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CaptainAngus (talk | contribs) m →Providers: Updates in accordance with MOS:GNL |
Adding local short description: "Library reference method", overriding Wikidata description "service by which a library reference service is conducted online, and the reference transaction is a computer-mediated communication" |
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{{Short description|Library reference method}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2008}}
'''Digital reference''' (more commonly called '''virtual reference''') is a service by which a [[library]] reference service is conducted online, and the reference transaction is a [[computer-mediated communication]]. It is the remote, computer-mediated delivery of reference information provided by library professionals to users who cannot access or do not want face-to-face communication. Virtual reference service is most often an extension of a library's existing reference service program. The word "[[reference]]" in this context refers to the task of providing assistance to library users in finding information, answering questions, and otherwise fulfilling users’ information needs. Reference work often but not always involves using [[reference work]]s, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. This form of reference work expands reference services from the physical reference desk to a "virtual" reference desk where the patron could be writing from home, work or a variety of other locations.
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