impress my Science teacher,
  but it is very hard to impress "smelly Reynolds"

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Path Questions Take

• Patron submits a question via Web form
• Question goes directly into queue for category
  selected (can be edited by expert or admin)
• Librarian logs in, views choices, claims a
  question to answer
• Librarian conducts a search
• Librarian composes a response
• Librarian clicks Post Answer
• Training question is previewed by admin before
  posting to site

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Training Resources

• Training Tutorial
• Answer Policy
• Selection Policy
• Expert Manual (for using software)

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VRD Answer Policies

• Advice
• Controversial topics
• Licensed databases
• Inappropriate comments/questions
• Privacy
• Selection Policy

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Responses to Questions Include

• Personalized greeting
• Internet/Print resources
• Path/Keywords
• Referral to local library

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Research/Referral

• Select best resource and begin search
• Internet
• print/electronic in library
• other (Yellow Pages, person, agency)
• Select, copy and paste information into message
• Provide path you took to find information
• Repeat until 3 resources are listed

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Finishing Touches

• Refer patron to librarian
• Check for tone, clarity, and spelling
• Click Post Answer

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Checklist

• Go to http//vrd.askvrd.org
• Log in as an expert
• Choose a question and claim it
• Create your response in Word, then paste in
• Before submitting your answer, check that you
  have
• Provided a path for each source cited
• Included sufficient white space to make your
  response easy to read
• Referred the patron to their local library for
  further research or assistance
• Click Post Answer!

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Practice and Real Questions

• You will be doing three practice questions.
• Feedback will be from your professor or GA.
• You may begin real questions any time after
  successful completion of your 3 practice
  questions.
• Check your syllabus for due dates

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Real Questions

• Turnaround time is 2 business days
• Please ask questions about any part of the
  training or if you get stuck on a question
  blytheb_at_vrd.org
• If you really enjoy this and want more practice,
  you can always continue after this class ends

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Blythe Bennett Assistant Director, School Media
Program (former) Virtual Reference Desk
Coordinator (former) AskNSDL Coordinator blytheb_at_
vrd.org http//vrd.askvrd.org http//ask.nsdl.org
http//roadsfromsenecafalls.org
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Welcome to the DREI Learning Center
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Experts - Registration
Experts first fill out a registration form for
administrator review experts receive email
notification once an administrator has approved
their registration
Once approved, experts can log in to access all
expert features of the site
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Register
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Select Audiences/Categories
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Expert View
Once logged in, experts see a personal home page
with a four tab interface
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Expert View Question Answering
The first two tabs Available Questions and In
Progress allow access to question answering
features of the site, including the ability to
claim questions, save partially completed
answers, and spell-check before sending
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Claim Question
The first two tabs Available Questions and In
Progress allow access to question answering
features of the site, including the ability to
claim questions, save partially completed
answers, and spell-check before sending
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Claimed Options

• The Question Answering view gives experts the
  following options
• Submit for Approval/
• Post Answer
• -or-
• Save for Later
• Unclaim
• Report to administrator
• Ask for Clarification

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In Progress
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Expert View Personal Archives
The third tab gives experts access to all of the
questions they have answered previously
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Expert View Update Profile
The final tab allows experts access to their
profile, allowing them to change their email
notification preferences, modify their subject
and audience selections, or update their contact
information