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

The goals of this research study are: 1) to investigate the level of complexity of chat reference questions; 2) to measure the performance of paraprofessional reference staff based on answer correctness and patron interactions; and 3) to use this data to assess the overall effectiveness of the triage reference-services model currently used by all three campus libraries of MCPHS University. A team of five reference librarians conducted a retrospective two-year evaluation of live-chat reference transactions. The questions' complexity was evaluated using the Reference Effort Assessment Data (READ) scale, while the answer correctness and patron interactions were scored using a rubric. The study provides data in support of the triage reference-services model and evidence that, with proper training, paraprofessional reference assistants can offer high-quality reference services for academic libraries' patrons.     

基于Web的高校图书馆虚拟参考咨询服务

章阐述了虚拟参考咨询服务的产生和发展及其服务内容和方式，分析了国内高校图书馆开展虚拟参考咨询服务的现状，指出其存在的问题，并提出了发展的对策。     

以人文精神诠释服务--兼谈大学图书馆服务质量

服务是图书馆工作的核心.大学图书馆应将人性化的管理理念融入服务工作中,以人文精神诠释服务,使服务质量有一个质的飞跃.     

基于公共文化服务体系的地方图书馆联盟的构建和评估

探讨了公共文化服务体系中公共图书馆和高校图书馆如何通过构建图书馆联盟,更大程度地发挥自身的作用,如何对联盟进行有效评估。     

Eliminating traditional reference services in an academic health sciences library: a case study

Question:

How were traditional librarian reference desk services successfully eliminated at one health sciences library?

Setting:

The analysis was done at an academic health sciences library at a major research university.

Method:

A gap analysis was performed, evaluating changes in the first eleven months through analysis of reference transaction and instructional session data.

Main Results:

Substantial increases were seen in the overall number of specialized reference transactions and those conducted by librarians lasting more than thirty minutes. The number of reference transactions overall increased after implementing the new model. Several new small-scale instructional initiatives began, though perhaps not directly related to the new model.

Conclusion:

Traditional reference desk services were eliminated at one academic health sciences library without negative impact on reference and instructional statistics. Eliminating ties to the confines of the physical library due to staffing reference desk hours removed one significant barrier to a more proactive liaison program.     

略论图书馆服务的公益性与效益性

公益性是图书馆的基本属性,无偿服务是图书馆事业发展的永恒主题。图书馆的建设应以公益服务为第一要务,以社会效益为先,同时注重投入和产出的比值,在公益性和效益性之间寻找有效合理的平衡点,以达到最大的社会效益和经济效益。     

Analysis of the use of reference services in an academic health sciences library

In 1991, the Reference and Information Services staff of the Alfred Taubman Medical Library at the University of Michigan gathered data on the use of the reference desk, including the frequency and types of assistance requested by different user groups throughout the year. Recommendations based on the results of this study led to improved service as well as more efficient use of staff resources.     

图书馆复合型参考咨询服务的开展

计算机技术的发展和网络的普及使越来越多的图书馆走进了数字参考咨询服务时代，但图书馆传统的参考咨询服务仍有其发展的空间，如何将二融合起来，即开展复合型参考咨询服务成为图书馆界应重视的问题。本针对复合型参考咨询服务的开展提出了几点建议，以期图书馆界能更好地将传统参考咨询服务和现代参考咨询服务融合起来。     

Reference service for the internet community: A case study of the internet public library reference division

The creation of the Internet Public Library Reference Division is presented in the historical context of librarians' efforts to integrate the use of technologies with reference services. The article examines ways that librarians have successfully incorporated new technologies, and makes recommendations about how these strategies can be applied to the Reference Division and to Internet usage for the reference process in general.     

The value and impact of information provided through library services for patient care: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: An updated systematic review was carried out of research studies looking at the value and impact of library services on health outcomes for patients and time saved by health professionals. METHODS: A comprehensive systematic search was undertaken of the published literature to September 2003 in ERIC, LISA, MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and Google. Some handsearching was carried out, reference lists were scanned and experts in the field were contacted. Twenty-eight research studies of professionally led libraries for health-care staff, including clinical librarian projects, met the inclusion criterion of at least one health or 'time saved' outcome. Papers were critically appraised using internationally accepted criteria. Data were extracted and results were summarised using a narrative format as the studies were heterogeneous and precluded a statistical analysis. RESULTS: There is evidence of impact from both traditional and clinical librarian services. The higher quality studies of traditional services measured impacts of 37-97% on general patient care, 10-31% on diagnosis, 20-51% on choice of tests, 27-45% on choice of therapy and 10-19% on reduced length of stay. Four studies of clinical librarian projects suggested that professionals saved time as a result of clinical librarian input, and two of these studies showed evidence of cost-effectiveness. However, the clinical librarian studies were generally smaller, with poorer quality standards. CONCLUSIONS: Research studies suggest that professionally led library services have an impact on health outcomes for patients and may lead to time savings for health-care professionals. The available studies vary greatly in quality but the better quality studies also suggest positive impacts. Good practice can be gathered from these studies to guide the development of a pragmatic survey for library services that includes the direct effects for patients among the outcome measures.     

