High Touch vs.

High Tech: The Changing Nature of Managing Library Reference Service Introduction Providing automated reference service for library patrons and upholding traditional reference service is a complex issue facing library managers and reference librarians. An important question is whether library managers can successfully pursue the methodologies of providing high touch (in-person reference assistance) and high tech (electronic reference assistance) services for users. Many feel pressured by wanting to be on the leading edge of supporting new library technology and showcasing a unique and vibrant local print collection. This can be compared to the Ancient Greek mythology of Scylla and Charybdis (rock and a hard place analogy) in that pursuing one option will only increase the risk of neglecting the other. This is illustrated in the statement that "there is an inherent conflict between the culture of technology--which people perceive to be cold, impersonal, and threatening--and the culture of the library--which they perceive to be warm, comforting, old-fashioned, and personal" (Bales, 84). The proliferation of high tech has resulted in disintermediation of the human interaction between the librarian and library patron at the reference desk. This paper advocates that librarians should contextually integrate new technology with traditional reference service in order for libraries to remain competitive in the burgeoning information seeking market. High tech can positively alter high touch to also being a service and not simply a gateway for users to library collections. This essay is divided into ten chapters (excluding the introduction) that holistically discuss the high touch vs. high tech debate. The first defines and briefly discusses the characteristics of high touch while the second chapter defines and briefly discusses characteristics of high tech. The third section analyzes challenges for managers and librarians in providing reference service in a high tech environment. Next the essay discusses implications of high tech reference service. The fifth area outlines remote reference service while the sixth analyzes models and paradigms of libraries from the high touch to the high touch spectrums. The next section talks about high tech issues facing reference librarians and managers. The eighth section discusses the 1996 Benton Foundation Report that focuses on visions of library leaders to public attitudes about libraries and technology. The ninth chapter analyzes positive impacts of high tech on high touch. Section ten is a discussion of collaboration between IT (Information Technology) and Public Service departments to provide successful high touch and high tech service to patrons. Finally the essay provides some high tech reference statistics.

What is High Touch? "Human service is a fundamental concept in librarianship, and the essential role of reference librarians is to connect people with the information they want" (Mendelsohn, 176). High touch refers to the human interaction and face-to-face transactions that take place between the patron and reference staff member. This methodology emphasizes the traditional nature of libraries fulfilling information requests in an intimate and customer service oriented fashion. An important point is that "one of the manager's most critical functions is to provide the human resources needed to carry out the functions of the organization" (Stueart and Moran, 163). Having a well-trained and friendly staff has been crucial for the successful operation of libraries. High touch has been a cornerstone of library service for decades but during the 1990s it has been somewhat overshadowed by the philosophy of high tech. But Young (1996) makes an important point that "digital information libraries have human resource requirements that are only now beginning to come clear" (Young, 124). There needs to be services that assist and entice remote and in-house patrons to use library resources (electronic and hardcopy).

What is High Tech? Due to the encroachment of high tech on high touch, this essay will focus primarily on examining the former concept. The term virtual library holistically encompasses the high tech concept. Gapen (1993) defines a virtual library as: the concept of remote access to the content and services of libraries and other information resources, combining an onsite collection of current and heavily used materials in both print and electronic form with an electronic network which provides access to, and delivery from external world-wide library and commercial information and knowledge sources (Gapen, 1). Automated reference service, electronic/digital resources, and virtual libraries are synonyms of high tech and have been used interchangeably by library managers. In this scenario high tech refers to the growing number of electronic resources and services available to patrons in the library and those off-site (walk-in and remote). Some of these electronic features are networked OPACs (online public access catalogs) with Z39.50 software that provide access to online full-text databases like Ebscohost, CBCA, full-text electronic journals and those in online collections like Project Muse. Examples of services are web forms (online forms for reference questions that are automatically e-mailed to a library), online tutorials (University of Texas TILT) and subject web pages (University of Alberta). The Internet is a vital component of high tech service. Despite popular opinion, it is a misnomer that the Internet is an easy information superhighway to browse for information. A more accurate description is that it is an unorganized parking lot with a lack of scholarly content and a small amount of indexed items. Reference librarians need to educate the public on this important but misunderstood perception of the Internet. This will be discussed later in the essay. A commonly asked question is how much is high tech redefining libraries and reference services. "As the library truly becomes more user-centered and provides information and information access to the desktop, it becomes more a concept with emphasis on services than a place with emphasis on collections" (Ferguson and Bunge, 253-254). A similar point is

