Roving technical services research proposal

8/6/2019 Roving technical services research proposal

1/26

1

ROVING VOLUNTEERS AT MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY

Roving Technohosts: A study about the effects of a new volunteer program

on reference librarians at Multnomah County Librarys central branch

By Ellen Ast

Emporia State University


2/26

2


Abstract

A pilot program at Multnomah County Librarys central branch called Roving

Technohosts will be studied for one year to determine if reference librarians have more time to

help more patrons when the volunteer technohost is on duty. The technohost will monitor the

second and third floors of the library and respond to calls from patrons and librarians for help at

any of the librarys 130 computer workstations. Literature suggests that better customer service

will keep libraries competitive as more information is found online. At the same time, libraries

must keep up with technology because patrons expect librarians to know how to help them with

modern information-seeking tools. The librarys goal with the technohosts program is to improve

service building-wide and help people whose only computer access is at the library to develop

computer literacy skills. If research results show that the librarians respond to fewer requests for

one-on-one help sessions with computer users while the technohost works, then the library will

consider adding more technohosts to the program.


3/26

3


Table of Contents

Chapter I: Introduction.4

Introduction..4

Purpose.5

Significance..5

Summary..6

Chapter II: Literature review...7

Introduction.....7

Librarianship as customer service............7

Roving as a service model.........11

Summary12

Chapter III: Methodology..14

Introduction14

Research questions and hypothesis14

Role of researcher..15

Participants15

Design and procedure17

Limitations18

Instruments...19

Summary...20

References.21

Appendix...24


4/26

4


CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

After the Queens Library and New York Public Library in New York City, the

Multnomah County Library system has the third-highest circulation in the United States, with

more than 21 million items lent last year and a record five million visits to its 19 locations

(Sarasohn, 2010). The central branch in downtown Portland is one of MCLs busiest, with about

17 miles of bookshelf space and 130 computer workstations. Computers are in high demand

during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Patrons with a library card can sign up to use a

computer for an hour except in the computer lab, which provides unlimited computer access to

everyone, including people who do not have a physical address needed to get a library card.

Monitored by a volunteer, the lab is open for two to three hours every day during peak hours and

it is also used to hold job-seeking and technology education classes.

Volunteers are a valuable resource to a library. Among other daily tasks, they help check

out and shelve materials, monitor computer workstations and run special events. The volunteers

who monitor computer labs at central and at other MCL branches are called technohosts. They

are knowledgeable enough to help users with technology and give one-on-one attention to those

who lack computer literacy, meaning they do not have enough knowledge about computers and

the Internet to work and troubleshoot independently.

Building on the technohost model, the central branch launched a pilot project called

Roving Technohosts to send volunteers to help computer users throughout the library. The

technohost volunteer wears a green apron with a bold logo for visibility and carries a cell phone.

The phone number is posted at each reference desk so the librarian can call the technohost for


5/26

5


help when needed. More difficult inquiries will be taken to a librarian or to a security guard if the

issue is behavioral.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure how well the central librarys Roving

Technohosts program works in its first year and to evaluate whether the library should expand

the program, eliminate it or leave it as is. Depending on how strongly the research results support

the hypothesis, the study may help MCL consider creating a paid roving staff position and it may

help serve as an example to other libraries looking into creating new service models. Data

collected will also contribute to ongoing studies of twenty-first century librarianship, as the

Internet is making library and information services more user-oriented and user-driven.

Significance

Patrons who approach the reference desk seeking help may not get it right away if the

librarian is at a computer workstation giving one-on-one help and no other librarian is around.

Not only can this cause a patron to wait or a line to form at the desk, other computer users who

need help may get frustrated if their wait time eats up their hour time limit. If the computer lab is

open and the patron needs a lot of one-on-one help, the librarian will send them there. If the lab

if full, the patron must wait until another user leaves.

The Roving Technohosts program meets a need libraries face more as demand for

technology services rise and funding for public libraries shrinks. According to a 2010 study by

the American Library Association, public library hours in Oregon between 2009 and 2010

dropped by 10 percent. Internet work station use rose to 61 percent, but with an average of 12

computers per library, there are only enough computers about 20 percent of the time. Ninety-four

percent of Oregons libraries provide access to jobs databases and other job opportunity


6/26

6


resources, which is higher than the nation average, at 88 percent. The study adds that 92 percent

of libraries in the state offer IT training to patrons. However, only 39 percent help patrons

complete online job applications. The divide between technology users and the personnel

libraries have to help them is felt.

