The Information Challenge Exponential growth of resources

The Information Challenge • Exponential growth of resources • New researchers with new needs • Multiple communication options • New expectations and opportunities

Information Resources and Tools Internet Resources: • Located everywhere • Growth doubles each year • Digital only • No single search engine covers the entire Internet • Short-lived

Information Resources and Tools Library Resources: • “Bricks and mortar” • Continued growth • Analog and digital • Standard indexing tools • Perpetual

The Challenge for Researchers To retrieve information that is: • Relevant • Accurate • Authoritative • Easy to locate

The Challenge for Libraries • Use traditional strengths to build new programs • Leverage the community of librarians and libraries worldwide • Redefine the role of librarians and libraries in the Internet age

Modeling the Solution • Provide seamless access to global resources • Collect knowledge for reference access • Complement access to information on the Internet • Demonstrate flexibility in creating solutions

Collaborative Digital Reference Service provides professional reference service to users anywhere anytime, through an international, digital network of libraries.

How Does it Work?

Process Definitions • End User: a person who asks a question • Member: an organization or a person participating in CDRS on behalf of an end user • Service Level Agreement (SLA): an agreement describing the scope of services • Request Manager (RM): software for managing Q&A receipt and assignment, SLA compliance and administrative tasks

Resource Databases Member Profiles • Member features and strengths • Member representative strengths Knowledge Base of Questions and Answers • Searchable by staff, later by end users • Confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property maintained

Members • Libraries (public, academic, special) • Consortia • Museums • “Ask-a” Expert Services

Three Pilot Phases: Phase 1 (February - March 2000) • 10 members • Test member profiles • 30 questions per week • Scheduled and scripted

Phase 2 (June 19 - Sept. 15) • Increase to 16 members • Use and test sample Request Manager software and routing decisions • Build/test revised Member profiles • Test new Web form • Develop Service Level Agreements • Determine training requirements • Determine costs

Phase 3 (Oct. 17 - Jan. 31, 2001) • 40+ members • Scale up to full production to test volume and speed • Investigate portal technology • Determine Governing Body membership and roles • Service Level Agreements

Goals of the Pilots - Summary • Q&A process, including web form • Request Manager procedures for assigning, tracking, etc. • Determine scope and capacity of researcher requests • Response time • Interoperability • Best practices

Modeling the Solution • Maximum flexibility • System integration • Multiple partners • Reestablish libraries as epicenters of knowledge for their communities • Internet services implement customized community library portals

Community Portals Provide. . . • Dynamic content - events, news, weather, book reviews • Useful applications - reserve a book, chat with an author, browse the catalog • CDRS Gateway - enables patrons to submit questions during off-hours without diluting local library’s brand

Portals Benefits • Internet services recover investment through advertising and affiliation fees (e. g. , Amazon. com) • CDRS “tags along” with portal for reduced fees or free

Where to Next? One stop shopping for reference and research services, including: • Locating/verifying bibliographic citations • Interlibrary Loan • Document Delivery

International / Universal Issues • Language & literacy • Accessibility & infrastructure • Cultural & political sensitivities • Jurisdictional & service constraints • E-commerce & trade agreements

http: //www. loc. gov/rr/digiref/

Beyond CDRS: an end-to-end user service model Delivery Process : ILL ; document delivery Catalogue Process : verify ; locate Reference Process : ask ; answer