Knowledge market

Digital information (also: Virtual reference ) is a collective term in librarianship for all access and information activities that are via electronic channels, mostly over the Internet, settled.

Depending on the Internet protocol used for the digital information service creates a chat or e -mail information with synchronous or asynchronous communications.

Technical basis for digital information services employ special software packages that are mostly developed by libraries or library services to meet individual needs. Meanwhile, the source code of some in-house developments for free re-use are offered. The programs support chat or e -mail-based information services; some are modular and can be used for both variants.

To selectively use existing expertise and the total available staff resources efficiently and thus to be able to use the information seeker optimal, more and more libraries join forces for cooperative digital reference services. Pioneer of this model in Germany was the German Internet Library which offers an e -mail information in addition to a structured collection of links. In the DIB in a project funded by the Bertelsmann Foundation Project 70 public libraries had joined together, meanwhile the number of participants has continued to grow. In the autumn of 2004 began with the first information Info Point cooperative in Germany, working together in the libraries of various types, size and alignment and also offer an email -based service.

Digital reference

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