User perceptions of digital reference services

Libraries and information services are increasingly providing question-answering services to "virtual" users through online communication modes such as chat and e-mail. However, basic research is needed on the perceptions, expectations and satisfaction of online users to improve our understanding of the information behaviors of online users and to inform the design of information systems, services and assessment to better meet their needs.; This dissertation research provides a case study of user perceptions of chat and e-mail question-answering services in an online university library setting. In this exploratory qualitative study, interviews were conducted with digital reference users in conjunction with an unobtrusive analysis of chat and e-mail transcripts and institutional documents. Qualitative content analysis was used in a theoretical framework with coding categories drawn from two theories in computer-mediated communications (Short, Williams & Christie's Social Presence Theory, Daft and Lengel's Media Richness Theory), two theories in decision-making behavior (Zipf's Principle of Least Effort, Simon's Satisficing within Bounded Rationality), and one theory in user behavior in interpersonal interactions (Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory ). The results offer insights into factors important in influencing users' perceptions of digital reference services, expectations expressed by chat and e-mail users, and their judgments of the information-seeking process and outcomes.