Online in real-time? Deciding whether to offer a real-time virtual reference service

There has been a great deal of interest recently, notably in the USA, in the concept of virtual reference services. Of particular interest is the use of software that allows a "chat" session between librarian and patron. While many libraries in Australia and New Zealand already offer online reference services via e-mail or a Web form, as yet very few have ventured into the world of online reference services in real-time. During the summer of 2001-2002 a pilot group at the University of Canterbury was formed to investigate whether our library should offer such a service in 2002. This paper will briefly describe the service which went live in April 2002, including our reasons for offering it, the process of implementation and preliminary results. It will then outline and discuss in detail some of the issues that have arisen out of the service with comments and recommendations from our experience.