Q and A NJ Lessons Learned...lessons for new Virtual Reference Service adopters:  

excerpted from _Internet Reference Services Quarterly_. "Q and A NJ: Service Design 
and Impact" by Marianne F. Sweet, David M. Lisa, and Dale E. Colston (Volume 8 
Numbers 1/2 2003, p49, 21p).

CONCLUSION

From a project management perspective, Q and A NJ owes its success to the 
uniform commitment and cooperation of its participating libraries; to the even 
distribution of responsibility among its participants; to its multiple communication 
channels, including monthly meetings and a full-time project coordinator position; to its 
statewide reach which established a critical mass of providers and users as well of 
publicity; and to being open for business when users are on the Internet--24/7.

From an operational perspective, participating libraries have encountered and 
successfully dealt with numerous issues introduced by participation in Q and A NJ.  The 
following points summarize the issues encountered, and their impact on Q and A NJ 
libraries, staff, and users:

Point 1: In a collaborative virtual reference arrangement, expect to answer or field 
questions outside of the familiar.  Over time, librarians will become generalists and will 
enhance their reference knowledge.

Point 2: There will probably be more agreement than disagreement between your 
library's policies and project-wide policies.  Look to "the real world", i.e., traditional 
reference practices, for guidance.  Main differences that virtual reference librarians 
should expect are faster transaction times and a heavier reliance on digital resources.

Point 3: Librarians will be called upon to provide some troubleshooting of 
technical problems.  Virtual reference is not immune to the vagaries of Internet and 
computer performance.

Point 4: Textual communication is the foundation of virtual reference service.  
Librarians will have to become excellent chat-based communicators.  They will employ 
and polish their reference interview skills, especially to elicit like responses from their 
customers.

Point 5: The online environment, even with its limitations, offers the same 
opportunity as onsite reference to completely answer the question or leave the customer 
satisfied with the transaction.  It also offers a new opportunity for value-added service--
by facilitating the librarian's interpretation of the information and the packaging of 
answers.

Point 6: Most staffing librarians may find little difference between questions 
submitted to the virtual reference desk and to the physical reference desk.   All the same, 
expect to acknowledge and support those librarians who encounter a greater mix of 
questions--to their disconcertment--than they field at their participating library.

Point 7:  Participating in a collaborative project significantly reduces the number 
of hours a library must carve out for the provision of the virtual reference service.  
Sharing the load with other libraries more than compensates for staffing and scheduling 
constraints introduced by adopting the new reference service.

Virtual reference will certainly proliferate.  The receptivity toward Q and A NJ 
among participants' patrons and in the state in general justifies offering the service.  Q 
and A NJ demonstrates how the Internet and its resources can be effectively utilized to 
serve a newly defined group of users.  Hopefully New Jersey's experience, as described 
here, will help other projects in planning, implementing, and maintaining a virtual 
reference service.