Are Science, Engineering, and Medical Libraries Moving away from the Reference Desk? Results of a Survey of New Jersey Libraries

Dawson, Patricia H.

doi:10.1080/0194262x.2011.626337

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The results of this study show that, despite a general downward trend in numbers of reference questions, the vast majority of urban public libraries still offer a dedicated question-answering service in a variety of formats. These findings are consistent with previous studies that found the reference desk to be the prevalent service model (Brunsting, 2008; Dawson, 2011; Miles, 2013). At the same time, most reference staff are engaged in a number of other activities, including collection development, instruction, and community outreach.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Saunders

Williams

Galarneau

et al. 2023

RSR

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PurposeThe purpose of this study was to get a baseline understanding of the state of reference services in urban public libraries in the United States.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers surveyed all members of the Urban Libraries Council, a network of public library systems in urban centers across the country. The survey asked about their reference services, including how reference is offered, volume and types of questions and staff responsibilities. Participants were also asked how reference has changed in the past 5–10 years and what changes they anticipate in the future.FindingsThis study found that the vast majority of urban public libraries still maintain a physical reference desk, but most also offer reference services in other formats as well. Most libraries have seen numbers of reference questions decline. Reference staff members are engaged in instruction, programming and community outreach as well. Looking ahead, some libraries expect reference questions to continue to decline and demand for virtual services to increase.Practical implicationsDirectors and reference staff of public libraries, especially those in urban and suburban settings, will find these results useful for benchmarking against their own experiences and for planning for future changes.Originality/valueWhile discussions of changes in reference service and volumes of reference questions are plentiful, as are predictions of how these declines will impact reference services, there is little current research on the actual state of those services. This study fills a gap in the literature by providing a baseline overview of the reference services in urban public libraries.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Saunders

Williams

Galarneau

et al. 2023

RSR

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“…85 Banks and Pracht's 2008 study surveyed academic libraries that serve between five thousand to fifteen thousand students and found that only two out of 101 libraries surveyed did not have a reference desk at all, 86% of those surveyed had one reference desk, and the remaining had more than one desk, leading the authors to conclude that having a single reference desk "reflects common operating procedure." 86 The survey also revealed that while many of the respondents reported declining reference statistics, over 61% said that their staffing levels remained the same.…”

Section: The Persistence Of the Deskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference Reviewed and Re-Envisioned: Revamping Librarian and Desk-Centric Services with LibStARs and LibAnswers

Stevens¹

2013

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

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The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term "reference," pointing to a disconnect between those definitions and much of the work that actually takes place at reference desks. Next, critiques of desk-centric models of reference are examined, followed by a discussion of the persistence of the desk in so many academic libraries today. The analysis of the literature in section one informs the reenvisioning of reference services at CPP discussed in section two. Specifically, section two describes and assesses CPP's reference desk staffing shift from librarians to LibStARs (Library Student Assistant Researchers) and our implementation of LibAnswers in an effort to automate some reference transactions. The paper ends with an overview of the benefits of these new initiatives. INTRODUCTIONIn 1986, Ford offered reference librarians some cautiously worded but nevertheless provocative advice, encouraging them "to begin to think the unthinkable, exploring alternatives and possibly eliminating the reference desk."1 By 1994, Summerhill had responded to the call, arguing that "traditional reference services are not cost-effective" 2 and as a result, libraries should "detach reference services from the reference desk." 3 The following year saw an article by Ewing and Hauptman proclaiming, "traditional academic reference service…does not need to be rethought or reconfigured, it needs to be eliminated," 4 and soon thereafter a response from The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term "reference," pointing to a disconnect between those definitions and much of the work that actually takes place at reference desks. Next, critiques of desk-centric models of reference are examined, followed by a discussion of the persistence of the desk in so many academic libraries today. The analysis of the literature in section one informs the re-3 envisioning of reference services at CPP discussed in section two. Specifically, section two describes and assesses CPP's reference desk staffing shift from librarians to LibStARs (Library Student Assistant Researchers) and our implementation of LibAnswers in an effort to automate some reference transactions. The paper ends with an overview of the benefits of these new initiatives. WHAT'S WRONG WITH REFERENCE?In his frequently cited 1984 article, Miller posed the question "What's wrong with reference?" and then identified "reference sprawl" as the source of a "malaise" that was infecting "reference departments everywhere." 10 Our ever-expanding services, he argu...

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“…Dawson found in science, engineering, and medical libraries at fifty-three colleges and universities in New Jersey that traditional reference service from the reference desk is still the primary model for offering reference services. 24 A survey by Brunsting conducted in 2006 of 261 libraries from medium-sized fouryear colleges and universities (3,036 to 10,187 FTE) asked which of seven reference staffing patterns they used. She found that when the three models that involved librarians only were totaled (one librarian at a single service point, more than one librarian at a single service point, two librarians at two service points), the three models totaled 62.9 percent.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Shall We Get Rid of the Reference Desk?

Miles¹

2013

Reference &Amp; User Services Quarterly

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have all advocated for the elimination of the reference desk. 4 Steven Bell has been an active voice in calling for eliminating the reference desk. He reiterated the main problems of the reference desk and said that the reference desk is only a symbol of reference service, not the service itself. He then concluded it is time to eliminate the reference desk and adopt new models. 5What are the problems with traditional reference service? Karen Summerhill pointed out that reference librarians have an inefficient service model, one that is designed for "'emergency' style services in a non-emergency situation."6 Summerhill argued that the consultation services that professional librarians should give should be offered by appointment, like lawyers, doctors, teachers, and professors do, not in the emergency style that is common at the reference desk. 7 Ann Lipow felt that when a patron needs help from the reference librarian, it means that the tools that are in place to help the patron-the catalog, the signage-have failed.8 Aaron Schmidt said that putting librarians behind a desk is "unfriendly" to patrons and makes it easy for librarians to ignore what is going on around them. 9 Other problems cited with traditional reference service include• librarians wasting time waiting for reference questions to answer; 10

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Are Science, Engineering, and Medical Libraries Moving away from the Reference Desk? Results of a Survey of New Jersey Libraries

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Reference Reviewed and Re-Envisioned: Revamping Librarian and Desk-Centric Services with LibStARs and LibAnswers

Shall We Get Rid of the Reference Desk?

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