Fundamentals of Reference

76 REFERENCE SERVICES

4. As sometimes happens in chat and telephone reference, patrons
   often disconnect in the middle of a reference transaction,
   leaving the librarian to wonder if it was a technical glitch or an
   unavoidable interruption at the other end.

Whether the queries are coming in via e-mail, chat, or IM, the goal is the

same: to provide reference service. Offering reference service in a variety of

formats allows us to reach patrons at their time and point of need and in the

way in which they prefer to communicate. Once the technical aspects are dealt

with, just remember that there is a person with a question at the other end and

that goal will be reached.

note

1. Joan M. Reitz, Dictionary for Library and Information Science (Westport, CT:
   Libraries Unlimited, 2004), 218.

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