Reference and Information Service Section Conference and Exhibition 1999 Expanding library service beyond the walls Michelle McLean

Abstract

Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation (CCLC) has made Internet service development a priority. The Internet has not just been about access for the Corporation. It is seen as an extension of traditional, print based information services, but in a form which allows it to reach people that have never entered any of the buildings.

IRIS is the Corporation’s Interactive Reference and Information Service, which is an email reference service that was launched in July 1998. IRIS’ goal is to provide reference service to patrons, using electronic means.

Introduction

Public Libraries, contrary to popular opinion, have been serving the public beyond their walls for sometime. Some examples of the services they provide outside of the suburban library building include school and kinder visits, home library service, giving talks to community and other groups, and being representatives on committees. However, the meteoric rise of the Internet and electronic resources and communication has created new opportunities, which not only enable public libraries to have more of a presence outside our buildings, but which allows us to do so without having to physically leave the library.

Background

Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation (CCLC) was formed in October 1996, after a series of major events. This included Council amalgamations and the withdrawal of one of the Councils from its predecessor, Dandenong Valley Regional Library Service. With the creation of a new service came a new middle and senior management structure and Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT). One of the things recognised by senior management was the growth and importance of electronic communication and resources, particularly the Internet.

The Information Services Librarian was one of a number of freshly created roles for the new organisation. Responsibilities of the role included the Library web pages and electronic service. When the organisation started in 1996, the library web site consisted of four web pages that it inherited from Dandenong Valley.

Developing an electronic service

Beginning to develop electronic service was not done in isolation. As part of the tender bid, management had developed several service strategies. The Reference Services Strategy covered aspects of Information service ranging from the provision of OPACs to our specific intentions regarding electronic service – which was seen as a component of a third tier level of service. The web pages were a part, as was an electronic email service.

The first priority was to move ahead with the library web pages and make them an information source not only for those seeking information about the library service, but also for information about topics of personal, school and business interest. The development of the pages was undertaken by one person, that being myself, working three quarter full-time for three months, although management gave regular input on both look and content. At last count, Casey-Cardinia’s web site contains links to over 800 external sources of information on over 100 topics. These pages are constantly updated, with links being added several times a week and obsolete links removed on a regular basis. This latter process will be included as part of our formal collection development policy, when it is next reviewed.

Once the web site had been established it was time to look at the next priority in the electronic environment. At that stage (late 1997) electronic database access was still cost prohibitive, so this option was put on hold. However, I was subscribed to several list servers including the US based Web4Lib, Pub4Lib and DigLibns and a recurring thread on these lists had been the provision of reference service using email.

The library literature was suprisingly lacking in articles on this topic at that time, even though the listservers seemed to be bursting with experiences and queries. According to the discussions, some public libraries and most academic libraries in the USA were offering this service to their patrons, some had been doing so for some time. The general consensus was that it was a worthwhile service to provide, which did not require much in the way of staff resources, mainly due to the low level of use. Having worked with CCLC for a year now, I was reasonably aware of what other Victorian library services were doing on the Internet and did not know of anyone else who was moving in this direction at the time. Other library services were establishing web sites some with links pages similar to ours, some had integrated such links into their library catalogues, but none were providing an outreach reference service using the Internet.

I first approached our Customer Services Manager, Debra Rosenfeldt, about going ahead with the proposed email reference service in late 1997 and was greeted with enthusiasm. A discussion paper was drafted on the issue, outlining the idea as it had been developed from my research and incorporating issues that arose from discussions. This paper was then presented to Senior Management for consideration.

No user analysis had been done, the only information we had to work on was the experiences of US public libraries as noted in the list servers. At that time however, the progress of electronic services in Australian public libraries had closely followed that which was happening in the USA, so we felt we had a precedent for providing a service in anticipation of demand – something which in itself was very new.

We knew that there were people out there who had been accessing our pages. A questionnaire we had distributed internally as part of our web site review had also been put online for external visitors. Although not overwhelming, we had received 10 responses from such visitors. . The market may have been small, but we knew there was one out there. Management was keen to achieve this stated goal, however there was a concern that despite the US library experiences we had discovered, such a service could receive an overwhelming response and put unexpected pressure on limited staff and resources. By this time, we were operating well into the first year of the tender of the library service and no extra staff or resources had been allocated for a new service of this nature.

