"Co-published simultaneously as The reference librarian, numbers 79/80, 2002/2003"

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Digital reference : an overview / Bill Katz -- Virtually yours : thoughts on where we have been and where we are going with virtual reference services in libraries / Diane Kresh -- The digital reference fallacy / R. David Lankes -- Bad moon rising : a candid examination of digital reference and what it means to the profession / Jonathan D. Lauer, Steve McKinzie -- Mediated online searching and digital reference / Amanda Spink -- Stocking the virtual ready reference collection / Danianne Mizzy, Elizabeth Tillapaugh Mahoney -- A checklist for starting and operating a digital reference desk / Ann Marie Breznay, Leslie M. Haas -- Hurry up and wait : observations and tips about the practice of chat reference / David S. Carter -- Communication strategies for instant messaging and chat reference services / Jody Condit Fagan, Christina M. Desai -- Real-time chat reference and the importance of text-chat / Steven Ovadia -- Opportunities for real-time digital reference service / Matthew R. Marsteller, Jackie Schmitt-Marsteller -- Usage and user analysis of a real-time digital reference service / Kelly M. Broughton -- Going where the students are : live/Web reference at Cal Poly Pomona / Kathleen Dunn, Ann Morgan -- Virtual reference at Duke : an informal history / Phil Blank -- Evaluating online real-time reference in an academic library : obstacles and recommendations / Jana Ronan, Patrick Reakes, Gary Cornwell -- Our experience with two virtual reference services at IUPUI University Library / Polly D. Boruff-Jones -- KANanswer : a collaborative statewide virtual reference pilot project / Marcia Stockham, Elizabeth Turtle, Eric Hansen -- Virtual reference services : the LSU libraries experience / Melanie E. Sims -- Ask a Penn State librarian, live : virtual reference service at Penn State / Susan A. Ware ... [et al.] -- Chat reference : one university's experience / Kathy A. Campbell, Marie F. Jones, Jerry Shuttle -- Going it alone : can a small/medium-sized library manage live online reference? / Joyce Ward ... [et al.].