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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I am cross-posting this to three lists, so please ignore it if you have seen it
elsewhere.
About three weeks ago I asked for your input concerning an electronic access
policy I was asked to draft for the art museum library where I am interning. I
received a number of helpful answers and several requests to share my findings.
Here they are:
Most e-mail links from the webpage to the institution are blind, i.e., a person
using a provided e-mail link to send a query often does not know by whom it
will be received. In some cases, while queries are blindly forwarded to the
system administrator and/or librarian, a staff directory is also available so
that if someone wishes to send e-mail to a specific person (or job title) they
may do so.
Some of you have the luxury of having e-mail queries going to a separate
account. Other have created a separate folder into which these messages are
moved by the librarian (or other recipient). Everyone seems to agree that
having more than one person being able to access (and answer) these queries is
helpful.
Most people agreed that finding aids are helpful and suggested
exhibition-related histories and activities and staff directories as being the
most often accessed. FAQ pages are also popular. Some museums do offer
limited access to their collection management system; it seems to hinge on the
collection management software used by the museum, and, as we have all seen on
these lists, the search for the perfect software is ongoing.
Many of the respondents said their reference questions had not increased
dramatically with the addition of e-mail (most average less than 10 questions
per week). Checking the reference e-mail once per day seems to be sufficient.
Electronic questions are handled with the same priority as telephone questions
or snail mail questions, i.e. a human being standing at your desk with a
question gets first priority. Generally, if a library tries to answer most
reference questions within 24 hours, that policy extends to queries received
electronically as well. The source and nature of the questions asked are
similar to those regularly received by mail, phone or in person.
No one who responded to my query has a written policy in place, although
everyone seems to agree it would be a good thing to have. Many of you
suggested sites to see how policies are implemented, and those are:
http://www.art.uiuc/kam
http://www.childrensmuseum.org
http://uas.berkeley.edu:7355/policy/usepolicy.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/ask/eref.html
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/Library_Pages/sherman.html
http://www.lib.usf.edu
I was also referred to:
"Building a Corporate Internet Strategy" by Amit K. Maitra
and
"Pointing and Clicking to NMAA: One Museum's Experience with a
Consumer Network" which appeared in the Fall 1994 issue of "Art Documentation."
A good feature is the automatic response. This consists of a brief message
(two or three sentences is sufficient) acknowledging receipt of the query by
the institution.
The other most valuable advice I received from many of you is that while
webpages are enormously time-consuming, be sure to keep them current. Seems
obvious, but sometimes those are the very things we overlook.
A big thanks to everyone who responded to my initital posting. For
those of you who asked for a copy of the policy I draft, I am in the process of
finalizing it and will send it to you individually within a couple of weeks.
Polly Trump
[log in to unmask]
Texas Woman's University
Denton,TX 76201