Blending the Trends: A Holistic Approach to Reference Services

Dempsey, Megan

doi:10.1080/15228959.2011.572769

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Since then, many academic libraries have begun migrating to a tiered model of reference service in various combinations offering circulation, reference, and/or computing services (Bugg & Odom, 2009;Dempsey, 2011;Todorinova, Huse, Lewis, & Torrence, 2011). In 2011, on the basis of the peer reference model at Coastal Carolina University's Kimbel Library (Faix et al, 2010), Addlestone Library's Reference Department and Information Technology's Student Computing Support at the College of Charleston integrated research and student computing support services at the Information Desk.…”

Section: Service Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Staffing an Information Desk for Maximum Responsiveness and Effectiveness in Meeting Research and Computing Needs in an Academic Library

Poparad

2015

The Reference Librarian

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Once widely accepted as a librarian-staffed research hub in academic libraries, the reference desk has become a source of wide-ranging debate. Desks have been reconfigured, combined, and in some cases eliminated. In many libraries, the traditional Reference Desk has evolved into the Information Desk to provide immediate answers to preliminary research and computing questions at a visible service point. In its new incarnation, some have questioned the necessity of librarian service at the desk. However, although transaction content has changed over the years, librarians continue to be indispensable at the desk, providing instruction and ensuring consistent, patron-centered service to meet users' immediate needs.

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Section: Service Deliverymentioning

confidence: 99%

Staffing an Information Desk for Maximum Responsiveness and Effectiveness in Meeting Research and Computing Needs in an Academic Library

Poparad

2015

The Reference Librarian

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“…), the trend in academic libraries is to move away from staffing these desks with librarians and use fulltime staff or student employees instead (Coleman, Mallon, & Lo, 2016). This allows librarians to focus on other job responsibilities and/or perform reference in new ways, such as through a tiered system, roving reference, or online chat services (Dempsey, 2011). With librarians not working regularly at the reference desk, some libraries have transformed their reference desk into an information or service desk staffed by student employees or full-time staff.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference After 5 PM: A Reference Librarian’s Experience Working Atypical Hours at a Large Research Library

Fargo

2017

palrap

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Reference services continue to change and evolve in the academic library. Students need reference support outside the normal 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours in an academic library. The author works these later shifts and has found success in helping students. This success is due to the author’s collaboration and relationship building with not only students but also library employees and other departments to support a robust and active reference service on Sundays and after 5:00 p.m. This paper explores the author’s first semester providing reference services during the fall 2016 semester.

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“…Librarians are called or sent referrals for more-advanced reference help. Some modified on-call models include a single service desk as an initial point of contact, with a Reference desk or consultation area still in use for peak times (Dempsey, 2011). 2.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aiming for service excellence: Implementing a plan for customer service quality at a blended service desk

Oud

Genzinger

2016

Journal of Access Services

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Aiming for service excellence: Implementing a plan for customer service quality at a blended service desk" (2016). Library. 35. http://scholars.wlu.ca/lib_pub/35Aiming for service excellence: Implementing a plan for customer service quality at a blended service desk Joanne Oud and Peter Genzinger, Wilfrid Laurier University Library, Waterloo, ON, Canada KEYWORDS Access services; blended service; service quality; single service desk; user services ABSTRACT This article discusses a public service review and redesign that resulted in a blended service desk combining reference and circulation functions, staffed by nonlibrarians. The redesign implements a number of organizational structures that encourage service excellence, as found in the business literature and in examples of nonlibrary organizations that excel in customer service. The article identifies key organizational structures that have been shown to support or hinder good service and discusses the process of implementing these structures in practice and the results of an assessment process designed around determining success.

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Blending the Trends: A Holistic Approach to Reference Services

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Staffing an Information Desk for Maximum Responsiveness and Effectiveness in Meeting Research and Computing Needs in an Academic Library

Staffing an Information Desk for Maximum Responsiveness and Effectiveness in Meeting Research and Computing Needs in an Academic Library

Reference After 5 PM: A Reference Librarian’s Experience Working Atypical Hours at a Large Research Library

Aiming for service excellence: Implementing a plan for customer service quality at a blended service desk

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