An evaluative case study of a real‐time online reference service

This case study evaluated a real‐time online interactive reference service. Three data gathering methods were used. First, general usage statistics were generated electronically from the service provider. Second, patron evaluations were collected electronically. Third, questionnaires were mailed to the librarians who provided the service. The general usage statistics revealed an overall pattern of growth in the number of participating libraries, the number of patrons, the number of questions and the total time spent answering them in minutes. Patron evaluations of the service were positive, most of the patrons' questions were answered. They all liked the service and intended to use it again. The librarians' responses were also positive. Most of the librarians were able to find quality Internet Web sites containing the answers to their patrons' questions and when they could not, they often found the answers in a print resource. This finding suggested that regardless of the setting, print resources still had an important role to play in the provision of reference service.