OCLC Research Webinar: Seeking Synchronicity

Published: Nov. 30, 2011, 5:01 p.m.

In this webinar, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at OCLC, and Marie L. Radford, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Communication & Information, Rutgers, discussed the key findings of their multi-year study that were recently published in the report, Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference. These findings indicate that today's students, scholars and citizens are not just looking to libraries for answers to specific questions--they want partners and guides in a lifelong information-seeking journey. By transforming virtual reference (VR) services into relationship-building opportunities, libraries can leverage the positive feelings people have for libraries in a crowded online space where the biggest players often don't have the unique experience and specific strengths that librarians offer.