Work

Service equality in virtual reference

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Research is divided about the potential of e‐service to bridge communication gaps, particularly to diverse user groups. According to the existing body of literature, e‐service may either increase or decrease the quality of service received. This study analyzes the level of service received by different genders and ethnic groups when academic and public librarians answered 676 online reference queries. Quality of e‐service was evaluated along three dimensions: timely response, reliability, and courtesy. This study found no significant differences among different user groups along any of these dimensions, supporting the argument that the virtual environment facilitates equitable service and may overcome some challenges of diverse user groups.

Source: Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology

DOI: 10.1002/asi.20757

Authors: Pnina Shachaf, Shannon M. Oltmann, Sarah M. Horowitz

Institutions: Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, Augustana College

Language: English

Topic: Web and Library Services

Subfield: Library and Information Sciences

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Reference and User Services Association