Transcript Presentation - OhioLINK Research Databases

QuestionPoint
Worldwide Cooperative Reference
4th e-ICOLC Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece
3rd October 2002
Simon Day
Senior Product Specialist, OCLC PICA
[email protected]
Overview
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Context: digital reference and collaboration
History: from CDRS to QuestionPoint
Vision
Components: how it works
Current position: participation so far
Future
Sources of further information
Digital reference
• Definition
• “The provision of reference services, involving collaboration
between library user and librarian, in a computer-based medium”
– Bernie Sloan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Technologies
• Web forms
• Asynchronous communication
• email
• Synchronous communication
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Text Chat
MUDs & MOOs
Video, Voice over IP
Co-browsing, application sharing
Reasons for digital reference
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Serve users where they are
Reach new users
Expand reference availability
Increase the library’s visibility and web presence
Make the library the first choice for high-quality
reference service
Collaborative digital reference
• Solo – one library with its own users
• Consortium/Group
• Resource sharing
• Global
• Access the community of librarians and libraries worldwide
• Bring the power of library co-operation to the reference desk
• Forms of collaboration
• Referring questions
• Routing – manual/human, automatic/machine
• Question and collection metadata comparison
• Sharing answers
• Knowledge bases of previously asked/answered questions
The origins of QuestionPoint
• Library of Congress
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CDRS (Collaborative Digital Reference Service)
Global library-to-library pilot project: June 2000 – June 2002
Early adopters defined requirements
Membership: grew from 16 to 260 libraries of all types in 20
countries over the two years
• Proof of concept: member profiles, algorithms for routing
questions
• OCLC
• Local/regional user-to-library service pilots with the
INCOLSA and METRO U.S. library networks
QuestionPoint vision
To help libraries provide professional reference
services to users anywhere, anytime, through
collaborative, web-based networks of libraries.
QuestionPoint provides:
• Web-based tools to provide and manage reference
services within your library
• The option of linking with your local reference
networks or with the global reference network to
provide additional coverage
With QuestionPoint libraries can…
• Deliver reference support to users via the web
• Provide a locally-branded and customisable question-asking
reference service using web forms, email-based interaction,
and chat interaction with users
• Use enhanced communications: browser sharing, document
sharing, video, voice over IP
• Manage local reference functions
• Receive, respond to, track & manage users’ questions
• Route questions to peers locally
With QuestionPoint libraries can…
• Collaborate locally
• Create, profile, and manage local, regional or subject-based
reference groups to handle querying, routing, and answering
of user questions within these groups
• Collaborate globally
• Participate in a global co-operative network of reference
librarians for answers to user questions requiring expertise
or coverage unavailable within your institution or group
With QuestionPoint libraries can…
• Access a local and/or global knowledge base
• Build and access shared local and global knowledge
databases comprised of completed and edited Q&As
• Manage user accounts, interface customisation, and
statistical reporting
With QuestionPoint library users
can…
• Ask questions and receive answers from their local library via
the Web
• Get quality and reliable information from trusted sources
• Chat with a librarian to get immediate information
• Share applications to gain from librarians’ experience and
expertise
• Track and review their previously asked questions
• View their question history and the current status of submitted
questions via a password- protected and secure interface
Components
• User question forms (templates)
• Local librarian interface
• Global co-operative network
• Profile database
• Routing Manager
• Knowledge base(s)
• Administrative interface
• Usage statistics and reports
QuestionPoint local/group component
Profiled Inst 1
Your Library
User-Library
Communication
User
Walk in/Phone
Web Form
Email
Chat
Voice*
Video*
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Inst.
Admin
Your Reference
Group
Institution
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Ref Lib
Institution
Ref Lib
Local
KB
Group
Admin
Global
KB
Ref Lib
QuestionPoint global component
Local/Regional Component
Answer returned
To local environment
Question submitted to
global component
Global Component
Automated Question Routing
Profiled QP Members
Ref
Lib
Ref
Lib
Member
Global
Admin
Ref
Lib
“Best Fit”
Ref
Ref
Lib
Lib
Member
Member
Q & A Editing Process
Global Knowledge Base
Profile
Database
Automatic question routing
• Routing Manager compares elements of the question
with elements of each member’s profile to obtain a
“best fit”
• Question metadata
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Time deadline
Subject area / Subject broad class
Geographic focus
Educational level
Format
Automatic question routing
• Institution profile
• Available times
• Days of the week, hours during those days
• Unavailable dates, time zone, observance of daylight saving time
• Quota
• Number of questions the library is prepared to answer per week
• Subject strengths
• LCC & RLG conspectus collecting levels
• Geographic strengths
• Education levels served
• Format strengths
Routing Algorithm
Question
Time Deadline
Select eligible
institutions
Profile
Available Times
Select “best fit”
from those eligible
Profile
Available Times 20%
Unavailable Dates
Time Zone
Daylight Saving Time
Processed per week
(quota)
(Time last question
received from global
network)
Subject Strengths
Subject Strengths 40%
Subject Area
Subject Broad Class
Geographic focus
Education Level
Format
Load 20%
Geog. Strengths 10%
Educ. Levels Served
Format Strengths 10%
Global participation
Netherlands
Belgium
United Kingdom
Norway
Germany
Slovenia
Canada
China
United
States
Australia
Governance and contribution
• LC and OCLC serve as organising stewards
• Advisory Board: members represent variety of library types
• Sub-committees address areas of
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Legal
Membership
Implementation
Best practices
• Contribution
• Answering questions from Global Reference Network
• Adding completed Q&A to Global Knowledge Base
• Editing Q&A in the Global Knowledge Base
QuestionPoint membership
benefits
• Total reference solution: local, group, global access & tracking
tools
• Local and global knowledge bases of previously answered
questions
• Usage statistics
• Web-based (no local software or hardware)
• Global network of expertise
• Access to subject specialists worldwide
• Potential to extend reference service to 24/7
• Collaborate locally and globally
• Raise the visibility of libraries
QuestionPoint pricing
• Annual subscription model based on “profiles”
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A profile = a node on the global network
Reference “consortia” created by associating profiles
Unlimited use
Packages
• Global Network Access
• Local/Group Reference Network & Global Network Access
• Enhanced Communications
• Discounts for contribution & consortia
The Future…
• Standards-based communication
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Interoperability among reference networks and between local
services/global network
NISO Standards Committee AZ for Networked Reference Services
• Quality Standards for e-Reference
McClure & Lankes http://quartz.syr.edu/quality/
• Routing
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Automated local routing
Manual global routing: pick from best 3 suggested by routing algorithm
• Off hours and supplemental coverage
• Knowledge Base development
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Batch import of FAQs
End user access
• Public access to the global network
Further information
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QuestionPoint: http://www.questionpoint.org
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Digital Reference Services bibliography: Bernie Sloan, University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~b-sloan/digiref.html
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VRD 2002 Conference: The 4th Annual Digital Reference
Conference, "Charting the Course of Reference: Toward a Preferred
Future," will be held on November 11-12, 2002 in Chicago, IL.
http://www.vrd.org/conferences/VRD2002/
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Standards: NISO Standards Committee AZ for Networked
Reference Services
http://www.niso.org/committees/committee_az.html
Questions?