Implementation and evaluation of information desk services provided by library technical assistants

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Librarianship
• Information Services Management
• Academic Library Operations

Background:

• Evolving roles of health sciences librarians and healthcare environment necessitate new reference service models.
• The University of Illinois at Chicago Library of the Health Sciences analyzed its service provision.
• A new service model was developed and implemented to address these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the establishment and evaluation of a new information desk service.
• To assess the performance and value of an information desk staffed by library technical assistants.
• To provide data for future research and service model development.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an information desk staffed by 25 library technical assistants.
• Comprehensive staff training, scheduling, and data gathering protocols were established.
• An eight-month evaluation using quantitative (service statistics, observations) and qualitative (questionnaires) methodologies.

Main Results:

• Analysis of service statistics, real-time observations, and patron/librarian questionnaires informed the evaluation.
• The study presented findings comparing results with similar library studies.
• Future research directions were identified based on the study's outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The evaluation confirmed the significant value of the information desk service model.
• The findings strongly support the decision to continue utilizing this service model.
• The study contributes to understanding effective staffing and service delivery in health sciences libraries.