Management agreed that the service could go ahead on a trial basis, with their concerns of a potentially overwhelming response being addressed by having limited publicity in the form of a link from the library web site to the appropriate information.

Even though it was predicted that the initial usage would be low, support for the project was enhanced by the knowledge that we would be anticipating demand by starting such a service. It was agreed that long term, it was a definite direction in which public libraries would be heading, due to the phenomenal growth and popularity of the Internet. It also gave us something exciting and ‘cutting edge’ to present to the Library Board as one of the proposed innovations that we had been able to instigate. The dividend being that it was within the terms of the tender and at no extra cost to our Councils, given that it did not require extra resources.

IRIS: the next step

Once management approval was given , it was time to finalise our approach and implementation. We already had a good idea of how to proceed from information we had gathered from US library experiences. We were confident that even with little publicity we would get some response as our web site as a whole had been launched with a loud fanfare and good publicity in the local papers, especially after winning the inaugural Vicnet Tilde Award for Best Victorian Library Web Site in mid 1997. People visiting our web site, either through our internal public access workstations or from the Internet at large, would see the link to the reference service and use it when they had an information need.

The first thing was to decide on what format the service should take. We already had a link on our site to a general library email account for feedback. We had in fact already received one query from overseas using this account. One option was to just use this same account as a ‘mailbox’ for information requests, with some instructions directing patrons to it from one of several points on our web site. However this would leave the format and content of the information request entirely at the patron’s discretion.

We looked at several examples of query formats already on the web, including the Internet Public Library and several US public libraries. To help legitimise the service and our seriousness about it, we decided to go with a web form that could be filled out by the patron on the Internet. This gave us the advantage of prompting the patron for more complete information through the use of a questionnaire styled like a reference interview, instead of just receiving an unstructured email of sketchy details supplied by the patron. This form, when submitted, would still be emailed via the web site to the general library email account.

A structure to deal with such a service was already in place. The Information Services Librarian also has the role of central Reference Librarian, taking deferred information requests from the branches when they do not have the time, resources, or knowledge to fulfil a particular need. These queries were answered using the regional resources of CCLC, both print and CD-Rom, the Internet and when required, the resources of the State Library of Victoria and other external sources. This "Information Office" had in the 1997/98 year taken over 400 deferred requests from our branches. A paper-based form was already being used for such requests, so this was used as the template for the online version. This gave us the ability to see the electronic reference service as being an extension or integration into an existing service, a continuity that made it easier and more convenient to administer.

This online form needed to be created in HTML, which as the web mistress for the service was my responsibility. It also required a CGI script to transfer the form’s contents to email format and send it. The form was created with minimal fuss, once I had attended a half-day training session on HTML forms. The CGI script was a different matter. At the time we were not hosting our own web pages, they were held on a server of our ISP, Vicnet. However, they had a CGI script that we could access for such a purpose. After a period of testing and smoothing out the usual teething problems, we had an online form that could be filled out, submitted and would be received at the Information Office with the subject of "E-mail Reference Service". In the mass of emails that I check on a daily basis, this heading would stand out and thereby bring it to my attention.

Even as the form was being developed and tested, other issues were being worked through; these included the extent of service we could offer via email and a name for the service. Of the two, the name was the easier. After playing with acronyms, for which both library services and the computer industry are well known, we came up with Interactive Reference and Information Service or IRIS for short. Initially it was visualised as a flower, but the Corporation’s graphic artist came up with the ‘eye-catching’ logo of an eye, which seemed much more appropriate, and so IRIS was born.

Still keeping in mind that this was a trial, it was decided that we would only offer a service which provided a quick response by either email or phone. If the patron were a local resident the full "Information Office" service would be available. These patrons would be identified by contact details provided (ie. Phone number). In most cases, this "full service" would involve patrons having to visit one of our branches to collect library materials, print outs or photocopies that had been compiled in response to their query. Print outs and photocopies are charged to the patrons at 20 cents per page, which they pay upon collection. There are no other charges for this service apart from the printing costs incurred and this basically ‘free’ aspect was extended to include IRIS.

Keeping in mind that email is a fast track method of communicating, we also offered the service on the basis of a response back to the patron no later than 2 working days. This did not necessarily mean we would have the answer in that time frame. (however in 98% of requests we did). The service promised at least an acknowledgment that the request had been received within 2 working days.

