Week 1. Virtual Reference Technical Competencies - Self-Assessment and the Successful Virtual Reference Interview
Week 2. Basic Technical Skills for the Virtual Reference Interview
Week 3. Managing Communication and Document Delivery for Virtual Reference Services
Virtual Reference Competencies: Acquire and Improve Technical Skills and Knowledge is a primarily asynchronous seminar, allowing participants to work through course material at times convenient to them throughout the three week scheduled course time. Participants may also choose to schedule online chat time with the teacher, as they feel necessary. Specific material and learning activities will be covered during each week of the course. Threaded discussion forums are available for use in learning activities and other course-related conversations.
By the end of this course, you will:
- assess and improve your ability to type on a computer keyboard and make use of other related input devices (mouse, trackball, touchpad, etc.)
- assess and improve your work with multiple software applications on a computer with multiple windows, to move appropriately between windows/applications, and to move quickly and mindfully between multiple activities chatting, searching print or electronic sources, etc. (minimal multi-tasking)
- evaluate and add to your detailed functional knowledge of how to access the Internet, use Internet e-mail, connect to Web sites
- increase your detailed functional knowledge of at least one Web browser
- cultivate your awareness of the basic technologies that any given virtual reference service user may or may not be using, have access to, or be limited by
- develop awareness of the chat software specifics for a given system you
are going to be using then develop:
- detailed functional knowledge of the specific chat software used by your library or other organization for chat reference
- cultivate awareness of how to connect to and chat through Web-based chat software, Instant Messaging, etc.
- add to your awareness of the options for document or information delivery
- practice sending files as attachments in e-mail
- understand when and how to make use of other file transfer options (e.g., Instant Messaging, ftp, Web posting)
- develop awareness of common computer file formats for information transfer/document delivery (e.g., .txt, .doc .html .gif .jpg .mpg, .pdf)
- cultivate detailed functional knowledge of your local e-mail system and its limitations as well as general awareness of the functionality of email software used by others.
- make use of options to download, install, and use toolbars, search engines, plug-ins, and other helpful browser extensions.
- assess your ability to use a document scanner to scan print materials to be faxed and/or saved for transfer to the user (e.g., send as attachments by e-mail, file transfer options)
Librarians and Library paraprofessionals who want to assess and improve their technical skills for virtual reference services or for those who are training librarians and library paraprofessionals in technical skills for virtual reference services.
Some basic reference service experience is assumed. Level of instruction is beginners or for those training beginners in providing virtual reference services.
Participants should know how to use e-mail and a current standard Web Browser Firefox, Netscape 7.0, Safari or IE 5.5 or higher is preferred.
Register anytime to work-at-your-own pace with an instructor through e-mail and Web. $125.Required and Recommended Course Material:
All of the required and recommended readings for the course will be available on-line and in the text:
- The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-Mail Environments by Kovacs, Diane K. Neal-Schuman Publishers (2007) published concurrently in the United Kingdom by Facet Publishers (2007) - http://www.neal-schuman.com/db/1/571.html or http://www.facetshop.co.uk/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=626-8&Category_Code=
Diane K. Kovacs is President of Kovacs Consulting - Internet & Web Training. She has 15 years of experience as a Web Teacher and Consultant. Diane has been designing and teaching Web-based MLA CE courses since 2001. She also designs and teaches Web-based courses for UIUC GSLIS LEEP, the ACRL, and other organizations.
Genealogical Research on Web was published in 2002 . How to Find Medical Information on the Internet: A Print and Online Tutorial for the Health Care Professional and Consumer (2000) (Library Solutions Press) and Building Electronic Library Collections: The Essential Guide to Selection Criteria and Core Collections (Neal-Schuman) were both published in 2000.
Diane's first book The Internet Trainer's Guide , was published in 1995. The Internet Trainer's Total Solution Guide was published in 1997. She has also co-authored with her husband Michael Kovacs, Cybrarians Guide to Successful Internet Programs and Services which was published by Neal-Schuman in 1997.
Diane Kovacs is the 2000 recipient of the "Documents to the People" award from the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association. She was also the recipient of the Apple Corporation Library's, Internet Citizen Award for 1992 and was the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science Alumni Association's first recipient of the Leadership Award in 1996. Since 1990 she has been the editor-in-chief of the Directory of Scholarly and Professional Electronic Conferences.
Diane received an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois in 1989 and an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Kent State University in 1993. She has a B.A. in Anthropology also from the University of Illinois, 1985.
