Information Desk Case Study at NUI Maynooth

ANLTC – Information Desk Skills - Dec 1st 2005

Contents

• Desk layout • Staff changes• Student changes • Statistics • Initiatives • Future

Staff Changes

• Who • Cost• Rota• Backup • Training • Turnover

Student changes

• Profile• Modularisation• Stress• Immediacy • Culture of University

Desk Usage

• Modularisation• Peak times – afternoon – except in

December • Variety of queries• Reference Vs Non reference

Statistics 2004-2005 October 2141November 1759December 1080January 1011February 1590March 1605April 1479May 1282June 83July 207August 129September 836

Total number of queries

13,207

Top 5 queries 04-05

OPAC 5168

Borrower Account 1831

Directional 1345

PC/Laptops/Network 923

Photocopiers 780 (night)

[Subject Referrals 269]

Top 5 Queries

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Num

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October 04 Vs October 05

Oct-04 Oct-05

2141 1931

Going down…

Initiatives

• Digitise forms• Electronic Services• Extra training courses• Information Literacy sessions • Catalogue training throughout the year• Helpsheets• Off campus access • Electronic noticeboard

Future…

• Admissions Desk • Controlled Access• Growth ?• Less passive – more virtual reference

services?• Help Desk consolidation?

Future of our Information Desk

References• Grodzins Lipow, A. ( 2003) “The future of reference:

point-of-need reference service: no longer an afterthought”, Reference Services Review 31 (1) pp31-35

• Gessesse, Kebede (1997) “Re-examining the role of the public service librarian in the new Information Age” Library Review 46 (2) pp 90-98

• Middleton, Iain (1997) “In need of support: the academic help desk” Campus Wide Information Systems 14(4) p 120-127