The Virtual Reference Librarian's Handbook.

This volume is a useful and practical guide for librarians who are contemplating offering online reference services either synchronously or asynchronously. Those who are already providing chat or are answering questions via email will also find helpful hints for marketing and evaluating their service. In the early 1990s, Anne Grodzins Lipow, co-author of Crossing the Internet Threshold [1], introduced a generation of librarians to the opportunities the Internet provided. With The Virtual Librarian's Handbook, she provides a framework for establishing policies and making decisions about reference services in general and virtual reference service specifically. She narrowly defines virtual reference service as “live, interactive, remote service;” the virtual librarian, then, provides point-of-need, live, interactive question handling using chat and voice software that enable synchronous communication with a distant client. (p. xx) This is a subject of interest to both academic and hospital librarians, as evidenced by a number of posters presented at the annual meeting of MLA in May 2003 and by the summer 2003 theme issue of Medical Reference Services Quarterly. This book complements the Starting and Operating Live Virtual Reference Services: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians by Mark Meola and Sam Stormont who cite Anne Lipow's work. [2] The three sections and eight chapters of the book offer an outline of issues to consider in deciding to implement virtual reference and include titles such as “Discover the Benefits and Confront the Problems,” “Shop Wisely for Software,” “Update Your Libraries Policies,” and “Let the Service Sell Itself.” The book is filled with figures, sample policies, and exercises to enable the reader to think about the issues raised in the context of their own library and includes examples of both good and not so good Web pages, including virtual reference links and service descriptions. A major value added to the book is the inclusion of a CD-ROM with copies of the exercises and worksheets as well as a list of references with their URLs, where available. The CD also includes links to discussion lists the author recommends, saving a great deal of time for those just beginning to consider virtual reference. While the book itself is in a workbook format with room to write in the margins, the CD is a great tool for those who wish to keep the book intact or have multiple individuals complete the exercises. Several staff members can easily make copies of the documents, in Word format, for completion. Chapter two, “Get Yourself in the Virtual Frame of Mind,” includes an especially interesting exercise to determine “your awareness of ambiguity score” (p. 27). This exercise has a series of twelve statements and asks that each issue be rated “mostly true” or “mostly false” or “haven't thought about it.” The exercise is successful in getting the reader to look at how librarians see themselves and their services in comparison to how library users might view librarians and is worth completing whether planning to offer virtual reference services or not. Throughout the book, the author challenges the reader and points out “old thinking to discard” and “new thinking to adopt.” She ably discusses the changing role of the librarian and urges an active rather than passive role in the development of services, specifically virtual reference services. Often by the time a book is published, it is outdated; this volume is timely in its content while avoiding stereotypes and implications that everything libraries have done in the past needs changing. The author “focuses on those areas of reference service that address the information and reading needs of those in the community who are finding more convenient, though perhaps not as good, alternatives to using the library.” (p. xvii). She is a strong advocate for libraries and their important role in society. This book is a tool to help librarians develop and articulate a service beyond what many have previously provided. Virtual reference services rely on virtual reference software and there are a number of products on the market with new ones announced regularly. The book's chapter on selecting software is particularly helpful in providing checklists of issues to think through, staffing implications, costs and budgeting, and use of licensed databases to answer questions. Decisions on these issues inform the software selection, which is enabled by the presentation of a grid that can be used to evaluate each product reviewed. These tools are designed to be used in the selection of virtual reference software, but can be easily adapted for use in choosing other software. The Virtual Reference Librarian's Handbook has many features that make it a valuable tool for libraries considering the addition of virtual reference service. The checklists, exercises, worksheets, and tips will prove useful across all types of libraries. The book is not one to add to the collection; rather it is a workbook designed to be used by practitioners in planning and implementing virtual reference services. Anyone contemplating such service will find this book very helpful in his or her deliberations.