Librarians’ Roles in Post-Virtual Reference Services to Foster Collaborative Learning Among Academic Library Users in Indonesia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper wants to investigate the role of librarians in post-Virtual Reference Services to support collaborative student education. Particularly in higher education contexts where collaborative learning is becoming more and more important, the shift to the post-Virtual Reference Services (post-VRS) era has reshaped the professional duties of librarians. Through post-VRS practices, this study explores the responsibilities that librarians play in fostering collaborative learning among Indonesian university students. This study uses a qualitative approach with digital ethnography methods to understand the interactions between librarians and students in post-VRS. Interviews were conducted with reference librarians regarding their role in providing group-based consultations on virtual platforms. There were 10 librarians interviewed in this study, and the interviews were conducted online via teleconference/online meeting apps. The results of the study show that librarians not only act as information providers, but also as facilitators, mediators, and academic mentors who encourage a collaborative learning environment. The implementation of group-based consultation services in post-VRS is carried out through strategies of compiling topics according to needs, utilising digital information resources, and managing more participatory group discussions. Supporting factors for this service include librarian competence, institutional support, and access to information resources, while the constraints are limited digital collections, technological infrastructure, and variations in user information literacy. These findings confirm that the post-VRS service is a strategic innovation that strengthens the role of university libraries as centres of collaborative learning in the digital age.