Update, November 30, 2011: Seeking Synchronicity Webinar Recording Now Available
OCLC – “A new membership report from OCLC Research, in partnership with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Seeking Synchronicity distills more than five years of virtual reference (VR) research into a readable summary that features memorable quotes that vividly illustrate very specific and actionable suggestions. Taken from a multi-phase research project that included focus group interviews, surveys, transcript analysis, and phone interviews, with VR librarians, users, and non-users, these findings are meant to help practitioners develop and sustain VR services and systems. The report asserts that the “R” in “VR” needs to emphasize virtual “Relationships” as well as “Reference”. Among the topics addressed are:

• The exaggerated death of ready reference
• The importance of query clarification in VR
• Ways to boost accuracy and build better interpersonal relationships in VR
• What can be learned from VR transcripts
• How convenience is the “hook” that draws users into VR services
• Generational differences in how people perceive reference interactions and determine success
• The need for more and better marketing”