Measures of library use and user satisfaction with academic library services

Library use and user satisfaction are multidimensional concepts. However, traditional methods of evaluation do not include appropriate global measures of these concepts. Two indices of library use and user satisfaction have been derived from a number of characteristics collected by means of a questionnaire that combined individual variable-scores and expressed them as a final score. One form of index was based on a simple approach producing a weighted sum of individual values scored for all surveyed items. The second form, based on the theory of factor analysis, especially the principal components procedure, highlighted the most important items defining either library use or user satisfaction. Thus, the indices verified the presence of any correlation between user satisfaction and library use and evaluated library activities and services at the libraries of the National University of Rwanda. They could be used to compare various libraries sharing the same baseline characteristics and profiles.     

服务接触对图书馆服务质量的影响实证

图书馆服务接触是读者感知图书馆服务质量的基础.论文从图书馆服务接触视角人手,对服务环境、服务人员、服务方式建立观测量表,并在问卷调查的基础上,通过交叉分析、相关性分析、回归分析等方法,分析了用户的部分个体特征、服务接触相关因素对用户感知服务质量的影响.     

The value and impact of information provided through library services for patient care: developing guidance for best practice

Introduction: Previous impact tool‐kits for UK health libraries required updating to reflect recent evidence and changes in library services. The National Knowledge Service funded development of updated guidance. Methods: Survey tools were developed based on previous impact studies and a systematic review. The resulting draft questionnaire survey was tested at four sites, and the interview schedule was investigated in a fifth area. A literature search in assia , Google Scholar, intute , lisa , lista , scirus , Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Knowledge), and the major UK University and National Libraries Catalogue (copac ), identified ways to improve response rates. Other expert advice contributed to the guidance. Results: The resulting guidance contains evidence‐based advice and a planning pathway for conducting an impact survey as a service audit. The survey tools (critical incident questionnaire and interview schedule) are available online. The evidence‐based advice recommends personalizing the request, assuring confidentiality, and using follow‐up reminders. Questionnaires should be brief, and small incentives, such as a lottery draw should be considered. Bias is minimized if the survey is conducted and analysed by independent researchers. Conclusion: The guidance is a starting point for a pragmatic survey to assess the impact of health library services.     

The marketing audit: a new perspective on library services and products

A marketing audit enables a library to look at audiences, services, and products with a structured approach. The audit can be used to assess operations and to provide a framework for ongoing decision making, evaluation, and long-range planning. An approach to the audit process is presented and its application is demonstrated in a case study featuring the American Hospital Association Resource Center.     

The economic value of library services for children: The case of the Czech public libraries

Public support of library services must be targeted towards children because these services play a key role in their development. However, no prior research has investigated the value of public library services for children. Specifically, earlier studies evaluated the value of public libraries as a whole, without considering library services for different stakeholders. The fact that children are not autonomous economic agents is another problem to address. These barriers can be overcome by using the contingent valuation method with parents/caregivers as the subjects queried and children used as the objects in this study. Thus, the economic value of library services for children can be obtained to support managerial decisions on services specifically designed for children. More precisely, this study is unique in that it develops a contingent valuation methodology for estimating the value of children's library services based on adults' willingness to allocate a proportion of municipal budgets. Both users and non-users were surveyed to verify the proposed methodology empirically. The results show that the perceived effectiveness (ratio between perceived benefits and costs) of children's library services is 11.2 (11.2 units of benefits for each unit invested) in Czech public libraries compared with 4.3 for a library as a whole. This finding confirms the essential role of children's library services, implying that public libraries should offer a broader selection of children's books and other services. The study also shows that the value of children's library services depends on the age, education and economic structure of the adults queried. In addition, their satisfaction with library services is another important determinant, indicating that public libraries can influence the perceived benefits of children's library services.     

高校图书馆虚拟参考服务的现状与发展

虚拟参考服务是图书馆参考咨询工作的发展趋势。文章通过对我国“211工程”高校图书馆的调研,分析了当前高校图书馆虚拟参考服务的现状和存在的问题,提出了发展高校图书馆虚拟参考服务的几点建议。     

用户信息需求与优化图书馆数字参考咨询服务的思考

文章在分析数字参考咨询服务构成系统要素的基础上,探讨了网络环境下用户信息需求、心理特征和行为障碍,并就如何发挥用户的积极因素,优化图书馆数字参考咨询服务提出了建议。