Introduction Digital reference Recentchanges in computer and services:a snapshotof communicationtechnologies, especially the thecurrent practices in introductionand development of the Internet andits associatedWeb technologies in the Scottishlibraries courseof the past decadehave significantly influencedboth the way librariesprovide Gobinda Chowdhury and informationservices to theirpatrons and the Simone Margariti way patronschoose to accessinformation. For example,a largenumber of Web-based The authors referenceservices have appearedover the past Gobinda Chowdhury and SimoneMargariti are based at few years.While dotcom companies provide the Graduate School ofInformatics, Department of mostof theseservices, some libraries and library Computer and Information Sciences, University of consortiahave alsointroduced Web-based Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. referenceand information services. Such servicesare termed ‘ ‘virtual’’ or‘ ‘digital’’ Keywords referenceservices. Libraries in the USAhave Libraries, Information services, Information retrieval, spearheadeddigital reference services (DRS), Reference services, Digital libraries, Scotland andthose in other countries are following suit. Abstract Thispaper discusses the currentpractices followedby somemajor libraries in Scotlandfor Discusses the current practices followed by some major providingDRS. We looked at the DRS libraries in Scotland for providing digital reference services (DRS).Refers to the DRSs provided by three academic providedby threeacademic libraries, namely libraries, namely Glasgow University Library, the University GlasgowUniversity Library (GUL), the ofStrathclyde Library, and Glasgow Caledonian University Universityof StrathclydeLibrary (USL), and Library, and two other premier libraries in Scotland, the GlasgowCaledonian University Library Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the National Library of (GCL). Furthermore,we review the services Scotland in Edinburgh. Concludes that digital reference offeredby two otherpremier libraries in services are effective forms ofservice delivery inScotland’s Scotland,namely the MitchellLibrary in academic, national and public libraries, but that their full Glasgowand the National Library of Scotland potential has not yet been exploited. E-mail is the major inEdinburgh. This study took placetowards technology used in providing digital reference, although the later part of 2002. plans are under wayto use more sophisticated Internet technologies. Notes that the majority ofenquiries handled by the libraries are relatively low-level rather than concerning specificknowledge domains, and training the Digital reference service: current users to extract information from the best digital resources practices still remains achallenge. Librariesand librarians are no longer the sole Electronic access providersof referenceand information services. The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at Arms(2000) forecaststhe likelihoodof ‘‘brute www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister forcecomputing’ ’ leadingto the creationof fully The current issue and fulltext archive ofthis journal is automatedlibraries that cansubstitute IT for available at staffingin the performanceof tasks that at www.emeraldinsight.com/0024-2535.htm presentrequire human intellectual ability such as provisionof referenceservices. He argues that computershave massivepower that can Received22 August 2003. Library Review Volume 53 . Number 1 . 2004 . pp. 50-60 Reviewed8 September2003. # EmeraldGroup Publishing Limited . ISSN0024-2535 Revised 23September 2003. DOI10.1108/ 00242530410514793 Accepted20 October 2003. 50 Digital reference services: the current practices in Scottish libraries Library Review Gobinda Chowdhury and Simone Margariti Volume 53 . Number 1 . 2004 . 50-60 outperformhumans in some tasks that require . technologicalbarriers; and speedand accuracy. At the sametime he notes . presenceof FAQsin library Web pages. that machines‘ ‘lack the powernot of being Wasik (1999) describesthe followingsix-step inclusive,but selective’ ’. Thismeans that processthat organisationscan follow to offera machinescannot employ judgement, an successfuldigital reference service. These can importantelement of any referenceand bebriefly described as: informationservice. Rudner (2000) suggests (1) Informing. Conductpreliminary research in that patronshave becomemore independent in theirarea of expertiseand in the existing theirinformation seeking attitudes, but the serviceswithin their area. quality of theirfindings is poor due to their (2) Planning. Develop procedures,methods inability to selectthe bestinformation sources. andpolicies that reflectthe overall Ina recentconference well-known experts organisationalgoals. discussedthe