It was decided at this stage that we would not be offering a fax response for this service as issues pertaining to copyright, licence agreements and payment would need to be worked through. Electronic scanning of materials so they could be sent by email was another option that we did not wish to follow through at this stage, again because of similar issues.

As requests were coming into our regional headquarters, there was no clash between serving the public in front of you as opposed to an incoming email. IRIS requests were to be treated in the same way as all deferred requests in that they were dealt with in order of priority, depending on urgency of the demand and the order of arrival.

Some concern was also raised about who we would be serving, as distance limits our physical visitors, but would not limit email queries. It was feasible that we would be providing service to patrons who were far removed from our Council boundaries and who had their own local library service that could meet their needs. Although the breakdown of geographic boundaries is one of the great benefits of the Internet, we had to keep in mind that if in fact the service did take off, our Councils could become very concerned about paying for a service for patrons who resided far from their boundaries. This would not be such a concern with regard to patrons from other Victorian public libraries, due to the reciprocal arrangements available as a condition of State funding.

Due to the nature of email addresses, there was no simple way that we could tell from the query whether the patron was a local resident or not – especially with the growth of popular free web based mail sites such as HotMail. With the limitations on the service as outlined earlier, these concerns were addressed as only local residents could easily take advantage of the full "Information Office" service.

With a whisper

IRIS was launched without fanfare in July 1998. The IRIS web page was loaded on the server and links created from the home page as well as appropriate points within the library service web site. The service was not promoted in any way other than via these links. Even the link from the home page was non-descript, with just the name and no real explanation of the purpose of IRIS or how it could be used and by whom.

We were delighted when we received our first request on the 20^th July –within 2 weeks of our launch. It was a request for a location of a video of a particular telemovie or equivalent version. A search on ABN and Cinemedia’s catalogues gave us the response that was duly emailed back the next day.

Although that was only the first inquiry, uptake of the service has reflected the generally slow response experienced by our US counterparts. . In the 1998/99-year, the Information Office received over 350 deferred requests from our branches, while just over 20 came in through IRIS. However the number of patrons is steadily increasing and signs are there that the rate of use will accelerate over time.

Business has picked up more over the last few months, with the average rising above one request a week via IRIS. This I believe can be attributed to a few factors including a change to the link on our homepage, which now refers to IRIS as being able to "Email your query". Branch staff are also now more aware of the service and more likely to refer patrons to it. Casey-Cardinia has since launched and widely promoted the library catalogue on the Internet and the more widespread promotion of our web site in general has also meant that we are getting more visitors to our pages, who in turn would see and make use of the service.

Introspection

Even on the basis of this small sample, we have learned much. Users of the service have ranged from primary school students to adults seeking information for study, business and personal use. The only thing they have in common is their reasonable familiarity with email and the Internet to the point where they could access and use IRIS to facilitate their information search.

The variety of requests has also ranged widely and has included queries for biographical information, genres of action movies, health information, how to change passwords on an email account, information about the library and IRIS, historical population census figures and the anatomy of the echidna. However, there were no real requests that related to the catalogue – something that I have since discovered has been very different for other public library services. This could be attributed to our catalogue being launched on the Internet a short time after IRIS and having the link to the catalogue adjacent to the IRIS link – thereby pointing out the ability of patron’s to help themselves.

Many of the queries came from people who had already unsuccessfully sought information themselves on the Internet. An interesting result is that for about half of the requests received an answer was found either partially or totally on the Internet and the answer and/or the web site was emailed back to the patron. Even with the ability to search themselves, these patrons either couldn’t find or didn’t want to spend the time to find information which was available on the Internet.

Interestingly the other half of the requests were answered from more traditional library resources, with the exception of some historical data, which was acquired from the State Library of Victoria. Although there is an abundance of information available on the Internet, there is still much information that is not, or is more easily available through traditional print based or CD-Rom resources such as encyclopedias, directories and statistical sources. This emphasised for us the even greater importance of having such a service available. As some of the users of IRIS may never come to one of our libraries, they would have no way of accessing these resources and thus finding the answers they sought.

