Program Description

Expertise in searching, a broad knowledge of resources, and a commitment to professionalism are all hallmarks of a good reference librarian. Communication and interpersonal skills, however, are just as important in providing a quality reference transaction, and translating these “soft skills” into the virtual environment can be challenging. Virtual reference transactions by chat, email, or text provide no visual or auditory cues to the customer or librarian. For this reason, it becomes even more important for librarians to be wary of any unintended assumptions being made by them or any wrong intentions being relayed to the customer. Periodic review of transcripts can be an effective tool in assessing conversational tone and other facets of the interpersonal interaction. Additionally, the hard skills of searching and subject expertise greatly contribute to whether information and resources can be located, but the soft skills determine whether the customer’s experience will be positive and will encourage her or him to seek out assistance in the future. This presentation will use methods, models, and data from Ohio’s statewide virtual reference service to demonstrate the impact of these skills in the online environment and to provide ideas on how these skills can be incorporated into regular assessment and training of librarians providing virtual reference service.

Start Date

25-4-2014 1:00 PM

End Date

25-4-2014 1:50 PM

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Apr 25th, 1:00 PM Apr 25th, 1:50 PM

Don’t Forget to Smile: Utilizing Soft Skills within the Virtual Reference Transaction

Expertise in searching, a broad knowledge of resources, and a commitment to professionalism are all hallmarks of a good reference librarian. Communication and interpersonal skills, however, are just as important in providing a quality reference transaction, and translating these “soft skills” into the virtual environment can be challenging. Virtual reference transactions by chat, email, or text provide no visual or auditory cues to the customer or librarian. For this reason, it becomes even more important for librarians to be wary of any unintended assumptions being made by them or any wrong intentions being relayed to the customer. Periodic review of transcripts can be an effective tool in assessing conversational tone and other facets of the interpersonal interaction. Additionally, the hard skills of searching and subject expertise greatly contribute to whether information and resources can be located, but the soft skills determine whether the customer’s experience will be positive and will encourage her or him to seek out assistance in the future. This presentation will use methods, models, and data from Ohio’s statewide virtual reference service to demonstrate the impact of these skills in the online environment and to provide ideas on how these skills can be incorporated into regular assessment and training of librarians providing virtual reference service.