Best Practices of Text Reference
Service: A Synergistic View
Lili Luo
School of Library and Information Science
San Jose State University
Do you own a cell phone?
A. Yes
B. No
Do you text?
A. More than 50 messages/day
B. 21-50 messages/day
C. Less than 20 messages/day
D. I don’t text at all.
According to the Pew Internet & American
Life Project:
•In 2011, 83% of American adults own mobile
phones and 73% send and receive text
messages.
•Young adults are the most frequent texters –
mobile phone owners between the ages of 18
and 24 exchange a daily average of 109.5
messages
Text A Librarian – how text reference works
A study to examine the practice of text reference
(based on My Info Quest) -- Funded by IMLS
•A collaborative text
reference service
•Launched in July 2009
•Participated by over 20
libraries, including both
public and academic
libraries
Text Reference Question Types
Question Category
Percentage%
Clearly Worded Questions
Local Library Related
13.3
Non Local Library Related
Ready Reference
69.8
Specific-search
9.2
Personal Knowledge
Related
About My InfoQuest
1.3
Out of Service Scope
1.5
Unclear Questions
2.4
2.5
 A sample of questions.
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What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen european swallow?
How do i get from the intersection austin st and pecan st to
1634 chestnut st in denton, TX?
wut does comme d'habitude mean in French
what is the weather forecast for portland, oregon?
What is the recipe for coca cola cake?
Can I contract an STD from having intercourse with my female
doberman pinscher?
What is the reason for each country having its own currency?
What is a good book about 17th century warships?
Why are so manny players in the world
A synergistic view
Librarian perspective
identifying the competencies
requisite for providing text
reference service
User perspective
examining library patrons’ use
and non-use of text reference
service
Librarian Perspective
Top Ten Essential Text Reference Competencies
Ability to compose answers to patrons' questions concisely, quickly, and accurately
Ability to construct effective search strategies and skillfully search online
information sources
Ability to quickly evaluate information and determine the validity, credibility, and
authoritativeness of sources
Knowledge of information resources, especially online information resources
Ability to interpret patrons' information needs with limited context in text
messages
Good communication skills, such as maintaining a friendly, respectful, helpful, and
pleasant tone.
Familiarity with the software/platform used to provide text reference service
Understanding of text reference service policies
Customer service skills
Ability to answer questions politely, intelligently, and professionally, even
questions that might be judged inappropriate due to language or content
Mean Stdev.
4.80
0.41
4.25
0.85
4.05
4.05
0.83
0.83
4.05
1.15
3.90
3.85
3.79
3.74
1.07
0.93
0.98
0.93
3.74
1.15
Chat Reference
Referring users to appropriate
resources/services when necessary
Text Reference
Ability to compose answers to patrons'
questions concisely, quickly and accurately
Skills in selecting and searching
databases and internet resources
Ability to construct effective search
strategies and skillfully search online
information sources
Familiarity with subscribed library
databases
Ability to quickly evaluate information and
determine the validity, credibility and
authoritativeness of sources
Ability to think quickly and deal flexibly
with unexpected situations in chat
reference sessions
Knowledge of information resources,
especially online information resources
Using open probes to clarify questions
Ability to interpret patrons' information
needs with limited context in text messages
User Perspective
A survey was conducted among library users.
Among the 303 respondents, 255 (84.2%) never used the text reference
service provided by their library, and 48 (15.8%) did.
For those who had not used the service, they were asked about their interest
in using the service in the future:
•58.2% -- “Maybe”, depending on whether they have the need or not;
•23.7% -- “No”
•18.1% -- “Yes”.
Reasons for non-use:
59.8% -- were not aware of it
22.5% -- were not texters
22.5% -- considered their information needs adequately met by receiving
assistance from librarians via other venues like telephone, email reference
or coming to the reference desk
15.7% -- generally did not ask librarians for help because they were selfsufficient information seekers and they were able to use library resources
and other information resources independently
In addition, some lack the knowledge of how to appropriately use the
service, and some had unpleasant experience with librarians that makes
them reluctant to use text reference service.
Views from the users:
Users indicated a high level of satisfaction - on a five point Likert scale (1 being
not satisfied at all, and 5 being very satisfied), 87.6% selected “4” or “5”.
How users discovered text reference service
I found it on the library Website.
I learned about it in the library promotional material/events.
I heard about it from someone I know.
I heard about it from a library staff member.
Percentage
41.7%
16.7%
6.3%
37.5%
What users liked about text reference service
It’s easy to use.
It’s convenient.
It’s fast to get an answer.
I’m comfortable with it.
Librarians are a reliable source of information.
It’s cool and fun.
It is useful when I have an idea of the question I want to ask but cannot form
it into a specific Google search.
Percentage
77.1%
66.7%
52.1%
47.9%
4.2%
4.2%
2.1%
Implications for Best Practices
Marketing
User Satisfaction
Training
Questions/Comments?
Lili.luo@sjsu.edu
Image credits:
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