In the meantime, as with many public library services, Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation provides free public Internet access in all of our 5 branches and more recently on the mobile library – a service that is extremely well used. However as a lot of use is made through our free in branch access, people are in turn already at the library and have access to staff and print resources to satisfy information requests, if they are unsuccessful in their own enquiries on the Internet.

Staff acceptance has also been slow. Internet access for the public has been installed as a higher priority than that for staff and even though most branches now have at least one workstation for staff access it is still usually the last source that they consider consulting to answer a query. We are encouraging change through training and by familiarising staff with what the Internet is about and how to use it. By training them in techniques to effectively search the Internet and providing them with basic troubleshooting information, they become comfortable with the technology. Eventually we would encourage them to enter branch deferred Information requests using the IRIS interface instead of the printed form. Some have already done so without any encouragement.

Acceptance by patrons on the other hand has been pretty good, even though the numbers have been small. Of the requests received we have already had 2 repeat customers, one who came back with a second query and another who came back with second and third queries, quite some time apart. Repeat custom is always considered to be a measure of good customer service, so we happily accept these votes of confidence.

So why isn’t the service being used to a larger extent? There has been much discussion on the list servers about this issue. The answers are of interest as they can help us to refine IRIS to get better use out of the service, not only for us but also for our patrons. Amongst the reasons outlined on the list servers is the lack of interaction and the time delay involved in getting a response – many people who are looking for information want it now! At this time, many users would still either visit or phone their local library to obtain the information they want. So the people to whom the service would be most relevant to today would be those who have the time and patience to wait for a response, do not have the inclination to come to the library, or are prohibited by distance or other physical factors. In the future, as such a service becomes more interactive and people become more electronically inclined, I would anticipate that this would change.

We have also had supporting statistics from the ABS which show that our community has a lower than average proportion of PC ownership and home or work Internet access. As this proportion grows, which it is anticipated it will with a young and growing population, I would anticipate a further growth in IRIS use.

IRIS has been worth the effort. We are now able to serve our patrons in a way that was not possible before. We are able to reach those who may never have thought to come through our doors, because they were unable to or because they didn’t think we could assist them with their need. Through such a service we are demonstrating that public libraries are not outdated, but are even more relevant to our society in this, the information age. We are still needed as a gateway – not only to those resources not available on the Internet, but even for those which are. This can only be a good sign for the future of the librarian.

Hind-sight

What would we change about the process? Personally, I would have involved some of the branch staff in the creation and development of the service and therefore have advocates ready to promote it at the front lines. The electronic service has been developed by myself in consultation with management and it is only in recent times that we have more actively involved several of our branch information librarians in answering queries. We have seen the fruit of such involvement when we sent one of our reference librarians to an information session on databases we have access to via a Statewide Project. She came back brimming with enthusiasm, which she has been happily sharing with everyone in sight – patrons and staff alike.

I would also have taken the launch of this service as an opportunity to reconsider our policy with regards to faxing or scanning information and then emailing that to the patron. Rather than having to consider these issues twice, we could have resolved them at that stage and made all the appropriate policy changes as we brought IRIS into service.

Promotion of IRIS is something that I would also have taken up much earlier. Once established, it has been very easy to let the service just move along at its own pace without giving it much thought. However, it is a valuable service to have on offer and should be promoted on par with its importance. It should have moved out of trial basis some time ago.

Fore-sight

What would stay the same? Having an existing structure that IRIS could be absorbed into was very beneficial. We did not have to set up a service and all the support mechanisms for it as they already existed as part of the "Information Office". Being able to incorporate such a new service into the bounds of an existing one has made the creation and management of the service a smooth process.

The use of the web based form rather than a freeform email for IRIS requests has meant that we can obtain better quality information from our patrons up front, rather than having to email back to obtain more detail. This is still an option if further clarification is needed but much time is saved in not having to conduct so much subsequent correspondence. It has also enabled us to give the service its own identity rather than just have a variation on feedback, which in the long term will be very useful for promotion, not only to our community but also to our funding bodies.

The future of IRIS

IRIS is no longer the new girl in town. Not only are there other public libraries in Victoria offering the same service, some with more use than IRIS, but people are becoming more aware of the similar services being offered right across the Internet. Many such services are widely available including Ask Jeeves, the Internet Public Library and specialised query services tied in to subject specific sites such as Dino Russ’ Lair.

