Evaluating documents reference service and the implications for improvement

Parker, June D.

doi:10.1016/1352-0237(95)00038-0

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…28 However, June Parker's 1996 study indicated that reference questions were more successfully answered at a stand-alone government documents rather than a combined reference desk. 29 Indeed, this was a long-standing concern with documents/reference desk mergers. 30 A 1989 survey conducted by Philip Van De Voorde found that overall circulation of the documents collection went down as well as the overall quality of the reference service offered to patrons.…”

Section: Claudene Sproles and Anna Marie Johnsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Merger of Government Documents and Reference at a Mid-Size University: A 24-Year Retrospective

Sproles,

Johnson

2024

DttP

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T he University of Louisville (UofL) Libraries consists of the main library, Ekstrom Library, along with five branches. The Libraries are a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and possess approximately 2.2 million items. UofL has served as a Federal FDL Program. As of 2023, the University of Louisville Libraries' Government Documents Department and the Reference Department have been merged for 24 years, beginning in 1999.Several writers argued that the key to successful documents reference is knowledgeable staff and brisk user instruction of documents collections. 1 Maggie Farrell stated that a "merged reference center must 'intellectually' integrate the documents collection into reference services, library instruction, and library promotion activities." 2 She believed that integrated reference service would lead to higher documents use. So did this intellectual integration occur with the department mergers at the University of Louisville and what was the outcome when government documents became the responsibility of every librarian in the merged department? This paper explores how the University of Louisville Libraries handled the documents merger, what changes have occurred since the merger, and the state of the library's government documents reference services today.

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Section: Claudene Sproles and Anna Marie Johnsonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Merger of Government Documents and Reference at a Mid-Size University: A 24-Year Retrospective

Sproles,

Johnson

2024

DttP

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“…One evaluative study of reference services focused on the use of government documents at Joyner Library at East Carolina University. Parker (1996) sought to find out who uses government documents, why they are used and which categories of material are used the most. WOREP uses a two-part form—one part completed by the patron asking the question and the other by the library staff member answering the question.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space and place: a study of a specialized service desk

Bankston

German

Hebert

et al. 2022

RSR

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PurposeThis study examines the activities of a specialized service desk and provides guidance on conducting an analysis of the activities. The authors wanted to know what is essential in terms of expertise, staffing, technology, collections and space at a Maps and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Service desk. The purpose of the study was to explore whether the provision of these services require a staffed service desk.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data using mixed methods, including observing space use, administering a survey and analyzing desk interactions.FindingsFindings suggest that while this service desk may have relatively little traffic, the interactions are time consuming and require a high degree of subject expertise. The data indicated that this service does not need to be delivered in this specific location; however, retaining the expertise and access to collections is vital. The authors recommend that formal assessment of services and space should be conducted prior to making significant changes in a service model.Originality/valueThis study investigates a specialized service desk which are not well-represented in the literature. Additionally, the variety of approaches used in this study could serve as a model for others for service desk assessment in general.

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Evaluation of Reference Services—A Review

Kuruppu

2007

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

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Evaluating documents reference service and the implications for improvement

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

The Merger of Government Documents and Reference at a Mid-Size University: A 24-Year Retrospective

The Merger of Government Documents and Reference at a Mid-Size University: A 24-Year Retrospective

Space and place: a study of a specialized service desk

Evaluation of Reference Services—A Review

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