that "the concept of the library as a particular place focused on the local collection is giving way to a service oriented institution focused on technology-mediated access to information regardless of where it is located" (Sutton, 126). Sutton (1996) also writes that in a high tech environment, the primary task of the reference librarian is to provide context. In other words the librarian's role is shifting from simply being an advocate of a collection to being a filter of supplying the best information to a user. The creation of library web sites provide access to electronic resources and also act as surrogates to the physical institution. Strong customer service in this new medium is imperative for the survival of libraries. High tech has also split library users into two groups: walk-in and remote. But Lipow (1999) interestingly comments that "it is not the user who is becoming remote from the library; it is the library that is becoming remote from the user" (Lipow, 47). As a result reference service needs to be available in different mediums to walk-in and remote library users.

High Tech Reference Service Moore (1998) states that there are three areas that currently influence patrons using virtual libraries. One reason is that there is no formal structure for online reference interviews because, unlike face to face communication, reference correspondence via e-mail is still highly unstructured. A second factor is that e-mail question and answer-posting turn around time can be quite lengthy (hours or days). Lack of staff and priority of answering telephone and in-house questions are reasons for this. In addition, managers need to insure that staff are kept abreast of new technologies are in turn able to educate local users using electronic resource. The 1996 CTCL Survey reported that 22% of staff had no formal training; 70% had minimal formal training; 8% had a planned formal training program for learning to use the Internet (Kemp and Waterton, 8). Finally, the instability of campus networks, LANs (local area networks), and WANs (wide area networks) can result in computer down time. Currently "WWW-based reference service seems to offer great potential, though the ideal model for delivering service still needs refinement" (Moore, 31). Managers need to address the information needs of the small but steadily growing population of remote users. Librarians must proactively create and market electronic reference service through media exposure and in-house advertising. Instead they should realize that libraries might only survive in the information driven marketplace by helping assist this new group of high tech users. Library managers need to respect users' constant pursuit of knowledge and easy access to it with providing as much high touch and high tech as possible. Intellectual freedom, equity, and equal access must be primary values for reference service in any medium. In the case of high tech "the challenge for reference service in the largely digital library will be how to extend this human touch to highly diverse and widely dispersed clients whenever and wherever they want and need it" (Ferguson and Bunge, 264). An important point is that due to the growth of web based reference services, "the library is perceived as a people-oriented service with librarians who are able to provide service no matter what the communications medium or technical complexities" (Moore, 35). Sutton makes a similar point by writing that "technology and information resources on their own can not make up an effective digital library" (Sutton, 119). In other words, regardless of the amount of technology, practically all libraries require a strong human intermediary or high touch component. Morgan (1998) comments that "reference service is today what OPAC displays were 10 years ago. Reference is mimicking old paradigms in the new medium and not using the new medium's fullest potential" (Morgan, 40). He discusses how "MyLibrary" and "MyIndex" are used in the Department for Digital Library Initiatives of the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries. They are a customized list of resources chosen by each user and a searchable database for each user that is created by an Internet robot. Their goals are to assist patrons with using electronic library material and help librarians with seeing possible search patterns. However, this method may raise sensitive privacy issues, such as the Government of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).

