Members in the Spotlight

Arlene McBride

Arlene McBride, librarian at Group Health Cooperative, will give a presentation on "Solo Librarian E-mail Reference Service" at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference in Orlando, FL in November. Her presentation is entitled, An Intranet Web Form and You: Solo Librarian E-mail Reference Service.

The presentation will discuss the development of a solo librarian's e-mail reference service in a special library setting. Challenges for implementing workflow processes, policies, and guidelines for reference, research and borrowing requests received via an intranet form, e-mail and/or telephone will be presented. Limitations of e-mail reference service specific to solo librarianship and specific technology restrictions will also be addressed. 

The presentation will address how to improve digital reference services in a solo library as well as outline ways to improve and leverage the library intranet site as a portal of print and electronic information resources. The goal of the library's intranet site is to optimize end-user's access to the library's physical collection, i.e., journals, audio/video, texts, licensed electronic resources, appropriate electronic resources on the Internet and other library services that enable the end-user to begin to satisfy their information need. Electronic resources are highlighted on library's intranet site by providing content information, procedures for accessing resources, and search help instructions. 

Arlene McBride, MLS
Electronic Information Coordinator
Group Health Cooperative
521 Wall St, ACC2
Seattle WA 98121
T: 206.448.5643 F: 206.448.2792
mcbride.a@ghc.org