Perhaps the most striking difference is the anonymous nature of the requests. Unless the site s form collects user information, the librarian has no context for understanding the request. A properly designed, well-organized structure of carefully selected resources will ensure that users can easily locate needed information and limit the number of requests for additional information. Web site development and online reference are time-consuming and high maintenance services. Reference workflow has shifted dramatically from blocks of time at the reference desk to development of Web-based reference.
Web users expect service twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Interestingly, many queries are in the form of comments praising the usefulness of the databases or suggesting new links or recommending improvements in format. An important factor to consider when conceptualizing a Web site is the anticipation of the broadest possible scope of users. Creating layers of resources is a way to accommodate the breadth of user requests. Anticipation of the broadest scope of users is a new direction for most land-grant libraries. However, with a re-emphasis on the outreach mission at the University of Minnesota, the broad scope of users complements institutional goals.