Virtual Reference Adventure


The Adventure Begins...

Things You'll Need
Along the Way

A Plan picture
Basic Skills
Training
Partners
Marketing
Policies
Evaluation
Interview Skills
InfoLit
Awareness
About this site...

Training is Critical ...
All staff members providing this service need training. Training helps you feel confident and competent, lessening the deer in the headlights reaction frequently mentioned by staff members who are new to chat reference. Training may be provided by your software vendor or your virtual reference consortium. There are more training resources and ideas on this page. What happens next?
  1. You decide to implement a process of peer review.
  2. You find an excellent example of training on chat reference interview skills.
  3. The reward for providing great training is a great virtual reference service.
Advice for the trip
Your Lifelines...
Maryland AskUsNow Training Page
Buff Hirko and Mary Ross, Virtual Reference Training, ALA, 2004.
Anne Lipow, Virtual Reference Librarian's Handbook, Neal-Schuman, 2003.
Think About Ask Yourself More to Explore
Take a Break
Developed by the Statewide Virtual Reference Project, Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act.

Last Modified: April 18, 2006