currentstate of DRSand areas (3) Training. Preparetheir staff accordingly that wouldbe useful for further exploration. with aspecialtraining plan. Turender(2002) discussessome of theseissues, (4) Prototyping. Pilot-test the servicebefore it is includingthe essentialinfrastructure needed to launchedto discoverproblems. provideadvanced reference services such as (5) Contributing. Ensurepublicity and resource ‘‘livelibrarians’ ’, the costimplications, the developmentto supportthe service. technologiesthat areavailable, andthe needto (6) Evaluating. Ensureregular evaluation of the identifythe audience. serviceto provideinformation in areas that Janes(2002) arguedthat librarieshave been the servicecan be improved. providingDRS for a few yearsand they should moveon from experimenting to definingnew McClennenand Memmott (2003) suggesta services.Technologies that cansupport ‘ ‘live’’ modelthat isbasedon asetof specifiedroles for digitalreference can be divided into three informationprofessionals. They recommend categories: that advancedDRS might employ different (1) chat software; informationprofessionals for each of fourroles, (2) remotecontrol software (RCS);and which are: (3) Webcontact centre software. (1) ‘‘filterer’’; (2) ‘‘answerer’’; Thedifferent technologies can offer different (3) ‘‘administrator’’; and benefitssuch as lowcost (chat S/W), ability to (4) ‘‘coordinator’’. controlthe patron’s browserand authentication (RCS),and features designed especially for Therole of the ‘‘filterer’’ canbe particularly digitalreference such as questionqueuing, usefulsince he/ shecan take repeatedand trivial scriptedmessages and session transcripts, as is questionsout of the way, andhence let the the casewith Webcontact software, suchas ‘‘answerers’’ concentrateon questions that MCLS’s (MetropolitanCooperative Library requireintellectual effort to answer.The System),and 24/ 7Reference(http:/ / ‘‘administrator’’ ensuresthe smoothrunning of www.247ref.org/).Disadvantagesinclude the the service,can add answers to FAQs,create highcost to obtainsome of thesetechnologies, useraccounts and perform other technical platformlimitations, and impact on bandwidth tasks. Finally, the ‘‘coordinator’’ isdedicatedto andconsequently on service time. definingand implementing policies and Theissues described above areamong the procedureswith aview to takinginitiatives for mostdiscussed topics in digital reference today the improvementof the service. butthere has notbeen much empirical research inthe area sofar. Whileevaluating DRS, one shouldlook at the followingmajor points Methodology (Lankes et al., 2000): . serviceslinked to library’s mainWeb page; Library Webpages usually provide access to the . submissionmethods to ask queries; digitalservices under consideration. Hence, we . stated policies; visitedthe Webpages of the selectedlibraries in 51 Digital reference services: the current practices in Scottish libraries Library Review Gobinda Chowdhury and Simone Margariti Volume 53 . Number 1 . 2004 . 50-60 orderto, first,record the servicesavailable, andtelephone numbers for subject librarians as second,note how the servicesare offered and well.According to theirWeb pages, academic third,view the guidelinesfor service provision / librariesin Glasgow are committed to answering policy.We looked for certain elements in the querieswithin at least threeworking days, andthe libraries’pages such as presenceof FAQs,a actual turnaroundtime is for the mostpart much clearcontact interface for ‘ ‘enquiries’’, online faster. Asfor the graphicdesign and user interface catalogues,and links for material available over forthe enquiryservice, these vary fromlibrary to the network. library. Furthermore,we visited the librariesbased in GUL providesa directlink for posting queries Glasgowand conducted interviews with electronically,found in the library’s homepage. membersof staff to discussthe currentstate of, Thislink connects to an‘ ‘enquiryservice’ ’ andproblems associated with, runningDRS. A dividedinto a ‘‘generalenquiries desk’ ’ and listof discussiontopics was selectedas aguide ‘‘Aska Librarian’’ (QuestionPoint). There is to providesome direction for the interviews. alsoa listof ‘‘subjectlibrarians’ ’ that describes Thediscussions were not confined to close areasof specializationfor each one of them. endedquestions and the intervieweeswere Userscan also contact them directly by encouragedto discussanything that they felt submittinga querythrough a Webform. important. GCL offersa similarenquiry service. On the mainlibrary page, a linkpoints to the ‘‘electronicenquiry desk’ ’ whereusers can Modesof remote accessto services browsethrough a listof FAQsbefore submittingtheir query using a Webform. If Universitylibrary resources and reference librarystaff cannotanswer, they canrefer the servicescan