Creating the infrastructure for collaboration between digital reference services and researchers: The Digital Reference Electronic Warehouse (DREW) project

The Digital Reference Electronic Warehouse (DREW) project is a collection of digital reference transactions from different services and different communication channels that live in a single space. Reference services work with DREW to submit transactions using the DREW schema, which is conceptually similar to the MARC record format for bibliographic materials. Researchers can then receive records from DREW to improve our knowledge of digital reference. These researchers then use the results of their research to create tools, reports, and models based on the DREW schema, and place those items into a management information system (MIS). The services can then access the MIS and apply those tools to their own archives. The result is that services can benefit directly and rapidly from research, and are then more likely to continue their involvement with the project. This infrastructure creates a collaborative space where researchers and practitioners can benefit from the work of each other and aid us in advancing the field of digital reference.