As more information is found online, more people will need help finding it and expect

fast results. According to Courtois and Liriano (1999), it is becoming more common for library

users to find dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, and other reference sources in

computerized form, rather than in the print reference collection. There is a shift away from the

reference desk and toward the public workstation as the gateway to information.

Summary

By launching the Roving Technohosts pilot project, MCL joins other libraries in helping

reference staff meet more needs of patrons faster by allocating technology assistance to someone

else. Users who lack computer literacy but who require it and can only get it at the library may

be able to get more one-on-one help with a roving technohost available. This service model is

more likely to keep the librarian from having to leave the reference desk for too long while

others line wait there and line up for help.


7/26

7


CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

Multnomah Countys central branch hopes to cast a wider net of service building-wide by

introducing roving technohosts to its core of services. Although centrals model is primitive

compared to paid roving reference librarians that other public and academic libraries have,

literature demonstrates similar values behind these services. This chapter will explore some of

them: Librarianship as customer service, how technology plays a role in modern reference work,

and finally, roving as a service model.

Librarianship as customer service

The Golden Rule is expressed in some form in many world religions and instructs people

to treat others how they would like to be treated. Chad Buckly (2006) in his article Golden Rule

Reference: Face-to-Face and Virtual, printed in the bookNew Directions in Referece, says an

honest attempt to apply the Golden Rule in reference work can enhance the quality of service

provided to patrons and can benefit any type of library. He explains how providing exceptional

service in a library goes a long way and why going the extra mile for a patron is worth the effort.

If the evaluation of this study shows that roving technohosts at central can allow librarians to go

the extra mile, then the literature about customer service in a library setting holds true in

explaining the indirect effect technohosts have on patron satisfaction.

A trip to the library can be a tedious for someone who lacks computer literacy. The

disempowered information seeker moves randomly through a mysterious, incomprehensible

information space, following links without being sure where they lead, hoping to stumble across

what or she needs (Hope, Kajiwara & Liu, p. 21). This quote from a chapter in a book called

Evolution in Reference and Information Services: The Impact of the Internetis an attempt by


8/26

8


three reference librarians at San Jose State University to elaborate on the way the Internet has

increased the reference librarians role as teacher. Although their writing is geared toward an

academic setting, public librarians understand what the authors describe as the crunch from

patrons who expect that finding information online will be easy and fast. When it is not, patrons

will expect the librarian to step in. If a library lacks modern information-seeking tools and

quality service from librarians, patrons may go elsewhere. Delivery of services requires a solid

business model.

InDelivering Satisfaction and Service Quality: A Customer-Based Approach for

Libraries, authors Peter Hernon and John Whitman (2

001) describe technology as the

competition to libraries and why customer service is critical to keeping libraries attractive. They

say the twenty-first century will bring new competitors, technologies, and expectations. Those

who think that the web offers all the information and knowledge they need, that search engines

replace the librarians, and that society doesnt need warehouses of books if everything can be

digitized are the patrons libraries must strive to keep. In a chapter devoted to the hiring and

retaining to top-notch staff, the authors say The attitude and role of staff members are key to

any service organization that values its customers (p. 39).

Suzanne Walters (1994) at the beginning of her customer service manual for librarians

quotes a study conducted for the White House Office of Consumer Affairs: Ninety percent of

customers who are dissatisfied with the service they receive will not come back. Each one of

those unhappy customers will tell his or her story to at least nine other people (p. 2). She goes

on to say that most businesses find that 20 percent of their customers account for 80 percent of

their business and that goes for libraries, too. These 20 percent are strong advocates for

libraries. A loss of one of these customers makes an impact (p. 2). These words are as wise now


9/26

9


as they were then because public libraries across the country are dealing with less-than-ideal

budgets. Walters adds, It costs six times as much to get a new customer as it does to retain an

old one. It costs six times as much to get a new donor than it does to keep an old one. This costs

represents advertising, special programs, and library card sign-up events (p. 2).

Technology and modern reference work

Talking about technology, it is important to note the way it has changed the work

environment of librarians. In intoEvolution in Reference and Information Services: The Impact

of the Internet, Assistant Professor Joseph Straw at University of Akron (2001) says The

prevalence of electronic reference sources is clearly a product of historic developments This

democratization of information challenges reference librarians with the task of educating patrons

in the skills they will need in navigating through a new information world (Su, p. 10).

