# Presentation: 204470

## Collaborative Digital 

**Midwinter ALA, January 2002**
**Metadata for Question Assignment**
**Linda J. White**

***Collaborative Digital ***
***Reference Service***

## Collaborative Digital Reference Service provides professional reference service to users anywhere, anytime, through an international, digital network of  libraries.

**Notes:**
The Vision (condense the first few slides in the regular show)
-Changing role of reference librarians
-Traditional strengths to build new programs
-redefining roles of librarians and libraries in the information age
-The “here today, gone tomorrow” dot coms can’t replace the “bricks and morter” world of libraries

## The Challenge:

**To capture the essence of the reference process in an online environment using the traditional skills of librarians with the new tools emerging in technology.**

**Notes:**
These are the main components of CDRS, which we’ll described a bit more in a minute

(walk-thru slide)

## CDRS Components

**Member Profiles**
**Member features and strengths **
**Request Manager**
**Assignment and routing of Q&As**
**Knowledge Base of Q&A**
**Search and browse**
**Edit Q&A for privacy, etc.                                                                             **

**Notes:**
These are the main components of CDRS, which we’ll described a bit more in a minute

(walk-thru slide)

## CDRS Process

**Library**
*Patron*

**Knowledge**
**Base**

**Answering**
**Library**
*Librarian*

**ILL, Document**
** ****Delivery**

**REQUEST**
**MANAGER**

**SEND QUESTION**

**GET QUESTION**

**AUTOMATIC or MANUAL                           KB SEARCH**

**NOTIFICATION**

**NOTIFICATION**

**EDITED**
**Q & A**

**GET**
**ANSWER**

**SEND**
**ANSWER**

**Member **
**Profile**

**Member **
**Profile**

**Member **
**Profile**

** ****Traditional and **
**Online Resources:**
**Catalogs, **
**Web Resources, **
**Print Resources, **
**Subject Specialists**** **

***CDRS Process***

**Notes:**
Here’s a visual overview of the CDRS process. No special software is needed; everything is done online using web forms and structured data elements. This is not an email-based system, although notifications informing members when a question is assigned or answered are sent via email from the request manager.

-A question comes into the requesting library, and the librarian decides to send it into CDRS. Each member institution decides the criteria for submission for their own library. 
-A search of the knowledge base (manually in the current system, automatically in a future version of CDRS) is performed to see if the question has been answered before. If the results are not satisfactory, the librarian chooses sends it into CDRS.
-An online form is filled out, and the question is sent to the request manager, which searches the member profiles to find the “best fit” match for that question, depending on certain criteria which will be discussed later (this searching and matching happens in an instant). 
-An alert is sent to the answering library, who has the option of rejecting the question if they cannot answer it. A question can be rejected up to three times. 
-The librarian assigned to the question uses traditional and online resources, just as with other types of reference services. 
-Once answered, it gets routed back through the request manager, and an alert notifies the requesting library that the question has been completed or has been partially answered. 
-Completed and partially completed Q&A sets get transferred to the knowledge base, where they are stored as “inactive” until they go through an editorial process. Once edited, records are made “Active” and are then searchable and browseable by members.
-ILL, document delivery – ultimately a part of future versions of CDRS

## Web Reference Form

**	****Required Elements**
**Name **
**Email Address**
**Subject **
**Education Level**
**Format**
**Optional Elements**
**Keywords**
**Sources Already Consulted**
**Phone/Fax**
**Mailing Address**
**Reason for Research**
** **

**Notes:**
These are the main components of CDRS, which we’ll described a bit more in a minute

(walk-thru slide)

## Request Manager - Q&A Routing

**Education Level Served**
**Weekly Quota Filled**
**Step Two**** - Best Fit Matching:**
**Subject 30%**
**Geographic Area 20%**
**Load Balancing 20%**
**Availability 20%**
**Format Expertise 10%**

***Request Manager - Q&A Routing***

**Notes:**
The routing algorithm is based on these basic elements. When a question comes into CDRS, these elements are evaluated:

Step one: exclusionary elements
The system first finds all institutions that have agreed to answer the education level of the question. If the profile doesn’t match, it is not considered for routing. The request manager also checks to see if the member’s weekly quota has been filled (a member library typically has a quote of 10 per week), if so, they are taken out of the pool of available libraries.

Step two: best-fit
From the remaining pool of profiles, these elements are compared against the profiles and the “best-match” is found. Load balancing helps ensure that questions are spread among a variety of institutions.

## Best Fit Matching

**Best fit elements have a weight and a value.  Best fit computes the rating of each member by multiplying each element’s weight by the element’s value.  The highest ranked member is assigned the question.**

**Notes:**
These are the main components of CDRS, which we’ll described a bit more in a minute

(walk-thru slide)

## Subject as a best fit element

**Weight = 30%**
**RLG Level 1 on Subject BC or Subject Area = 0**
**RLG Level 2 on Subject Area Only = 20%**
**RLG Level 2 on Subject Broad Class = 40%**
**RLG Level 3 on Subject Broad Class = 60%**
**RLG Level 4 on Subject Broad Class = 80%**
**RLG Level 5 on Subject Broad Class = 100%**

***Subject as a best fit element***

**Notes:**
The routing algorithm is based on these basic elements. When a question comes into CDRS, these elements are evaluated:

Step one: exclusionary elements
The system first finds all institutions that have agreed to answer the education level of the question. If the profile doesn’t match, it is not considered for routing. The request manager also checks to see if the member’s weekly quota has been filled (a member library typically has a quote of 10 per week), if so, they are taken out of the pool of available libraries.

