No description available.

There has been in recent years a surge of interest about new software products that make it possible for libraries to offer assistance to online users via chat. Such software offers far more interactivity than instant messaging programs and allow for a richer experience for both librarian and user. Surveys chat reference services around the globe and analyzes trends in the provision of this new mode of assistance. Also presents discussion of why chat reference service is gathering attention as well as its limitations and drawbacks.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-233).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-233).

This paper describes a study conducted to determine the paths digital reference services take through a general process model of asynchronous digital reference. A survey based on the general process model was conducted; each decision point in this model provided the basis for at least one question. Common, uncommon, and wished-for practices are identified, as well as correlations between characteristics of services and the practices employed by those services. Identification of such trends has implications for the development of software tools for digital reference. This study presents a snapshot of the state of the art in digital reference as of late 2001 â early 2002, and validates the general process model of asynchronous digital reference.

Bandgap voltage-reference circuits generate an appropriate amount of a voltage that varies proportionately to absolute temperature (called PTAT), to cancel the complementary to absolute temperature voltage variation (known as CTAT) of a current biased p-n junction diode so that the sum of the two voltages remains constant with respect to temperature. The bandgap voltage of Silicon is approximately 1.1V. It is inconveniently large to generate and use in short-channel circuits where the supply voltage is limited 1.2V. So the idea presented here is to maintain a constant reference voltage of around half the supply voltage (700mV) across a junction diode. A simple circuit for generating the bias current with appropriate temperature dependence for biasing a diode is presented. Simulation results in 55 nanometer technology demonstrate the feasibility of this scheme. The performance that is achievable is a reference voltage with less than 1 percent variation in the temperature range of 0 to 100 degrees C. / text

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, eservice 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 answer 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.

NCknows is a collaborative statewide chat-based reference service, launched in North Carolina in February 2004. The authors were contracted by the State Library of North Carolina as program evaluators for the NCknows project. This article reports on one component of the overarching evaluation effort: an analysis of the transcripts of NCknows chat sessions. This analysis was performed as a peer review, where NCknows librarians critiqued transcripts from the service. This study has three main findings: (1) The quality of reference service being provided by NCknows is high overall. (2) NCknows librarians are more engaged with users than are 24/7 staff members, but they are no more skilled in research or use of information sources. (3) Public librarians provide superior service, but academic librarians provide superior referrals. The implications of these findings for staffing chat reference services are discussed, with respect to librarians' credentials and the participating libraries' service philosophies.

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, eservice 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 answer 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.

The stereotype of the reference transaction is more or less unchanged since Samuel Swett Greenâ s day, as involving precisely one librarian and one user. There are many common situations in which the reference transaction is not a one-to-one interaction, and this article will explore those situations. Additionally, this article argues that as network technology is increasingly utilized in reference work, situations in which the reference transaction is not a one-to-one interaction are becoming more common. Indeed, this article argues that as network technology is increasingly utilized in reference work, reference work will become fundamentally a collaborative effort, to the benefit of both individual reference services and reference work in general.