Librarians find their roles as teachers growing as more patrons who lack computer

literacy visit the library to access information online. Teaching a user how to use a mouse, access

a job application and attach a resume to it are examples of time-consuming responsibilities

modern reference librarians face. In a busy library like central, the librarian sometimes only has

time to briefly show the patron how to do these things, rather than teach them so they can later

do these things on their own. Literature about the digital divide stresses the role librarians have

in diffusing it. Tom Cooper (2007) in Are we helping the information have-nots? says When

people approach the reference desk these days they are usually asking to use the Internet. We

sign them in and direct them to a terminal the digital equivalent of pointing at the reference

room and saying "over there." We have not helped the patron, and we have done nothing to

guard against the incorrect, outdated, and incomplete information that teems throughout the

Web (p. 2).


10/26

10


This is a transaction which librarians at the central branch say is common: A computer

user with basic computer literacy skills approaches the reference desk for help filling out a job

application online. The librarian guides the user to a computer, helps the user get logged in (if

there is no wait) and shows the user how to get started. Among other issues, the user doesnt hold

the mouse properly and needs help repeatedly and the librarian returns each time. Finally, the

user needs help attaching a resume to the application. But the user doesnt have their resume

stored electronically. The librarian shows the user how to open a word processing document,

pick a template or create a custom resume, and what to include in the document. In these cases,

the librarian may refer the user to the computer lab if its open or a class if there is one coming

up and space is available. These options wont work though if the user has to finish their job

application before they leave the library that day. Although its a time-consuming process for the

librarian, it is up to the librarian to make sure the user leaves with a positive experience.

Otherwise, the consequences could be costly, if one applies the rules of customer service in

business to libraries.

John Burke (2009) in his bookNeal-Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic

Guide for Library Staff, describes the digital divide in society involving the haves those

who have technology available and have to use it whether they like it or not and the have

nots those who cannot use technology even if they would like to (p. 170). Some people who

visit the library to use a computer have rarely used one. Twenty-three percent of American

adults do not own a computer or go online at all, and 20 percent of American adults have never

used the Internet or email (p. 171). Yet the most common reasons patrons use computers,

according to the American Library Association (2010), is for job searching, finding government

information and using education resources and databases. Libraries must keep up with


11/26

11


technology to provide the latest electronic information-seeking tools. Staff must learn how to use

these tools so they can help patrons who come to the library to use computers but arent familiar

with the technology. The library is filling a need in assisting users who need additional Internet

access or who do not have another opportunity to get online (Burke, p. 171). According to the

American Library Association (2010), 62 percent of libraries in Oregon say they are the only

provider of free public computer access and free public Internet access in their area. Libraries

dont add as many Internet workstations as needed because they lack funding and staff to help

users with the technology (APA, 2010).

Roving as a service model

While roving services draw praise from institutions which employ them and other library

and science industry leaders, roving has its drawbacks and Marianne Reynolds (2005) talks about

some in her article Operation Rover. She said the most two most objectionable defects are lack

of staff at the reference desk and a decreasing sense of patron privacy. Central librarys roving

technohosts don not apply to the first objection because the volunteer-based model is meant to

contribute to librarians being behind the desk more. But the issue is still significant. When

librarians take chunks of time to help a computer user one-on-one, it can strain the collaborative

nature of reference librarianship. As one librarian is roving, another librarian at the reference

desk who has a line of patrons to get through may wish the other would return and help.

Overwhelmed and displeased librarians may not be able to please all their patrons and that is not

the customer service libraries described above that libraries need. Her privacy concern is more

relevant to centrals roving technohosts because patron confidentiality is more at risk when a

librarian or volunteer intervene, even in a helpful manner.


12/26

12


One often-cited article about roving in a public library is the case study of roving

reference in the King County Library System called Going Mobile: KCLS Roving Reference

Model by Barbara Pitney and Nancy Slote (2007). Their conclusions summarize the hypothesis

of this study, with main points including We learned we needed to free staff from many of their

daily routines so they could provide patrons with prompt, customer-friendly service at the point

of need, and We learned that the end result of roving is being able to provide patrons with

assistance when it is needed in a prompt, customer-friendly way at the patrons point of

puzzlement (Pitney, B. & Slote, N., p. 4).

Martin Courtois and Maira Liriano (2

000) have written about roving reference and patron

privacy and in one article, Tips for Roving Reference: How to Best Serve Library Users, they

give 14 pieces of advice for roving techniques and how to implement the service. Although this

piece aims at the paid roving reference staff model, it addresses etiquette all library rovers should

practice for optimum service to patrons. One item particular relates directly to the method of this

study: Keep statistics. Many reference departments report declining numbers of reference

questions. This decrease may be because fewer transactions take place solely at the desk, but

more users are helped at public workstations. This may be difficult to do, but look for ways for

rovers to keep accurate count of the number of questions they answer. Your statistics should

jump dramatically! (p. 2).

