Reference Services for Students Studying by Distance: a Comparative Study of the Attitudes Distance Students Have Towards Three Reference Services; Phone, Email and Chat

Abstract

Developments in technology have enabled libraries to provide reference services via email and virtual chat, making reference services more accessible to distance users. Chat reference appears to be a service suited to distance user's needs, providing a real time, synchronous form of communication. However, much of the literature regarding chat reference reports a low uptake, and low satisfaction rates among users. This research investigates the attitudes of distance students studying education papers towards three reference services, phone, email and chat and what barriers may be preventing them from using or returning to use these services. To gain insight into distance user's attitudes to reference services a mixed method design was employed, using a survey to gather data. Emails were sent out to 1500 distance students, inviting them to take part in the survey by filling in an online questionnaire. While the sample size in this study is too small to be able to make definitive statements about the whole population, results showed that distance users were generally satisfied with all the reference services. A low uptake for the chat reference service was found, due mainly to the fact that few distance users had any knowledge of this service.