Where did the reference desk go? Transforming staff and space to meet user needs

Bunnett, Brian; Boehme, Andrea; Hardin, Steve; Arvin, Shelley; Evans, Karen; Huey, Paula; LaBella, Carey

doi:10.1080/15367967.2016.1161517

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In light of declining reference transactions at our institution, and supported by the literature (Bunnett et al, 2016;Coleman, Mallon & Lo, 2016;Stevens, 2013;Applegate, 2008), senior library assistants and MLIS students began to serve shifts on the reference desk. While there was consensus that it was important to maintain reference service hours, we decided that librarians did not need to provide all the frontline service.…”

Section: Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

A Course of Our Own: Taking an Information Literacy Credit Course from Inception to Reality

Raven

Rodrigues

2017

Partnership

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Since 2009 librarians at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia have been teaching a fully weighted (half-unit/three credit) course in information literacy (IL), LIBR2100: Introduction to Research in the Information Age. Course sections are capped at 30 students with classes offered on campus in a traditional classroom/lab environment, and via distance using multimode technology. Now firmly established in the University's curriculum, required in three programs and an elective in all others, the course is in demand with growing wait lists requiring that multiple sections be offered each term.While the literature supports the positive outcomes of IL credit courses for both the students enrolled and the librarians teaching, few universities or colleges currently offer such an opportunity. Based on our positive experience at the Mount, accomplished with a professional librarian compliment of only five, we strongly recommend other universities and colleges consider seriously their ability to offer their own IL course.This article reflects on the steps taken by librarians at Mount Saint Vincent University to get a credit course in IL on the books, how we managed course implementation, and negotiated the inevitable workload demands. While we also briefly discuss course objectives and curriculum, and their evolution over time, these are not our primary focus. Because the literature is largely silent on the mechanics of getting an IL course Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, vol. 12, no. 1 (2017) 2 mainstreamed in a university or college curriculum, this article focuses on outlining the phases of credit course development and traces an IL course from conception to reality.

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Section: Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

A Course of Our Own: Taking an Information Literacy Credit Course from Inception to Reality

Raven

Rodrigues

2017

Partnership

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“…Bunnett et al employed a methodical approach to reduce and ultimately eliminate the dedicated presence of librarians at service desks at Indiana State University after seeing a 45 percent reduction in reference interactions over five years. 6 They found that the consolidation of desks led to increased instructional opportunities for librarians at the institution. LaMagna, Hartman-Caverly, and Marchetti also outline the implementation process for a tiered or triage reference model.…”

Section: Value Of Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Training, Support, and Connection for Student Library Employees in a Tiered Reference Service Model

Quigley¹,

Loo²,

Ngo³

et al. 2021

RUSQ

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“…The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) statistics for libraries in universities with doctorate degrees indicate that across the United States, the number of reference transactions declined from 21.3 million in 2001 to just nine million in 2012, a drop of 57% (Bunnett et al, 2016). UND is a public research university with an enrollment of over 13,000 students in 2019.…”

Section: Purpose and Process Of The Prc Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development, implementation and importance of an undergraduate peer research consultant program at the University of North Dakota’s Chester Fritz Library

Clark

Gabriel

Borysewicz

2020

RSR

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Purpose This paper aims to describe both the development of a peer research consultant program – using student assistants to staff the reference desk with minimal supervision while providing high-quality research assistance to their undergraduate peers, and the steps taken to create buy-in for the program from campus and librarians. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide a description of peer reference services and describe how a remodel of the library building facilitated a redesign of services. The paper covers the process of developing program guidelines, securing funding, expectations of peer research consultants, the training process and lessons learned from a medium-sized academic library. Findings The findings after the first year demonstrate that undergraduates are highly skilled at providing high-quality reference services when provided with quality training and support. In addition, undergraduate students are now seeking out peer researchers for assistance with research items such as topic formation, keyword development in databases and proper citations. Research limitations/implications No formal research or assessment of the program has been completed as of this time. Practical implications Well-trained Peer Research Consultants (PRCs) provide valued assistance to librarians in freshman composition classes, at the Ask Us reference desk, and to their peers. The program has allowed librarians to provide more outreach to their subject areas. Social implications Students prefer going to their peers for research assistance rather than a professional librarian when given the choice. The training the PRCs are provided by librarians provides credibility and trust, which encourages undergraduate students to approach PRCs for assistance. Originality/value This paper draws on multiple iterations of peer reference models to create an original program, involving training student employees to provide reference services at a paraprofessional level, as well as providing the methodology for other academic libraries to develop and launch a similar program.

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Where did the reference desk go? Transforming staff and space to meet user needs

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

A Course of Our Own: Taking an Information Literacy Credit Course from Inception to Reality

A Course of Our Own: Taking an Information Literacy Credit Course from Inception to Reality

Training, Support, and Connection for Student Library Employees in a Tiered Reference Service Model

Development, implementation and importance of an undergraduate peer research consultant program at the University of North Dakota’s Chester Fritz Library

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