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Basic E-Mail In the earliest days of digital reference, libraries advertised an e-mail address that users could send their questions to. Users simply wrote their query in the body of the message, sent to to the library's e-mail address, and librarians replied in kind. Although some libraries are still sticking to this basic way of accepting questions electronically, more and more libraries are designing web forms that users must fill out online to ask questions. While the web form prompts users to provide details about their information need, a simple e-mail service assumes the user will be able to adequately describe what they want.

B>Forms of Digital Reference E-mail Reference basic e-mail web forms Chat Reference basic chat web contact centers Collaborative Networks

Last updated: December 27, 2001