Step two: best-fit
From the remaining pool of profiles, these elements are compared against the profiles and the “best-match” is found. Load balancing helps ensure that questions are spread among a variety of institutions.

## Load Balancing as a best fit element

**Weight = 20%**
**< 10 minutes since last assignment = 0**
**< one hour since last assignment = 25%**
**< eight hours since last assignment = 50%**
**< 24 hours since last assignment = 75%**
**> 24 hours since last assignment = 100%**

***Load Balancing as a best fit element***

**Notes:**
The routing algorithm is based on these basic elements. When a question comes into CDRS, these elements are evaluated:

Step one: exclusionary elements
The system first finds all institutions that have agreed to answer the education level of the question. If the profile doesn’t match, it is not considered for routing. The request manager also checks to see if the member’s weekly quota has been filled (a member library typically has a quote of 10 per week), if so, they are taken out of the pool of available libraries.

Step two: best-fit
From the remaining pool of profiles, these elements are compared against the profiles and the “best-match” is found. Load balancing helps ensure that questions are spread among a variety of institutions.

## CDRS Process

***CDRS Process***

**Requesting**
**Library**
*Patron*

**Knowledge**
**Base**

**Answering**
**Library**
*Librarian*

**ILL, Document**
** ****Delivery**

**REQUEST**
**MANAGER**

**SEND QUESTION**

**GET QUESTION**

**AUTOMATIC or MANUAL                           KB SEARCH**

**NOTIFICATION**

**NOTIFICATION**

**EDITED**
**Q & A**

**GET**
**ANSWER**

**SEND**
**ANSWER**

**Member **
**Profile**

**Member **
**Profile**

**Member **
**Profile**

** ****Traditional and **
**Online Resources:**
**Catalogs, **
**Web Resources, **
**Print Resources, **
**Subject Specialists**** **

***Routing***

**Notes:**
Focus in on the request manager and routing of Q & A.

## Member Profiling

**Notes:**
Each member who joins CDRS submits a profile, which includes institutional information such as address, contact information, hours of availability to CDRS, educational level served, etc. In addition, each member profiles their subject strengths, using the RLG conspectus system of 1-5 to classify themselves. All of the information gathered in the profile helps to route the questions, and is owned by the member institution, meaning each member can change and update their profile as needed (for instance, if staffing changes affect available subject expertise).

[Tip: you might point out that most are LC subject headings, we just implemented the use of the NLM Medicine and Pre-Clinical Subject Headings, which will greatly enhance routing of medical questions in CDRS]

## Member Profiling

**Notes:**
Here’s another screen, showing a detail of the RLG levels for subject E: America. 

## Global/CDRS

**Global/CDRS**

**Local/Regional**

**Consortium**

**Library**

**Library**

**Library**

**Local KB**

**Patron**
**access**
**via**
**institution **
**web pages**

**Individual Library**

**Notes:**
This is a simple representation of the “next generation of CDRS” with the local/regional piece on top. Patrons will access the local service via the member library web pages (ask-a, chat, or local KB are the links available). The consortia profiles its members for their own needs, and questions and chats can be manually forwarded to consortia members for answering. Each consortia or individual member institution can populate their own local KB with FAQ or library information, and will set their own criteria for inclusion. 

If a question cannot be answered in the consortium, if they’ve opted to participate in global, the question can be forwarded into the global network of libraries, where it will be automatically assigned to a CDRS member using the best-fit algorithm as previously described.

All Q&As and chat sessions can be tracked and monitored in this new system, questions can be clarified and dialog can go back and forth between patron and librarian until the question is answered satisfactory. 

##  Issues

**Standardized yet flexible.**
**Controlled Vocabulary vs Natural Language (keywords).**
**Balancing the information we need with what patrons are willing to supply.**
**Are the elements, weights and values  correct?**
**Form design**

**Notes:**
CDRS issues that still remain:

-Staff buy-in – if the staff aren’t on board to use the service, the service won’t work
-Patron needs – we are constantly evaluating patron needs – are we providing them with what they want?
-Standards – contributing to NISO standards process (Michelle Cadoree just named to be on one of the committees)
-Quality Assurance – working on quality issues, Chuck McClure coming
-Financial – free right now, but we’ve always known it would cost something. We’re working on fair, flexible pricing plans.
-International issues: language & literacy, Accessibility & infrastructure, cultural & political sensitivities are just some of the issues that we’re aware of when talking about a network that includes international partners.
:

## Collaborative Digital 

- For more information:** **
- _[http://www.loc.gov/cdrs/](http://www.loc.gov/cdrs/)_

***Collaborative Digital ***
***Reference Service***

**Notes:**
The end! Our web site, for more information about joining.

These two links work and should take you to our website. 

See separate handout for links into site if people want a demo or more in-depth information.