Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries

doi:10.1108/00242530410514793

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Library Review

ISSN: 0024-2535

Online from: 1927

Subject Area: Library and Information Studies

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Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries

Document Information:
Title:	Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries
Author(s):	Gobinda Chowdhury, (Graduate School of Informatics, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.), Simone Margariti, (Graduate School of Informatics, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.)
Citation:	Gobinda Chowdhury, Simone Margariti, (2004) "Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries", Library Review, Vol. 53 Iss: 1, pp.50 - 60
Keywords:	Digital libraries, Information retrieval, Information services, Libraries, Reference services, Scotland
Article type:	Research paper
DOI:	10.1108/00242530410514793 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Abstract:	Discusses the current practices followed by some major libraries in Scotland for providing digital reference services (DRS). Refers to the DRSs provided by three academic libraries, namely Glasgow University Library, the University of Strathclyde Library, and Glasgow Caledonian University Library, and two other premier libraries in Scotland, the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. Concludes that digital reference services are effective forms of service delivery in Scotland’s academic, national and public libraries, but that their full potential has not yet been exploited. E-mail is the major technology used in providing digital reference, although plans are under way to use more sophisticated Internet technologies. Notes that the majority of enquiries handled by the libraries are relatively low-level rather than concerning specific knowledge domains, and training the users to extract information from the best digital resources still remains a challenge.