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Eliminating traditional reference services in an academic health sciences library: a case study.
1John A. Prior Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. schulte.109@osu.edu
Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA
|October 25, 2011
Summary
This study shows that eliminating traditional reference desk services at a health sciences library increased specialized reference transactions and librarian engagement. This shift facilitated a more proactive liaison program without negatively impacting statistics.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences Librarianship
- Information Services Management
Background:
- Academic health sciences libraries traditionally rely on physical reference desks.
- Staffing reference desks can limit librarians' engagement in proactive outreach and liaison activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if traditional reference desk services could be eliminated at a health sciences library.
- To assess the impact of eliminating reference desks on service statistics and librarian roles.
Main Methods:
- A gap analysis was conducted at an academic health sciences library.
- Reference transaction and instructional session data were analyzed over eleven months.
Main Results:
- Specialized reference transactions and those exceeding thirty minutes significantly increased.
- Overall reference transactions saw an increase post-implementation.
- New instructional initiatives were launched, potentially independent of the model change.
Conclusions:
- Eliminating traditional reference desk services did not negatively affect reference or instructional statistics.
- Removing the physical desk requirement enabled a more proactive librarian liaison program.
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