Content Analysis of Reference Transactions Provides Guidance Regarding Staffing of Library Service Points

• Main Author: Annie M. Hughes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alberta 2014-07-01
• Series: Evidence Based Library and Information Practice
• Subjects: content analysis; reference transactions; libra library service poinry service points; library service points; library staffing
• Online Access: http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/21534

A Review of: Bishop, B. W., & Bartlett, J. A. (2013). Where do we go from here? Informing academic library staffing through reference transaction analysis. College & Research Libraries, 74(5), 489-500. Objective – To identify the quantity of location-based and subject-based questions and determine the locations where those questions are asked in order to inform decision-making regarding optimal placing of staff. Design – Content analysis of location-based and subject-based reference transactions or transcripts collected using LibStats at 15 face-to-face (f2f) service points and via virtual services. Setting – Virtual and f2f service points at University of Kentucky (UK) campus libraries. Subjects – 1,852 location-based and subject-based reference transactions gathered via a systematic sample of every 70th transaction out of 129,572 transactions collected. Methods – Using LibStats, the researchers collected data on location-based and subject-based questions at all service points at UK Libraries between 2008 and 2011. The researchers eliminated transcripts that did not include complete data or questions with fields left blank. If all question fields were properly completed, identification and coding of location-based or subject-based questions took place.