Measuring the quality of reference services provided by paraprofessionals at an academic library

Lapidus, Mariana; Bond, Irena; Wentz, Erin; King, Samuel H.; Mahnken, Susan S.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102198

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, others have argued that with proper training paraprofessionals can be successful. Such mixed staffing models acknowledge the role that paraprofessionals can play in answering the directional, technical, and ready reference questions that make up a substantial part of reference inquiries, while ensuring that a professional librarian is available to answer more complex questions, thus making more efficient use of their time (Lapidus et al ., 2020; Reynolds, 2003; Tyckoson, 2020). One might anticipate that if reference questions continue to decline, staffing models can be adjusted to accommodate those changes by giving paraprofessionals increased desk time and freeing up professional librarians to do more instruction and outreach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Saunders

Williams

Galarneau

et al. 2023

RSR

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“…Practicum objectives had to consider the student's pre-professional status relative to this setting where many patrons had advanced degrees. 6 The student selected the 120-hour/3-credit practicum option. The objectives effectively serve as the course syllabus that address individual learning goals, which can be quantified or demonstrated through related deliverables that document the student progresses in their practicum work.…”

Section: Student Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual LIS practicums: Student and supervisor experiences during COVID-19, part 1

Griffin¹,

Beverley²

2023

CRLN

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P re-professional fieldwork helps graduates pursue specialized library careers, addressing the well-documented experience barrier that many graduates lack. Because COVID-19 required remote learning, virtual practicums may continue, offering LIS graduates the chance to learn from experts and develop skills beyond traditional LIS curriculum. 1 Virtual practicum benefits have been addressed in previous literature, 2 but student perspectives are not usually included. In this two-part series, the student and supervisor describe challenges with their virtual practicum experience so others may replicate similar experiences.Part 1 will set the stage for the structure of the practicum, introducing background information about participating institutions, preparation for the experience, student learning objectives, and reporting for course credit. The host institution and practicum site agreed to modify the existing in-person experience into a virtual format because of COVID-19. The virtual activities aligned with the student-defined learning objectives. Structure was essential to the success of this virtual practicum. Expectations were established early on about workload, communication, file management software, and designated virtual meeting spaces. Others who seek to replicate a similar experience may use part 1 of this series as a template for designing a virtual practicum. Part 2 will reflect on the student and supervisor's experiences and lessons learned.

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“…Digital Reference System (DRS) inherits, extends, and further develops the characteristics of traditional reference systems in the internet era [1][2][3]. As a new type of information service mode, it integrates the Digital Library System, the Library Information Service Mechanism, and the Service Mechanism for the user.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Design of Reference Service System in Cordova-based Hybrid Frameworks

et al. 2021

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With the rise of mobile technology, the library reference service has dramatically changed. Targeting the new requirements, this paper aims to design a new library reference service system in Cordova-based hybrid frameworks, which caters to the web service embedded in two major mobile platforms, iOS and Android, as well as the PC platform. The new system adopts the WebSocket based technology to realize the function of independent online reference, which improves the quality of the normal digital reference service. The newly designed system also applies the ECS cloud server technology, thereby significantly slashing the hardware setup cost, extending the basic reference service, and improving its fitness-for-use and convenience, and optimizing the allocation of local resources.

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Measuring the quality of reference services provided by paraprofessionals at an academic library

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Reference in urban public libraries: current trends and future implications

Virtual LIS practicums: Student and supervisor experiences during COVID-19, part 1

The Design of Reference Service System in Cordova-based Hybrid Frameworks

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