This is a study on the electronic reference work of some Swedish university and university college libraries. The purpose of the study has been to find out how the service works at the different libraries, to study the electronic reference interview and to find what is important when you start a new electronic reference service in the light of Brenda Dervin's sense-making theory study. Furthermore, we examine the aims of the electronic services offered and the differences between electronic and traditional reference interviews. In the background to the study we place electronic reference services in a context by describing the role of information technology and electronic mail in the libraries. The electronic reference interview is studied with the help of literature on the traditional reference interview. The study is built on qualitative interviews with librarians who work with electronic reference service. The libraries receive between 200 questions a month and 40 questions in eighteen months. The results of the report indicate that electronic reference service is not greatly used at most libraries. This might be the reason for the lack of detailed written guidelines for the service. The interviewed librarians are uncertain about the goals of the service but some suppose it is to do with the fact that their library has a national responsibility for a certain subject or they mention a wish to provide better service to their users. The attitude to advertising is mixed. Some imply that they do not have the means to extend the service. The librarians find the lack of a reference interview difficult and most of them see problems communicating via e-mail only. Electronic reference service is seen as an extension of the normal reference service, no special thought has been given to the consequences of the fact that the service is given through a new medium. The interviewees are of the opinion th...