IRIS has been with us for over a year and is due for a makeover, a new look. We will retain her distinctive image, but will reconsider what she can and can’t do and expand her capabilities into other areas. With the Internet and its use continuing to grow almost exponentially, we can not afford to leave IRIS static. She must move with the changes or be left behind.

IRIS also has total management and library board support, now that the concern of being overwhelmed has been alleviated. As IRIS grows with the Library Service, I anticipate that the extra resources required to expand the service and develop it will be assigned, within the limits of funding in which we already operate as a public library.

So what changes can we anticipate? The policy with regards to how we deliver a response to the patron – again the issue of licence agreements, faxing and scanning will rise and not only with IRIS requests, but also with deferred branch requests. This will have implications not only for costs of print outs, but also in dealing with copyright declarations, and in the more distant future electronic signatures. However with customer service coming to also mean customer convenience, I anticipate that this will not be long in coming.

We will investigate how to make IRIS even more interactive, with the possibility of small changes such as an announcement on our home page that the "librarian is in" and "ask me now". This would make patrons aware that they could have some level of interaction with a person and the speed that comes with that, whilst still within the limits of email. Video-conferencing software such as NetMeeting, which will work easily with web browsers is becoming more common and is another way in which we could reduce the time delay in answering questions and also more readily duplicate the reference interview process, thereby allowing us to even better serve our clientele.

IRIS as a basis for online service will be expanded into other areas of library service. Casey-Cardinia has a full public programs schedule, with activities ranging from school holiday programs to subject specific one-off seminars and Internet training. Many of these programs require bookings and some also have a charge. In the short term IRIS will end up with a cousin on our web pages that will accept bookings for such activities. In the long term we may also be able to set up credit card or even EFTPOS payment over the Internet for these activities and for other library related charges such as lost or damaged library materials.

Features on our online catalogue are also in the process of being expanded to allow patrons to place holds online using personal pin numbers and to enable them to check their membership records for items they have on loan and when they are due.

The issue of our reader education role is one which will be need to be dealt with in the broader scheme of our Information Office service, as we not only serve our public by providing this service, but help them to help themselves through catalogue training etc.

Promotion is very high on the priority list and will be achieved through many means, including internal publications and brochures and articles in our local newspapers. Other opportunities as they arise will also be taken up.

Some of these changes can be achieved in the short term with minimal impact on staff and resources, including the program bookings and limited promotion. However other changes including policy and more extensive promotion will require further thought and management support. Credit card payments and video-conferencing will require more widespread changes and will take more time. More commitment from the organisation will be required for this service to fully reach its potential, as it will require more staff and resources in the long term. However, as demand reaches economically viable levels, I am sure this will be forthcoming.

Beyond our walls even further is a Statewide Project, coordinated by the State Library of Victoria, that is investigating the feasibility of a 24-hour Reference Service. At this stage, the format of the service has not yet been determined. However, it is something that Casey-Cardinia will embrace readily as we aim to serve our patrons better.

Conclusion

IRIS has had an interesting first year. It has taught us much and will continue to challenge us as it gives us options for growth, not only as a service, but also in the queries it puts before us. We always anticipated a slow uptake of the electronic service. In a way it has been disappointing to not be surprised, but we now have a presence which has been noted not only by our patrons in their use of the service, but also by the library community at large and their interest in our endeavour.

Some people may be concerned that services such as IRIS will replace the traditional reference desk at the branch library. PC awareness and Internet access is already impacting our reference desks, with people becoming more self-sufficient in fulfilling their information needs. However, the questions we are receiving, though not as numerous, are becoming more difficult. As people move more and more towards things electronic in all areas of their lives, we need to be there with an electronic service ready to respond to their needs. If not, we will lose them to the commercial services that will arise to fill the gap we leave.

I am certain that public libraries will be around for quite some time to come, but we need to expand library service beyond the walls to reach those that can not or will not come in. We have the access to the resources and the knowledge and skills to best manoeuvre through them. In this time of fast track everything, people will get impatient when trying to find their own answers – when that happens, we need to be there in whichever form will best suit them.

References

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Young, Courtney L. and Diaz, Karen R. (1999) "E-reference: incorporating electronic publications into reference," Library Hi Tech, Vol.17 No.1 p.55