1.The Convergence of Multiple Mode of Reference
Rather than viewing face-to-face reference, chat reference, IM reference, e-mail reference, telephone reference, and so on as unique services, each one separate from the others in staff and resources, the trend seems to be to view them all as subsets of reference and information services or question-answering services
The convergence of reference modes is creating multitasking problems for many librarians, and as a result, today’s reference librarians must multitask on a nearly continual basis. As one of the focus group participants said, If you’re on the desk, you’re also answering the phone. You may be doing chat while you’re also having to monitor e-mail … and there’s no opportunity to handle just one patron at a time.