| Abstract: | Abstract From pilot project to mainstream reference service, this article chronicles the HELIN consortium's history with commercial virtual reference (VR) software and details its decision to switch from a centralized service to individually supported instant messaging (IM) reference services across its institutions. The authors discuss the development and implementation of their virtual reference service with emphasis on assessing its success using both commercial VR software and freeware IM applications at its different member institutions. Lessons learned, the pros and cons of offering collaborative virtual reference, and the challenges of integrating emerging technologies into library services are addressed as librarians seek to develop best practices for offering reference service in an increasingly virtual world. |