Remote Reference Service There are two areas that reference librarians have developed in response to high tech. They are desktop videoconferencing and online reference question forms. The former encountered moderate success in pilot projects at two academic libraries. The first was called IRA (Interactive Reference Assistance) and occurred in 1996-96 at the University of Michigan's Shapiro Undergraduate Library. CU-SeeMe technology and inexpensive video cameras were used and set up at the reference desk and a workstation in a student residence hall. The project was well planned but usage was low and was fraught with inconsistent quality of audio and video connections due to insufficient bandwith. Another IRS project was developed at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in 1997. A videoconference link was established between the reference desk at the university's science library and students in a college of medicine computer lab. The service was offered one hour per day, Monday through Friday and lasted for three months. The project utilized an Apple VideoPhone Kit (a sample screen from a session can be viewed at http://www.ala.org/acrl/paperhtm/irs4.gif). Similar concerns were technical improvements, privacy, and overcoming fear and self-consciousness. "While videoconferencing promises a great deal in moving reference services from the library out to the user, most remote electronic reference services in operation today are based on electronic mail." (Sloan, 128) The second and more widespread medium of providing reference assistance to remote users is via e-mail or more specifically web forms. Despite its popularity, some weaknesses are the lack of the initial face to face reference interview and question negotiation. A standard web form consists of a fill-in-the-blank form that structures a users' query. Haines and Grodzinski (1999) state that benefits of a reference web form can enhance online approachability for users, supply a framework for a virtual reference interview, furnish statistics, improve and expand librarians' skills, promote visibility of the library. They write that "a web form can provide a more personal touch than an e-mail link by allowing the inclusion of a greeting or pleasing graphics to communicate a positive impression of your library" (Haines and Grodzinski, 272). In April 1998, after a brief pilot project, the Humanities & Social Sciences Library at the University of Alberta introduced the reference desk web form through its "Electronic Reference Desk". Between April 1998 and March 1999 197 questions were answered while 234 were answered between April and November 1999. Sloan states that for the forseeable future, e-mail

will continue to be the most popular form of remote reference assistance because of its ubiquitous availability to users and that it does not require as significant investment in time, and personnel. However, improvements in videoconferencing via computers and laptops may eventually revolutionize remote reference service.

Library Paradigms This definition supplements Crawford and White's (1998) point that the virtual library is only the latest in a long succession of visions or paradigms of libraries. The first paradigm discussess the ancient libraries of Sumer and Babylon's philosophy of having a local and self-sufficient collection. The second paradigm encompasses the birth of networked libraries and regional systems like Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) and Research Library Information Network (RLIN) in the late 1960s. The most recent paradigm, virtual libraries, emphasizes technology being able to provide information quickly to patrons. The case study library in the author's article is a compromise between the first and third paradigms of combining digital and local print collections. Special and highly focused collections were not digitized because library managers believed that digitization should not supplant the entire collection. They conclude that the future of reference service to patrons in the age of digital libraries will be difficult for managers to predict. However, the Internet will continue to evolve and will likely not provide all information needs for patrons. Most managers need to be aware that the future of providing reference service will be exciting but will also be characterized by continuous change. In a similar fashion, Sutton illustrates a typology of different libraries. The four different libraries (traditional, automated, hybrid, digital) reflect a shift from information being site-based to distributed resources on a computer network or on the World Wide Web. In addition there is an evolution from human to machine-based mediation. He argues that the shift towards "geographically free" libraries can result in a new type of high touch reference service. This essay is concerned with types two (automated) and three (hybrid) that are characterized by having significant portions of material in electronic format and thus impacting traditional reference service. Types three and four need reference librarians to structure information environments for virtual users. These cybrarians can focus on "consultative services exclusively i.e., client-centered services which deliver the right information, to the right person, at the right time, in the right form, in the right place, and for the right price" (Sutton, 141). The term cybrarian (electronic resources librarian) has coincided with the exponential growth of the library high tech environment in the 1990s. "Cybrarian was originally used in 1992 by Toni Emerson at the Human Interface Technology Lab at the University of Washington" (Moore, 35).

