Are virtual reference services color blind?

Shachaf, Pnina and Horowitz, Sarah Are virtual reference services color blind? Library & Information Science Research, 2006, vol. 28, n. 4, pp. 501-520. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

This study reports an experiment that examines whether librarians provide equitable virtual reference services to diverse user groups. The relative absence of social cues in the virtual environment may mean greater equality of services though at the same time greater inequalities may arise as librarians can become less self-aware online. Findings indicate that the quality of service librarians provide to African Americans and Arabs is lower than the quality of service they provide to Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish students. This study adds to the knowledge of subjective bias in the virtual environment by specifying those that are discriminated against online, identifying the kinds of discriminatory actions of virtual reference librarians, and identifying the type of queries that more frequently result in unbiased service.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Virtual reference, discrimination, information ethics, subjective bias, reference services, Asians, Hispanics, Caucasians, Arabs, Jewish, Jews, African-Americans, digital reference, minorities, international students
Subjects: I. Information treatment for information services > IJ. Reference work.
D. Libraries as physical collections. > DD. Academic libraries.
B. Information use and sociology of information > BZ. None of these, but in this section.
Depositing user: Pnina Shachaf
Date deposited: 20 Jan 2007
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:06
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/8858

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