Reply To: Ask a librarian: The rise of virtual reference services

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#1012
Katherine Lee
Participant

Thanks for your insightful comment Kate. You made my reflection sound much better than it actually was!

I agree with you that in-class library lessons and services are definitely still important. Sometimes nothing can beat being physically in a class room interacting with a librarian and other students, particularly with more complex referencing or research questions. I do feel that academic libraries are now in a strange situation where they are having to deal with a new kind of student who is physically remote to them. It can be difficult to get the resources and services to them, but I think that libraries are trying their best to come up with solutions.

I also think  with special libraries, it’s not just a matter of not having enough resources and funds but also a lack of demand from patrons. From doing some work in a law library I found that there is not as great a demand for technological innovation from the patrons because they much prefer to use print resources. The culture of the law library was very different to academic libraries, which tend to place more emphasis on the library as a learning space, and was much more traditional. Depending on the patrons, it may not be necessary to adopt the latest innovation in library services.