Virtual Reference Desk for Regional Education Center Libraries

Background:

Lincoln Land Community College District serves one of the largest geographic areas of the respective community college districts in the State of Illinois. The library has a patron base that includes all of the matriculated students from this district as well as the citizens living within district boundaries. In an effort to serve patrons effectively, the college has developed several regional delivery centers. Currently, students are served at a Southern Regional Center in Litchfield, a Western Regional Center in Jacksonville, an Eastern Regional Center in Taylorville, and a Northern Regional Center in Petersburg. In addition, patrons are served at the Capital Career Center (Vocational Center) and an emerging Capital City Center in Springfield.

The regional centers are experiencing rapid student growth and expansion as a community resource. In addition to serving students in traditional classroom settings, the centers serve as a resource for the local communities and as delivery sites for non-traditional education programs, such as telecourses and Internet based instructional programs. About 1,500 students are served each semester by the Regional Educational Centers. Without regional delivery centers, students and patrons would need to travel 30 to 60 miles to reach the main campus.

Library services are an important component of the educational process. A major challenge exists in providing appropriate library services for patrons in the remote centers. Another challenge is providing traditional services as well as the necessary services that exist with electronic resources. Our major concern has always focused on the need to provide human resources, interpretation and bibliographic instruction as well as print and electronic resources.

Previous Initiatives:

The Lincoln Land Community College District received a grant from the Illinois State Library in 1995-96 through the local Rolling Prairie Library System to begin automating and networking library resources. This funding provided a catalyst to build a campus network, automate our catalog, subscribe to online databases, deliver resources electronically to our regional centers and provide students with "state-of-the-art" library resources.

Current college efforts are underway to provide a high-speed backbone that will allow electronic connections to all the regional centers. All the efforts of the library to integrate and expand services are focused within the framework of the college infrastructure expansion. Significant college resources are currently being expended in this area.

The Human Resource Challenge:

The challenge presented to the library is to provide students and local patrons with a comprehensive library program. During the past year, one library staff member has been assigned to coordinate and plan resource delivery for the centers. The Dean of District Education meets regularly with the regional center directors, the library director, and the library

• Dr. Jim Jackson, Director and Becky Parton, LRC Regional Library Services Coordinator, Learning Resource Center, Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield.

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off-campus service coordinator to determine student needs. Student and patron comments to center staff and student reticence to use library resources without personal assistance have led to the determination that human assistance is needed at these sites.

There typically have been three computer terminals and a small collection of print materials to serve students and public patrons at each regional center. The computer terminals provide the same access available to students and patrons on the main campus. Each terminal is connected to the college automated catalog in the local Library System Automated Program (LLSAP). The Internet and electronic resources, such as, EBSCOhost and Masterfile 1500 (a periodical indexing, abstracting, and full-text service), ILLINET Online and First Search also are available for use.

These complex software programs are difficult for inexperienced users. Each of these programs operate with different keystrokes or mouse click buttons and can return more than 10,000 "hits" on a topic. Professional reference assistance is necessary to narrow a topic, suggest keywords and alleviate patron frustration. In brief, the physical resources (books, ect.) are minimal at the centers. The electronic resources are as adequate as on the main campus, but the human resources have been missing. Our Virtual Reference Desk provides the human link to library services.

Activities Accomplished During the Grant Period:

The proposed process and product of the LSTA grant was followed very closely with minimal change. We began looking for a software package that would allow us to create a Virtual Reference Desk with both audio and visual connectivity to our patron terminals at the regional centers. Based on a review of a number of products, we determined that Microsoft NetMeeting would meet our objectives. This product proved to be a proper choice. The software is supported by Microsoft, works well on our local server and is relatively easy to use. The product also is available at no charge.

A screen-sharing feature is unique to Microsoft's NetMeeting. By using NetMeeting as the main software component for the Virtual Reference Desk, any program or file running on either computer can be shared with the other computer with just the click of a button. This allows the librarian to share any search with the student at the Regional Education Center.

