The UK
Virtual reference services are growing in popularity in the UK with more institutions accepting queries via email, instant messaging and other chat based services. A study of the use of virtual reference within UK academic institutions showed that 25% currently offer a form of virtual reference, with 54% of academic institutions surveyed considering adding this service.
UK public libraries were instrumental in some of the first steps towards UK-wide internet collaboration amongst libraries with the EARL Consortium (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries) in 1995, in a time where internet access was a rare commodity for both library staff and the public. Resources were collated and lines of communication opened between libraries across the UK, paving the way for services all over the world to follow suit. There are now a number of area-specific reference services across the UK including Ask A Librarian (UK-wide, established in 1997), Ask Cymru (Welsh and English language service), Enquire (Government funded through the People's Network, also UK-wide), and Ask Scotland. Ask Scotland was created by the Scottish Government's advisory body on libraries, SLIC (Scottish Library and Information Council), and funded by the Public Library Quality Improvement Fund (PLQIF) in June 2009. It uses the Online Computer Library Center's QuestionPoint software.
Read more about this topic: Digital Reference