Saturday, November 5, 2011

FREE webinar - Seeking Synchronicity

Seeking Synchronicity #orss

Attend this webinar to learn about our research findings that will inform future development and inspire effectiveness for virtual reference services.

In this webinar, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at OCLC, and Marie L. Radford, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Communication & Information, Rutgers, will discuss the key findings of their multi-year study that were recently published in the report, Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference.

These findings indicate that today's students, scholars and citizens are not just looking to libraries for answers to specific questions—they want partners and guides in a lifelong information-seeking journey. By transforming virtual reference (VR) services into relationship-building opportunities, libraries can leverage the positive feelings people have for libraries in a crowded online space where the biggest players often don't have the unique experience and specific strengths that librarians offer.

Specific details that Connaway and Radford will discuss in the webinar include:

The exaggerated death of ready reference
The importance of query clarification in VR
Ways to boost accuracy and build better interpersonal relationships in VR
What can be learned from VR transcripts
How convenience is the "hook" that draws users into VR services
Generational differences in how people perceive reference interactions and determine success
The need for more and better marketing
This webinar is free and open to all but advanced registration is required.

Register here* to attend this webinar on 15 November 2011 at 2 p.m. EST (UTC 19:00).

A recording of this webinar will be made publicly available on our website and in iTunes in November.

*After you register to attend online, you will receive an e-mail message that contains instructions for logging on to WebEx, where you will view the meeting slides online through your Web browser (please note that WebEx recommends using Internet Explorer or Firefox, as Chrome and Safari are not supported). When you log in to the webinar, you may chose to either listen to the presentation audio through your computer speakers or headset, or dial in to listen by telephone.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call WebEx technical support directly by phone at US/Canada Toll-Free: +1 866 229-3239 or International Toll: +1 408 435-7088.