High Tech Issues The proliferation in the usage of the Internet by library staff, creation and maintenance of library web pages, and the hiring of cybrarians have all impacted high touch. A growing debate is whether or not high tech has positively or negatively affected traditional reference service to local patrons. However, a holistic answer is that high tech has laterally altered reference service by introducing new methods of serving patrons in a new environment. Moore (1998) provides two reasons for libraries pursuing electronic reference services: the service is novel, interesting and it saves patrons from having to go to the library or place a telephone call. As a result "the goal of many librarians is to create a true virtual library. Although this goal is achievable, it has been difficult to achieve" (Crawford and White, 3). Koyama (1999) writes that high tech multimedia capabilities such as videoconferencing can successfully connect reference librarians and users as online information partners along a continuum of question/answer/consultation activities. Shreeves (1994) analyzes the growing emphasis of libraries promoting usage of digital resources. He states that managers need to understand that electronic dissemination of information is not the source for the distribution of knowledge. In other words, virtual libraries should not be portrayed as the only or best gateway to all recorded information. Shreeves lists four points that have contributed to the rapid proliferation of high tech: growing fiscal restraint for public and academic libraries; loss of staff; overselling of technology in the media and librarianship; librarian's fascination with technology. He is not optimistic that librarians will be successful in mediating the usage of print and non-print sources and being responsive to the needs of users. According to him, the increasing dependence on high tech by librarians has helped accelerate the growth of the information industry. In turn this has somewhat diminished high touch service in libraries. Traditional reference service has been predicated on in-house "question-answering" by librarians. Ferguson and Bunge (1998) write that the gradual disappearance of the traditional reference desk has been characterized by tiered service (information desk staffed by students and/or support staff) and appointments made with the librarian for in-depth reference assistance. However, the authors also state that there is a growing emphasis on services rather than on collections. The role of librarians is quickly shifting from being an "information provider to information access consultant" (Ferguson and Bunge, 254). This subsequently raises the question of what will be the quality of library service in a high tech environment? Reference assistance is becoming more complex with more services becoming available because of high tech. For instance, due to the advent of electronic workstations, networked OPACs and the World Wide Web, librarians are spending less time at the reference desk and more time rebooting computers, changing print cartridges, completing mediated online searches, building and maintaining web pages, and negotiating license agreements. High tech represents a paradigm shift that libraries are either warmly or hesitantly embracing. Library managers are incorrect in assuming that strictly pursuing a high tech avenue is the best answer for cutting operating costs and improving service effectiveness. Costs are not always significantly lower compared to having a larger staff and having a high tech environment will likely involve a significant amount of staff training. However, many library managers do not want to construct a high tech environment at the expense of absolving their print collection and high touch reference service. It has been more difficult in measuring the trend of cutting and creating new reference related positions based upon the impact of technology. Many statistics have shown that growing usage of electronic resources by local and remote users have led to a decline in reference desk activity. However, this loss can be supplemented by increases in virtual library usage that would require librarians to regularly maintain high tech service (web pages and online tutorials). Grodzins (1997) discusses seven common signposts that librarians believe can lead to the eventual absence of high touch and reliance on high tech. The first is that declining circulation statistics can be correlated to more Internet use. The

proliferation of electronic journals and other documents online will account for this. Second, fewer walk-in users can mean less usage of print collections and possibly lead to branch closures. This may be attributed to more library users having Internet access from using their home computers. Next is the paradox that librarians are afraid of failing to keep up with the constant emergence of new electronic resources while being concerned with having a diminishing print collection. Fourth is a trend of having the main reference desk replaced with an information desk staffed by student workers and/or library support staff and patrons making an appointment with a librarian for in-depth reference questions. Next is the rise of outsourcing reference services and the reduction of reference desk hours. Sixth is the proliferation of Internet search engines and automated reference librarians. Finally, the need for large sized facilities and staff can become difficult to justify with the potential for dwindling print collections and fewer acquisitions of new print materials. Library managers have some legitimate concerns about retaining high touch vis--vis these eight signposts. But it is currently difficult to predict how much of an impact high tech will have on high touch and in-house library use. Talbott (1995) writes that decision support systems have encroached upon society's thirst for information. He asks many rhetorical philosophical questions about the morality of computers and its impact on human communication. The author states that computers have the capacity to emulate and become almost any tool including a library (Talbott, 31-32). He also writes that "we find ourselves immersed ever more deeply in a kind of creeping virtual reality" (Talbott, 374). He believes that our growing reliance on high tech has made us live in an interactive state with computers and rely more upon using artificial online communication with people. Talbott grapples with the concept of whether technology has depersonalized society into mechanistic automatons. He has legitimate concerns about the creeping paralysis of high tech but perhaps overlooks the benefits it can have for remote information seeking library users.

