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Reference statistics sampling proposal

Timeline

April 13 - Meeting with Steve Gass and Jess ? re: reporting ref stats in the new model. Bring any final questions for Steve.
May 15 - Complete first draft of email that will be sent to (PS-Lib?)
Late May - early June - Steve to send email introducing the new policy
June 15 - Continue to publicize policy, pick dates by this time.
July 1 - New policy in place.

To do:

# Decide which definition of reference to use.

1. Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

Approved by RUSA Board of Directors, January 14, 2008

Submitted by subgroup of RSS Executive Committee

Reference Transactions are information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help others to meet particular information needs. Reference transactions do not include formal instruction or exchanges that provide assistance with locations, schedules, equipment, supplies, or policy statements.

Reference Work includes reference transactions and other activities that involve the creation, management, and assessment of information or research resources, tools, and services.

(The following bullets clarify what is meant by terms within the Reference Work definition.)

  • Creation and management of information resources includes the development and maintenance of research collections, research guides, catalogs, databases, web sites, search engines, etc., that patrons can use independently, in-house or remotely, to satisfy their information needs.
  • Assessment activities include the measurement and evaluation of reference work, resources, and services.

2. Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

A reference transaction is an information contact that involves the knowledge, use, recommendations, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources by a member of the library staff. The term includes information and referral service. Information sources include (a) printed and nonprinted material; (b) machine-readable databases (including computer-assisted instruction); (c) the library's own catalogs and other holdings records; (d) other libraries and institutions through communication or referral; and (e) persons both inside and outside the library. When a staff member uses information gained from previous use of information sources to answer a question, the transaction is reported as a reference transaction even if the source is not consulted again. If a contact includes both reference and directional services, it should be reported as one reference transaction. Duration should not be an element in determining whether a transaction is a reference transaction. Sampling based on a typical week may be used to extrapolate to a full year for Question 34. Please indicate if the figure is based on sampling. Exclude simple directional questions.

A directional transaction is an information contact that facilitates the logistical use of the library and that does not involve the knowledge, use, recommendations, interpretation, or instruction in the use of any information sources other than those that describe the library, such as schedules, floor plans, and handbooks. See The ARL Statistics Web page for links to documents containing current definitions.

It is listed in the instructions for the ARL statistics survey: ARL Statistics survey which is available at: http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/08instruct.pdf

It is based on the ANSI/NISO Z39.7-2004: Information Services and Use: Metrics & statistics for libraries and information providers — Data Dictionary, 7.3, http://www.niso.org/dictionary/section7/. The one online is listed from 2004.

  1. Draft message to all-lib for Steve to send, describing new system. Make it clear that everyone who ever answers any questions from the public should be involved.
  • Is that title too formal?
  • Link off of RISG page, where?
  • Send link with email to PS Lib (Is this going to include everyone we want to collect statistics?)
  • Include attached .pdf of ref statistics sheet
  1. Meet with Steve and Jess to figure out logistics. (I'll schedule soon!)
  2. Make schedule for reminding people to keep statistics, and remind them
    what reference and other mean.

Reference Statistics Review - This links to citations & notes from the literature review we did as background, also notes related to different reference statistics-taking options including the READ scale, subscription services (such as AltaRama and DeskTracker) and macros in Excel that we tried out. A tool of interest may be Zoho Creator, which allows users to create on the fly databases with some decent options.

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