Serviço de referência virtual em bibliotecas de instituições de ensino superior em Maceió

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (IES) have been updating reference service models for information dissemination through the use of technological innovations. Thus, the virtual reference service provides interaction between user and information in a virtual way. In this sense, the objective was to map the IES libraries of Maceió that have the Virtual Reference Service.The research used a methodology of a descriptive character, with a qualitative-quantitative approach, through the collection of data from the observations made on the websites of the institutions regarding the services offered in a virtual way, that are hosted and in operation in the referenced sites. The results indicate the existence of the service in all the institutions surveyed, being online journals and databases with 14.6%, respectively; followed by virtual libraries and loans and renewal with 9.7%. Social networks are used as a communication tool, demonstrating the expansion of its services from the library to the virtual platform and the benefits that can develop, allowing greater contact between user and information. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the use of the Virtual Reference Service in Higher Education Institutions in Maceió is being disseminated through the websites of its libraries and social networks, allowing users to obtain more knowledge about the Institution in which they are inserted and about the collection the library. Thus, users have more autonomy in the search for information relevant to their needs.