ABSTRACT
The deployment of technological innovation in libraries has been one of the underlying impetus for the use of Digital Reference Service (DRS) in academic libraries. DRS is where patrons employ Internet technology to communicate with librarians without being physically present. The purpose of the study is to examine the extent to which Digital Reference Services supports user needs in academic libraries in Ghana.
The main objectives of the study were to investigate the level of awareness and use of DRS by librarians and library users training of librarians and users on DRS, the availability of infrastructure and technologies for DRS, and the challenges in the implementation and management of DRS.
The mixed method design was used to gather data from three hundred and thirteen (313) respondents comprising three hundred (300) DRS users and thirteen (13) library professionals from the University of Ghana (Balme Library), the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Prempeh II Library) and the University of Cape Coast (Sam Jonah Library). The theoretical framework adopted for the study was the general digital reference model by Pomerantz, Nicholson, Belanger and Lankes (2004). Even though the original model concentrated on five components, this study expanded the model by integrating users, librarians and evaluation in DRS processes.
The findings revealed that there is adequate infrastructure, technologies and training facilities and programs available to both DRS librarians and users. The findings of the study indicated that some of the librarians were aware of DRS yet they resisted being part of the service. It was recommended that users’ and librarians’ awareness must be increased
to boost the number of DRS users, and to get more librarians on board to provide prompt responses to users. The study again suggested that libraries must develop policy and guidelines in the use of DRS as well as evaluation.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) , increase in the use of internet and other technologies have brought a huge impact on reference services as well as the approaches and expectations of librarians and patrons. Academic libraries are adopting more technologies to enhance reference services in order to accomplish users’ needs in the virtual environment. The provision of reference services is a link between patrons’ needs and the resources available in the libraries (Yonus, 2014).
The Digital Reference Service (DRS) is one of the varieties of innovations deployed in the library environment since the year 2000 (Nordin, et al., 2012). Many people depend on Internet resources whiles few people approach the library counter for support, therefore there is the need for approved method of communication between patrons and librarians. Academic libraries have acted in response by providing reference service via DRS such as email, Ask-a-librarian, chat services, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp among others to their users (Yonus, 2014). The introduction of the world wide web (WWW) has enabled libraries to respond to users’ queries via webforms and have extended the role of reference service further than the email, the telephone and text messages. Academic libraries have started providing reference services via the Internet known as Digital Reference Service (DRS) (Wasike, 1999).
Digital reference service is defined by Kasowitz, Bennett and Lankes (2000) as Internet- based information services that employ humans’ mediators. Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) (2010) also defined DRS as an electronic reference services usually in real-time where computers and other Internet technologies are employed by patrons to communicate with librarian without being physically present in the library. This reference service is virtually carried out with the reference transactions being a computer mediated delivery to users. DRS provide help to users in finding the appropriate information in answering their questions to fulfilling their information needs.
According to Kern (2009), digital reference service is the usage of asynchronous and synchronous transactions in reference services. Synchronous transactions is associated with a real-time computer-mediated method between a librarian and an information seeker whiles the asynchronous transaction is about all computer-mediated communication that is sent by the user and feedback is received at different times. Synchronous services include instant messaging; videoconferencing and asynchronous communication also include texting and emails.
DRS is often an extension of an existing reference service programme where patrons could be writing from home, work or a variety of other locations (Pace, 2003). According to Francoeur (2001), the are two factors that necessitate the establishment of DRS in libraries: (1) the growing intelligence of librarians that need to be reach out to bring users back to the library via online and (2) library users using the Internet to reach out to librarians for their information needs without being present in that library. As a result few people come to libraries for help since there is a remote communication between information seekers and librarians. Globally there are number of libraries that have
established digital reference services with the use of e-mail and instant messages as a way of communication and software vendors have started to develop product to be used for some DRS platforms (Kasowitz 2001; Penka, 2003). The Rapid development in libraries has increased the demand for virtual services and academic libraries are significant contributors to the development (Lopes, 1992).
A successful reference service is an effective strategy that enhances the utilisation of resources to warrant users’ satisfaction through an effective reference services and the accuracy and speed in handling users’ queries by librarians have a great effect on their satisfaction. The roles of librarians have been improved by societal expectations through enhanced electronic capabilities. User education remains essential in the online environment. The use of digital resources has contributed to re-shaping information retrieval and access practices in university libraries (Chowdhury, 2002). The library must put into consideration of establishing a department mainly for digital reference service for effective development (Lankes, 2000).
In the advanced countries, librarians have embraced Web technologies to offer effective reference services to their users. However, in Africa, academic libraries’ response in the use of digital reference services need to be dealt with earnestly and this is also serious for reference librarians (William et. al,2004). According to Yonus (2014), the implementations of digital reference services involve a well develop guidelines that provide directions for effective management of the DRS but in Africa, little is known about this. These guidelines include The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Digital Reference Guidelines (IFLA, 2008), The RUSA Guidelines for Implementing and
Maintaining Virtual Reference Services (RUSA, 2010) and RUSA Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Service Providers (RUSA, 2013).
Radford (2006) indicates some of the challenges associated in the implementation of DRS. These include the lack of collaborative network, lack of rapid access, poor interactive interfaces, poor digital document imaging, poor management of distributed database, inaccessible hypertext information retrieval, lack of enforcement of intellectual property rights, poor integration of multimedia information services, poor management of multilingual collection, nonexistence of information mining, absence of electronic reference service, lack of electronic document delivery and selective dissemination of information.
