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Lankes in his article discusses question and answer organizations, also known as AskA¹s and their impact upon K-12 digital library reference.
He states that the internet has changed reference and so reference librarians need new skills. Nevertheless, reference librarians should understand print sources so that they can
evaluate information on the internet for their patrons. Furthermore, those in other fields like computing will have jobs in the library field to ensure that digital libraries flourish.
Lankes says that the internet is used as a medium that allows patrons to search the holdings of libraries through online catalogs. Reference is also becoming virtual.
Lankes says that the collection in a digital library is effectively the whole of the internet. So the reference librarian becomes a "filter" for patrons.
Lankes looked at outstanding digital reference for K-12. He gathered information from the "Virtual Reference Desk Project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education¹s National Library of Education with support from the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy." The President wants all classrooms to join the internet by 2000. So this study is timely. With so many students seeking information from the internet, that "internet information service organizations" should satisfy this demand, according to this study. This is being done by AskA services that operate as digital reference services. AskA-Scientist is an example.
Some of these services have specialists to answer questions and such services have flourished says Lankes. Examples include Ask Dr. Math, which operates from Swarthmore College and Mad Scientist Network, which functions from Washington University. Ask ERIC and Kids Connect work out of Syracuse University. Nevertheless, should America¹s classrooms all be hooked up to the Internet, these AskA services could be swamped. For instance, Kids Connect had a 1,000 percent rise in questions asked in September 1996, which translates "from 20 questions a week to 200." Still, these services according to Lankes provide an example for digital reference.
There are wider implications beyond K-12 digital reference says Lankes. For instance, internet search engines have their confines, as people have discovered. Plus, according to a study AskA services respond to more questions than libraries do with digital reference. Yet questions for AskA services are based "on a single question," while in house reference might be deeper and need a reference interview. Nevertheless, patrons with a "linear question " may well know what they want and how to ask for it. Lankes suggests more research on this subject.
Another advantage for K-12 digital reference is archiving questions states Lankes. Thus, past questions can be analyzed to determine what patrons want and in putting together a list of ŒFrequently Asked Questions."
Software advances by AskA services are an advantage also for K-12 digital reference says Lankes. Software for workflow has been created, which will help digital reference.
Furthermore, the "Question Interchange Profile (QUIP)" shows the questions being asked along with their answers electronically. Additionally, limits would be placed
for who responds to questions and the charge involved and the deadline for giving answers. There would be user profiles and metadata to help with "sorting and retrieval,"
according to Lankes.
QUIP has commercial implications. Questions could be referred to another company, which would be paid for answering them. Companies could bid for answering questions
or could barter. "I¹ll answer one of yours if you answer one of mine," according to Lankes.
Then there is the question of paying for digital reference. For example, if a New York public library answers a question from California, there is the question of compensation, even though the New York library would not know where the question came from, states
Lankes.
In conclusion AskA services show the library world how digital reference could be improved according to Lankes.
Threaded discussion questions:
What do you think digital libraries can learn for AskA services? What are the advantages and the disadvantages? Have you ever used AskA services and if so were they useful? Discuss the ethics of bidding to supply information?
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