1. THE KNOWLEDGE BASE AS AN EXTENSION OF DISTANCE LEARNING REFERENCE SERVICE APRIL 19, 2012 1 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

2. TODAYS PRESENTATION Why this topic? Reference Knowledge Bases Data gathering Results Conclusions Audience Discussion 2 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

3. EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Daytona Beach FTE – 4,890 Worldwide FTE – 10,068 Prescott FTE – 1,654 Hunt Library Library for DB and WW Reference Services Email Chat Telephone In-Person 3 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

4. Information on the Website Course assignments General (e.g., APA) FAQs Self-Guided Help Airline Analysis: ASCI/MSA 602 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Getting Started with Research Guide for Writing GCPs and Sample GCP and GRPs Hunt Library Instructional Publications and Brochures Library Basic Training Library Guide Search This Site Site Index (Alphabetical) Site Map Style Manuals (APA, MLA, etc.) Welcome to the Library (Video) DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS 4 HUNT LIBRARY REFERENCE EXTERNAL GUIDES

5. Internal – Reference Drafts in Shared Outlook Account One librarian culls information from answers to questions She creates an email draft with a descriptive subject line Librarians search the drafts for previous or common answers Copy and paste into new email responses DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS 5 HUNT LIBRARY REFERENCE DRAFTS

6. IS THERE A KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR US? Is it practical? Is it feasible? Is it something we want or need? Are there successful examples in the distance learning world? DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS 6

7. WHAT IS A KNOWLEDGE BASE? A knowledge base is a long-term repository of individual facts that support the performance of individuals within an organization or those served by the organization (Boling, Cai, Brown, & Bolte, 2000). DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS 7

8. LIBRARY KNOWLEDGE BASES Predates technological era Reference card files of common questions in the 19 th century FAQs on early library websites Compiled information from online reference transcripts Commercial products QuestionPoint Statewide reference consortia (e.g., Florida Ask-A-Librarian) 8 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

9. RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGIES Survey Offcamp electronic list (732 subscribers) October, 2011 Administered by NEFLIN cooperative Personal Interviews Volunteered via the survey By telephone November, 2011 9 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

10. SURVEY RESULTS Sixty-seven people answered the survey for a response rate of 9.15% The majority (67%) were from university libraries The majority (62%) were public services librarians Sixteen or 24% responded that their library has a reference knowledge base 10 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

11. HOW THE KB WAS DEVELOPED From local reference transactions56% By a vendor based on virtual reference customer responses25% By a virtual reference consortium12% Other6% 11 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

12. ACCESS TO THE KB Only reference librarians at the institution50% All students, faculty & staff at the institution25% Only distance learning students, faculty, and staff8% Only certain reference staff8% Anyone with an Internet connection8% 12 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

13. WHY NOT IMPLEMENT A KB? Workload issues39% Quality control issues18% Reference interactions do not produce standard answers18% Privacy concerns12% Intellectual property concerns2% 13 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

14. INTERVIEW RESULTS Ten survey respondents indicated willingness to participate in interviews Of those, eight or 75% consented to an interview Two reported their library does not have a knowledge base Six responded that the library has a knowledge base Four of those had some level of uncertainty Types of knowledge bases Commercial product (internal and external) Internal blog Archived email reference transactions (internal) FAQs (internal and external) 14 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

15. DISCREPANCY IN THE FINDINGS? Majority of survey respondents report their library does NOT have a reference knowledge base Majority of interview participants claim their library has a knowledge base Interview discussions revealed that many conceive of a knowledge base as a web-based product similar to what companies like Apple have So 75% of interview participants replied on the survey that their libraries do not have a knowledge base They reconsidered after discussing the nature of a knowledge base in the interview 15 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

16. CONCLUSIONS Most reference services have a knowledge base Many are internal Librarians do not equate a reference knowledge base with those businesses provide As distance learning grows, how do reference librarians provide service 24/7? Commercial knowledge base? Consortial knowledge base? 16 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

17. AUDIENCE DISCUSSION What are Your Thoughts? Your Ideas? Your Experiences? Other Questions 17 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS

18. CONTACT INFORMATION Anne Marie Casey, PhD Hunt Library Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 386-226-6593 caseya3@erau.edu 18 DLS 2012 - MEMPHIS