In a recent article, SLIS faculty member Pnina Shachaf addressed issues of virtual reference and the role of professional and ethical standards. The article is in the Bulletin of the American Society of Information Science and Technology, and is available online.
Article excerpts:
"Virtual reference, which allows users to connect easily with librarians online, is becoming popular. Librarians answer thousands of questions every day over the Internet. As the service matures, professional associations publish standards that provide professional guidelines to improve the quality of the services. This article focuses attention on the quality of these e-services in light of professional and ethical standards in the field. It examines the extent to which librarians adhere to professional and ethical guidelines and the role that virtual reference plays in providing services to diverse user groups. First, it discusses adherence to the professional standards and shows that the professional behaviors of librarians vary depending on user, institution and request types. Then, it discusses the extent to which librarians provide equitable online reference services to diverse users groups and the inconsistent findings from empirical research..."
"In sum, this article discussed virtual service quality in light of professional standards and ethical guidelines. Professional and ethical guidelines are established to improve professional behavior and should not be perceived simply as declarative documents. Librarians need to be aware of the RUSA [Reference and User Services Association] and IFLA [International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions] guidelines, as well as their code of ethics; efforts must be made to implement them. Training and research awareness will lead to improved professional behaviors."
Shachaf, P. (December 2007/January 2008). Virtual reference services: Implementation of professional and ethical standards. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 34(2), 20-24. (Special issue on virtual reference services).
See related SLIS News Story:
Are Virtual Reference Services Color Blind?
Posted December 11, 2007