Service equality in virtual reference
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Date
2008
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Wiley-Blackwell
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Abstract
Research is divided about the potential of e-service to bridge communication gaps,
particularly to diverse user groups. According to the existing body of literature, eservice
may either increase or decrease the quality of service received. This study analyzes the
level of service received by different genders and ethnic groups when academic and
public librarians answer 676 online reference queries. Quality of e-service was
evaluated along three dimensions: timely response, reliability, and courtesy. This study
found no significant differences among different user groups along any of these
dimensions, supporting the argument that the virtual environment facilitates equitable
service and may overcome some challenges of diverse user groups.
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Shachaf, P., Oltmann, S. M., & Horowitz, S. M. (2008). Service equality in virtual reference. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology : JASIST. 59 (4), 535.
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