Reports, requests, and recipient design: The management of patron queries in online reference chats
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
User models as revealed in web-based research services
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Social Q&A and virtual reference—comparing apples and oranges with the help of experts and users
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
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This article seeks to shift the literature on chat-based reference services beyond the current spate of case studies and discussions of emerging standards and best practices in providing chat-based reference, to a higher level of discussion on the creation and discussion of theoretical frameworks to unite these standards and practices. The article explores the various steps in the process of providing synchronous, chat-based reference, as well as issues involved in providing such service at each step. The purpose of this exploration is twofold: First, this article presents some open research questions at each step in the process of providing chat-based reference service. Second, the entire process of providing chat-based reference is viewed as a whole, and a model of the provision of chat-based reference service is developed at a high level of abstraction. It is hoped that this model may serve as a conceptual framework for future discussions of and development of applications for chat-based reference. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.