Virtual Reference Techniques to be taught in San Jose's SLIS Curriculum:
The School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University has announced that they have partnered with "Library Systems and Services, LLC, the leading provider of virtual reference software and services for libraries, announced today a new partnership. SJSU/SLIS will use LSSI’s Virtual Reference ToolKit to revamp its reference curriculum and educate upcoming generations of reference librarians in how to ply their trade online.
The LSSI software will be deployed to San Jose’s Reference and Information Services-related courses, where students will use it to gain familiarity with the techniques of live online reference. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in practicums in LSSI’s Web Reference Center, the largest professional online reference service in the world, as well as in the QandACafe, a collaborative online reference service offered by libraries in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, faculty and students at SJSU will work with the librarians at LSSI on a number of joint research projects.
Dr. Feili Tu, project head at SJSU/SLIS, worked on this partnership with LSSI’s Steve Coffman, Vice President of Product Development. Dr. Tu said, "At San Jose, we believe that much of the future of reference lies on the Web. We see virtual reference as a core competency and we intend to make sure that the students who graduate from this program have the skills and knowledge to handle it as effectively as they can handle reference behind the desk." Dr. Blanche Woolls, Director of the School, expressed her thanks to LSSI for providing the software and for working closely with the faculty at San Jose to develop the new partnership." ---from San Jose State University's press release
