[Asis-l] The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Reference Transcripts

[Joann Wasik]

Hello all,

I'm interested in gathering transcripts of both exemplary and
not-so-exemplary digital reference transactions for the Digital Reference
Education Initiative (DREI), a sister project to the Virtual Reference
Desk (VRD). DREI seeks to bring together the collective expertise of
practitioners, library educators, and digital reference software
developers interested in issues of education and training in order to
develop core competencies, and educational approaches to digital
reference.

These transcripts would be posted on the DREI Web site at drei.vrd.org,
and would serve as learning tools for those students, faculty, and
practitioners who are looking for both models of effective virtual
reference transactions, as well as transactions that somehow went awry.  
All patron and librarian information will be removed, and in the case of
"bad" transactions, all identifying information, including that of the
organization, will be stripped. Organizations have the option of retaining
their organizational identity on "good" transcripts. The transcripts
showing less than effective transactions in particular offer a good
opportunity for students and practitioners to think about how such
transactions could have been better handled, and how to avoid potential
pitfalls that result in poor service.

A submission form for anonymous submissions is in the works; until then,
please send your submissions directly to me; feel free to send from
anonymous yahoo, excite, or other e-mail accounts if you prefer.

All reference services are looking for ways to improve their
effectiveness, and this is a terrific opportunity to build a repository of
both exemplary and flawed transaction logs for learning and research
purposes.

I look forward to your submissions.

Regards,
Joann

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                        Joann M. Wasik
          Research Consultant & Communications Officer
                   The Virtual Reference Desk
                          www.vrd.org
                        Project Manager
             Digital Reference Education Initiative
                          drei.syr.edu
                      jmwasik at iis.syr.edu
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