Thompson, L. A. (2011, June), The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times  Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18607

\bibitem{asee_peer_18607}
  Thompson, L. A. (2011, June), \emph{The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times}
  Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Vancouver, BC.
  10.18260/1-2--18607

Larry A. Thompson.  "The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times".  2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC, 2011, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2011.  https://peer.asee.org/18607 Internet.  09 Jan, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_18607}
  Larry A. Thompson.
  "The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times".
  \emph{2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Vancouver, BC, 2011, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2011.
  https://peer.asee.org/18607 Internet.  09 Jan, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_18607
author = "Larry A. Thompson"
title = "The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times"
booktitle = "2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2011"
month = "June"
address = "Vancouver, BC"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/18607}
number = {10.18260/1-2--18607}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -      The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing TimesGoogle. E-journals. E-books. Blogs. Wikis. Texting. Tweets. With every digital advance,doomsayers foretell the demise of libraries. And, along with the libraries, the passing of thetraditional services they offer. The title of an ACRL presentation states the mindset concisely:“Redesign Your Reference Desk: Get Rid of It!” While this approach may fit the needs of someinstitutions, the University Libraries have adopted a hybrid approach to reference.The physical reference desks provide a service point for traditional in person questions. But, staffmembers at the desk are also tasked with handling chat and text based questions, thusincorporating the new means of communication used by the university community. Chat or textusers are able to select the subject area in which their question falls, and are routed to a staffmember at the appropriate desk. Thus, those with questions in the areas of science, engineering,and medicine are routed to the SciTech desk, while the humanities, social sciences, and businessquestions are routed to staff in those areas.This paper will analyze the library’s reference statistics, with a particular emphasis upon thetrends for various formats of communication. It will also show that, while traditional referenceinteractions may be in decline, information consumers still have questions. Although someinstitutions may choose to get rid of the desk, this paper will demonstrate that in some cases itmay be more effective to answer user questions with a (hybrid) reference desk model.
AU  - Larry A. Thompson
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Hybrid Reference Desk: Changing Strategies for Changing Times
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/18607
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--18607
ER  -