A History of the Developments in Virtual Reference Services at the College of Charleston Library

摘要

This article provides an overview of the evolution of virtual reference services at the College of Charleston. E-mail reference has been in use since the mid-1990s. Chat using QuestionPoint began in 2003,and the college joined the 24/7 Chat Reference Academic Cooperative in 2005. Instant messaging reference started the following year, and text messaging reference commenced in 2007. In 2008,the library decided to end participation in the 24/7 Chat Reference Academic Cooperative and to cease using QuestionPoint’s e-mail function. Emerging technologies will impact the ways andmeans of providing virtual reference in the future. This article will examine the rationale driving each development and the library’s experiences providing service with the various platforms in the context of the greater world of virtual reference services.