Triage Processes
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
Hello - My name is Jeffrey Pomerantz, and I’m a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University, working with the Virtual Reference Desk Project and Information Institute of Syracuse. I’m contacting you because you’re listed in the VRD’s AskA+ Locator. I’m currently working on a study of the triage process in digital reference - triage being the term that we use at the Institute for the process of sorting and assigning incoming questions to the appropriate expert or other service. My question to you is, does the Physics Van email service triage questions to its experts? If so, I’d like to find out if it would be possible speak to someone – by email or on the telephone - about the triage process as it is performed by your service. Specifically, I’d be interested in speaking to whoever performs the triage process, and finding out for what reasons he or she sorts a question to one person or another. Please let me know! Thank you very much for your time and cooperation.
- Jeffrey Pomerantz (age 32)
School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse
- Jeffrey Pomerantz (age 32)
School of Information Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse
A:
Jeff-
Actually, we have recently been kicking around the idea of implementing something like this, however at the moment we do not use any sort of logical sorting on the questions. When we receive a new question it is placed on a list which is accessible by all of our volunteers. Volunteers must sign up with the organizers of the Physics Van in order to have access to the list of questions. Any volunteer may answer any question. Answered questions then reside on a second list. Reviewers then read the questions and answers from this list, discuss with the volunteer who attempted to answer the question and other people if necessary, edit the answers if necessary, and post the answers to the public web site when everyone is happy. The discussion happens usually by e-mail but can happen face-to-face. Reviewers are chosen by volunteering, and must be approved by the Van organizers. I believe that an organization called the "Mad Scientist Network" does use a triage process on the questions they receive. You can get information about them .
If you have any further questions, please email me directly. If need be, I can get you in touch with Greg Bell, the original author of our site, who understands this type of thing far better than I do.
Good Luck! And if you have tips on how to set up such a system, we would be interested in hearing them.
Tim
Actually, we have recently been kicking around the idea of implementing something like this, however at the moment we do not use any sort of logical sorting on the questions. When we receive a new question it is placed on a list which is accessible by all of our volunteers. Volunteers must sign up with the organizers of the Physics Van in order to have access to the list of questions. Any volunteer may answer any question. Answered questions then reside on a second list. Reviewers then read the questions and answers from this list, discuss with the volunteer who attempted to answer the question and other people if necessary, edit the answers if necessary, and post the answers to the public web site when everyone is happy. The discussion happens usually by e-mail but can happen face-to-face. Reviewers are chosen by volunteering, and must be approved by the Van organizers. I believe that an organization called the "Mad Scientist Network" does use a triage process on the questions they receive. You can get information about them .
If you have any further questions, please email me directly. If need be, I can get you in touch with Greg Bell, the original author of our site, who understands this type of thing far better than I do.
Good Luck! And if you have tips on how to set up such a system, we would be interested in hearing them.
Tim
(published on 10/22/2007)