An additional process involved selecting a camera that would provide a proper visual image. The image is important from our perspective, to provide a true feeling of human connectivity. The quality of the image was less important than its ease of use and speed. We tested several different cameras that used different technical interfaces. These included cameras with internal cards, serial port connections and USB port connections. We selected the Intel Create and Share camera as a unit that functioned best for our purpose. The camera is readily available and inexpensive. The only technical requirement is a computer with a USB port. This camera will not work as configured on older computers.

Next, we selected and purchased six workstations as per our grant request. Based on our college standard, each workstation was a high-end Pentium II-based windows computer with a 17" monitor, printer, camera as defined above, headset and appropriate furniture. In addition, we purchased a laptop computer and LCD projector for training purposes and class presentations. We also purchased a scanner for use at the main campus Virtual Reference Desk. This allows us to scan pages from reference works on campus and transmit this material to the student at the off-campus center.

The above mentioned equipment was set up and installed at the various Centers by the coordinator for Off-Campus Resources, Ms. Becky Parton. She installed the appropriate software, configured and tested each unit, and assured the operability of the equipment. In addition, Ms. Parton developed and produced the step-by-step instruction manuals and other brochures and promotional materials necessary for this project. The final and most necessary step involved preparation, development and implementation of the training workshops for students, center staff and library staff. These initial workshops were completed and will become part of the continuing operational procedures for the Virtual Reference Desk.

Program Accomplishment:

The attainable outcome for the project is the success of our students and patrons in their educational pursuits and use of library resources. These goals were facilitated by the ability to develop the Virtual Reference Desk and workstations. By establishing the Virtual Reference Desk students in the outlying districts now have access to library resources and personnel that otherwise would have been out of their reach. Students in the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions of the L.L.C.C. Library District may now go to their local Regional Education Center and receive reference assistance at the time they need it.

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To continue the idea that students attending the Regional Education Centers have equal access to library resources as on-campus students, many staff members from the L.L.C.C. main campus library have been trained to assist students via the Virtual Reference Desk. By providing this training, the hours the Virtual Reference Desk is available have been increased. Regional Education students now can receive library assistance during all working hours of the main campus library.

With all the planning, development activities and training complete the initial goal of patron service needed to be tested. Would the Virtual Reference Desk provide students with the human interaction needed to conduct quality reference assistance? Our feedback from faculty, students and staff at the regional education centers is that the Virtual Reference Desk does provide the needed human contact that the students were not getting before.

The necessary steps needed to connect from one Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) workstation to the main campus desk have been reduced to two double-clicks. The computer was configured in this fashion to reduce the need for little more than basic computer skills to navigate the system. If a student needs assistance with initial contact to the main campus, a step-by-step instruction manual accompanies each VRD workstation, to help them connect with a librarian. Staff training has also been conducted at each Regional Education Center to assure patron service.

Students who lack computer skills may still use the VRD. A staff member from the regional center can connect them with the main campus, and the librarian on duty can greet the student. After the reference interview has been conducted, the librarian may walk the student through the necessary steps to acquire his information. Or, the librarian could conduct the search for the student while the student watches from his terminal at the center.

Changes in Program Direction:

There were no significant changes in program direction from initial plan to implementation. Some decisions about hardware and software were made as per the proposal. We did experience some cost savings with regard to computer equipment, which allowed us to purchase additional equipment for the project beyond the initial projection.

Project's Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

This project appears to be unique as a means of addressing the need to provide library interpretive and reference service through technology. It is addressing a real need in the community college environment and will support the future direction of college instruction of the Internet and distance learning initiatives. The project is also using basic "off-the-shelf technology that is easily replicated in other environments and easily updated as newer versions of software are released. It also provides a model for using this type of interaction in other college activities, such as counseling, study skills and registration.

An aside from our initial objective, there has been a great deal of outside interest and enthusiasm for this project. We presented the project to the College Board of Trustees, where it was very well received. We have been asked to provide an article for community and junior college libraries outlining the project. General interest related to the uniqueness of the project has been exciting.

Weaknesses:

As with all projects relating to technology, this project clearly emphasizes the need for human support. The project has brought to the front the need for additional library reference personnel to maximize the effectiveness for student and patrons. Technological solutions to problems often relate a need for more personnel rather than replacing people with technology.

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