|
|
Article: Providing services to virtual patrons.(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Information Outlook
- Article date:
- January 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Special Libraries Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Library users have always had a knack for finding new and interesting ways to challenge librarians. With the increasing proliferation of fast personal computers and Internet access, a brave new breed of users is finding their way into the library: the Virtual Patrons. These are the people who use your library resources and make requests for library assistance without actually setting foot in the library. Working with patrons without face-to-face contact is not new - after all, the telephone (patented in 1876) is almost as old as the Dewey Decimal system (1873) - but Internet and e-mail patrons raise special issues for librarians. The principal considerations in dealing ...