Benton Foundation Report Bales (1998) analyzes a report issued by the Benton Foundation in November 1996 called Buildings, Books, and Bytes. It compares the visions of library leaders to public attitudes about libraries and technology. A national public opinion survey of 1,000 people found that "85% of Americans say that librarians' helping people find information through computers and online services is important or very important" (Bales, 82). However, results from the findings saw three major problems specific to the high touch/high tech issue. The first is that the youngest group polled (18-24) "showed weak support for several key library services and functions . . . [and] were also the least enthusiastic of any age group about the importance of libraries in a digital future" (Bales, 83). Second is that despite widespread admiration for librarians, "Americans were not sure how they [libraries] fit into the new information landscape. There is little understanding of the librarian's expertise in information science or the application of these skills to the Internet" (Bales, 83). Finally, the report states that many people support traditional library services but are ambivalent about technological transformations. They "are afraid of technology, and fear it will replace reading. The public seemed to want some kind of balance struck between traditional collections and computers" (Bales, 83). Bales writes that libraries need to take the initiative as public educators and discuss the topic of the benefits with linking libraries and technology. Libraries, in conjunction with universities or other institutions, can hold free or nominally priced informational sessions for the public Buildings, Books, and Bytes recommends four important strategies that library managers should implement to successfully address the high touch/high tech dilemma. The first is that libraries must be portrayed as being high touch first followed by high tech. The reason is that managers need to first adhere to people's nostalgic memories of going to the library as being an enriching social and educational experience. Librarians can not abandon personalized service for the sake of strengthening high tech services. The second recommendation calls to root all discussions of technology in books and reading. In other words, managers need to reassure the public that there will not be a radical transformation with traditional values of learning and reading and the incorporation of technology in libraries. The third recommendation by the report is to build trust in the benefits of technology in libraries. He eloquently writes that an important role for managers will be "marrying the Information Age to the idea of discovery and enlightened guidance" (Bales, 85). They need to emphasize that the proliferation of library technology will not replace using traditional higher learning print material. In addition, librarians need to market themselves as expert information navigators using various mediums to assist patrons. The last recommendation is for managers to connect libraries with successful parenting. "Americans define going to the library as a demonstration of good parenting. The library is not merely a "place," but rather an event and act of self definition, a way of affirming traditional values" (Bales, 85). The argument is that libraries can be safe havens for parents by teaching their children how to responsibly use the Internet and help choose appropriate material to read. In sum, managers must learn how to successfully market libraries as a virtually free information, education, and social facility for people of all ages.

Positive Impacts of High Tech on High Touch Grodzins examines some types of new electronic resources. One example is the Foundation Center's electronic reference desk. It can respond to questions about online requests for factual information on foundations, philanthropy, nonprofits, and fundraising research. It can send an e-mail reply within three or four business days but can only respond to one question per person every week. She discusses how cooperative online efforts among specialized libraries have strengthened high tech service. Another example is AGNIC (Agriculture Network Information Center). It was established by an alliance of the National Agricultural Library, land-grant universities, and other organizations committed to facilitating public access to agricultural and related information. The Norris Medical Library at the University of Southern California has a self-developed interface for Medline and other biomedical databases. After an online search session has been completed, the user is prompted for his/her result satisfaction. If dissatisfied, the user can have the search strategy automatically forwarded to a librarian for review and a response is e-mailed within 24 hours. Grodzins also discusses the advantages of live and interactive remote reference service. The Internet Public Library offers real-time reference service through MOO (Multi-User Object Oriented environment). One hour a day, remote users can telnet by using MUD (multi-user dungeon) and be in direct contact with a

