Winning Back Our Patrons:
The VID Experience
Nov 12, 2001
Larry Nesbit & Larry Schankman
Mansfield University
http://vid.sshe.edu
Today’s Outline
• Why Do Virtual Reference
• Assumptions
• VID Overview
• Challenges
• Patron Data
• Grant Initiatives
• Our Future Plans
Why Do Virtual Reference?
• Decrease in Circulation of Materials
• Decrease in Reference Desk Questions
• Decrease in Gate Count (Library Visits)
• Increase in Use of Electronic Resources
• Increase of Distance Education
• Increase of Commuter Students
• Increased Demand for Remote Access
= Students are Virtual, We’re Remote
Assumptions
• Students Demand Virtual Service
• Students Demand 24x7 Support
• Students Demand Fast Replies
• Students Willing to Receive Instruction
• Students Willing to Receive Citations
• Need Expensive Software
VID Overview
• Historical Influences
Management History
Collective Bargaining
Initiation of Service
• Descriptive Data
Serves 100,000 faculty and students
Budget of only $30,000 a year
Provides full-text to authenticated users
1700 Questions since 1998
100% Remote Since 2000
Management Challenges
• Provide Timely, Effective, Proactive Service
• Compliment and Extend Existing Service
Buy-in of Library Faculty
Who Really Needs Us (target audience)?
• Collaborate with Other Libraries
• Support of Funding Organizations (Funding)
• Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
Procedural Challenges
• Staffing Issues (evaluation and promotion;
retention and acceptance; training)
• Procedures for Triage and Prioritization
• Adequate Collection of Full-text Resources
• Privacy and Copyright Issues
Procedures Manual
VID Experience: Our Patrons
• Knowledge Base
Prefer Regular Hours
Prefer Full-Text
Rarely Provide Clarification (follow-up)
Ask Research or Local Questions
• Survey
Prefer Information from (free) Internet
(53% Net vs. 38% Library)
No to Chat (66%)
Factors of Success
• Management Factors
Information Literacy vs. Web Page Consultation
Professional Service (Not AskJeeves with MLS)
Effective Marketing
• Operational Factors
Convenient Hours
Fast Replies (fast e-mail vs. slow chat)
Access to (Authorized) Full-Text Collections
Grant Initiatives
• Winning Back Our Patrons
• K-16 Information Literacy
Winning Back Our Patrons
(Unfunded)
• Extend VID to a Rural Public Library District
• Serve High School and P.L. Patrons
• Conduct Market Research and Multimedia
Advertising Blitz (professional PR firm)
• Train Teachers and Public Library Staff on
State-Funded Electronic Databases & VID
• Share Desk Coverage with Sister Schools
K-16 Information Literacy
• Feedback from Unfunded LSTA Grant
• Better Targeting of Audience
• Greater Stakeholder Participation
• Fine-Tuned Marketing Strategy (less
ambitious)
The Future
• Better Identify Users Who Really Need Us
• Win Back Patrons with Aggressive Marketing to
Promote Awareness and Use of Online and
Virtual Reference Services
• Significantly Increase Demand for Library
Databases and Virtual Library Services
• Create the Keystone Virtual Reference Network
(VID + Academic + Public Libraries)
The VID System
Screen Shots of VID Software
VID Home Page
The VID: Submit Question
Submission Confirmation
Note custom
confirmation
Librarian Login to System
Librarian Reviews Questions
Triage: Select Query
that Satisfies the Most
Librarian Opens Response Form
Student information
entered by form
automatically
Librarian Replies to Query
Answer
Info for
VID Use E-mail Sent When
Submitted
Patron E-Mail
BCC to VID for
backup (just in case)
Pre-Formatted
Response
Public Knowledge Base
Administrative Log (Top)
Administrative Log (Full View)
Questions???
Thank You!
Presentation available at http://vid.sshe.edu
Larry Nesbit: 570-662-4672
Larry Schankman: 570-662-4684
11/12/01 Virtual Information Desk 26
The VID Patron
Data and Survey Results
How Learned About VID
35 Friend
Instructor
27
Librarian
Other
15
Pilot (library catalog)
Web Search (Yahoo,
7 Google, etc.)
4 3
Favorite Information Sources
Book or Library
Catalog
47 Friend
Internet Search
Journal or
Newspaper
Librarian
15 Library Database
9 (e.g. EBSCOhost)
2 2 1
7 3 Library Homepage
2 2 1
Other
Net: 53%
Professor
Library: 38%
Other: 8% (e.g. friend)
Preference for Chat
70
60
50
40 Yes
61
No
30
20 31
10
0
Percent
Time Question Submitted
19 20
16
15 15
14 14
7
4
Mid-8 8-10 10-12 12-2 2-4 4-6 6-8 8-10 10-12
Query Type (percentage)
49.5
Computer Use
46.6
50 Database Use
40
Informational
30
20 3.5
Research
0.4
10
0
Day of Week Question Submitted
Sun
21.14% Mon
25.00% Tue
12.75% 8.72%
20.00% Wed
Thu
15.00% 13.26%
8.05% Fri
10.00%
15.94% Sat
5.00%
20.13%
0.00%
Method of Submission
91%
100
90
80 Chat
70 E-Mail
60
50 8% Phone
40 Web Form
1%
30 Web
20 Phone Form
0%
10
0 E-
Chat Mail
Class Level (percentage)
100 Level
200 Level
300 Level
150 Faculty Use
Graduate
100
Personal Use
50 Unknown
Upper Class
0
Reasons for No Library Use
Hours are
45
inconvenient
40
Just don't know
35 about the library
30 Librarians are
25 unhelpful
20 Online sources are
more convenient
15
Other
10
5 Prefer quality of
0 online resources
Total Prefer to stay online
Patron Location
33.80%
16.90%
16.90%
16.90%
Campus Office
Computer Lab
Dorm Room (any)
Library
2.82% Off-campus
Other
12.68%