reference librarian. The author states that there needs to be more libraries that offer this unique service to the public. It is arguable that the proliferation of high tech and increased use of it by remote users will bolster the image of libraries as being storehouses of information and effective reference services. But high tech can help advertise the globalization of information and the unique aspects of print local library collections for local use. However, much time and resource sharing are needed to maintain these complex virtual libraries.

High Tech Reference Statistics Despite the rapid advancement of the high tech philosophy to virtual and remote users, library managers should be aware that electronic reference service is still in a nascent stage of development. In addition, a small and elite group of patrons currently use this service. Moore writes that a recent study conducted at the University of Arkansas library system found that 67 percent of World Wide Web users were faculty. Some interesting reference desk statistics are that "web questions represent merely 3.1 percent . . . telephone questions are 12.4 percent, and in-person questions represent 84.5 percent of the total number of questions" (Moore, 32). Finally, there were only a few daily e-mail reference questions sent to the library. The study concludes that World Wide Web reference service has had little impact on traditional reference service. Moore writes that there are three main reasons for low electronic reference use at UCA. The first is that many students (undergraduate and graduate) prefer face-to-face interactions with librarians. Secondly, patrons have faster responses to in-person or telephone questions. Finally, many UCA students do not have computers with network connections available in their dormitories. The first point illustrates the strength of libraries providing strong customer service or high touch. This deeply imbedded positive characteristic of libraries will prevail for years to come. A local study that illustrates the use of the Internet is the 1996 CTCL (Canadian Association of College and Technical Libraries) Survey on Library Internet Services. Ninety-four CTCL libraries responded and showed that electronic mail ranked as the highest used function (78%) of the Internet. Answers to reference enquiries constituted 56% while access to full text/image journal was 38% (Kemp and Waterton, 8). These are fairly high figures for the short amount of time the Internet has been available in academic libraries. However, high tech will become more popular and widespread as time passes and computer technology improves. Managers need to be aware that libraries are quickly becoming facilities for people to access the Internet. For instance, an April 15, 1998 survey released by MCI found: a 500 percent increase in the number of people using Internet connections at libraries [since 1996] . . . [and] the number of public libraries offering public access to the Internet has more than doubled in the last two years to 60 percent. The number is even higher for libraries serving populations of 100,000 or more . . . forty-five percent of respondents accessing the Internet from other locations named the public library as their point of access (MCI

Conclusion It is an ongoing dilemma for library managers and reference librarians to achieve a balance in providing both high touch and high tech services. They want the best of both worlds and consequently are pondering if this is a realistic goal. If properly coordinated, high tech will enhance existing high touch services. Despite the growing number of virtual libraries, such as Internet Public Library, Librarians' Index to the Internet, Michigan Electronic Library, and Yahoo!, librarians will still be needed to help evaluate and interpret information for patrons. "No matter how easy and intuitive the digital interface becomes, information seekers will always get stuck" (Grodzins, 129). Another important point is that "no software application will replace a good human reference librarian any time soon" (Pescovitz, 68). High tech will continue to replace some in-house reference service and offer convenient, new library services. High tech and digital libraries will need to maintain a high degree of personalized service to patrons with higher reference service expectations. Sarkodie-Mensah (1997) concludes that applying high touch in a high tech environment involves identifying and serving a diverse population, teaching critical thinking skills, and defining electronic sources to users. This essay has advocated that library managers can successfully serve its two current types of patrons (local and remote) by ensuring that high tech incorporates high touch methodologies. These two services should not oppose each other but rather complement and enhance each other and strengthen the ideal of libraries being a public good and providing information in various mediums to many types of patrons.

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