Summary

The literature on roving cites the practice as being beneficial because it allows librarians

to deliver more service to more patrons while computer users without much technology literacy

get the help they need. As the subjects of customer service, technology and modern librarianship,


13/26

13


and roving as a service model were explored, the literature will support why this study is useful

in evaluating the effects of the roving technohosts at the central library.


14/26

14


CHAPTER III: Methodology

Introduction

This chapter will explore how the study will suggest that a librarian at central has more

time to help more patrons when a technohost roves the building. It will discuss how a mixed

quantitative and qualitative testing model will track the work environment of six reference

librarians over a 12-month period and show whether changes arise because of the technohost.

This chapter will also cover the studys limitations, the role of the researcher, the participants,

and the procedure.

Research questions and statement of the hypothesis

Literature shows that librarians influence patron experiences and opinions about the

library. Customers seek and value service organizations that provide better benefits (products,

service and relationships), review and expand the critical expectations that they are willing to

meet, outperform their competitors, and offer service at an acceptable cost. Cost need not be

defined in monetary terms; it may relate to ones time (Hernon & Whitman, p. 9).

By helping patrons use computers, technohosts give librarians more time to remain

behind the reference desk and thoroughly help more patrons with their inquiries. Does that mean

the librarian will still leave the desk for other reasons, such as to help a patron find a book? Will

the librarian be able to leave the desk more frequently for shorter periods of time, as compared to

long stretches of time it takes to sometimes help a computer user? Will the librarian use their

extra availability to give better quality service from behind the desk, or will the librarian deliver

the same level of service as prior to the technohosts program? Will the motivation to improve

service quality rise if the librarian has more time to do so as a result of the technohosts?

In this study, the effect of the independent variable the technohosts program and the


15/26

15


dependent variables staff performance when the technohost is on and off duty will be tested

and analyzed over a 12-month period. I hypothesize that the effectiveness of the program will

ultimately lead to more patron satisfaction because librarians will be able to help more patrons

and with greater depth while the technohost helps patrons at the computers.

Role of the researcher

I have a bachelors degree in journalism from Indiana University and for nearly six years

I worked as a professional newspaper reporter before enrolling in library school. I sharpened my

qualitative data gathering through observation and interviews and it became part of my

professional skill set because I turned that data into narrative content for feature writing. These

skills came easy to me because I have always had a knack for writing and getting others to tell

me their life story. According to industry veterans, the mark of a good journalist is the ability to

blend in and capture the truth, so I feel my background will play a role in minimizing observer

effect as I gather qualitative data for this study.

Participants

Two male and four female reference librarians between ages 35 and 65 will participate in

this study. When the central library gave me permission to do this study, it notified staff I would

be selecting participants. I randomly picked participants by writing down on pieces of paper the

names of all librarians who work Mondays at reference desks on the second and third floors. I

placed the names into two jars, one for those who work on the second floor and one for those

who work on the third floor so the areas the technohost roves would be equally represented.

From each jar, I picked three names at random. I chose six participants specifically because three

to four librarians typically work on each floor every day, so the number six adequately represents


16/26

16


staffing levels in those areas. All agreed to participate in the study and I explained how I planned

to collect data.

Each participant has a graduate degree in library and information science and at least five

years of experience working as public reference librarians at other libraries and at central. All six

are equipped to deal with the high patron volume of a major urban public library and they are

recognized by both staff and patrons at the central branch. Because they all work Mondays when

the technohost works, they will feel the direct impact of the program on staff the most. Although

I am aware of their identities, they will be kept confidential in all quantitative research. They will

only be revealed on a first name basis as interview subjects in qualitative research.

Centrally located in downtown Portland, the central branch serves a wide demographic.

Each day hundreds of patrons seek information in close proximity to other patrons who work,

live, attend school or patronize the downtown business district. A notable number of those

patrons are those who live below the poverty line (based on 2009 federal poverty guidelines) and

who are homeless. Since the 97-year-old building sits on a MAX light rain line, it also attracts

tourists.

Not everyone visits the central library for the same reason. Because of the street activity

and loitering that takes place each day outside the library, and sometimes inside the library, at

least two security guards stand at the entrance and at least one more roams the entire building.

Everyone who enters and exits the building passes through metal detectors. A direct phone

number to a person in charge is posted at each reference desk for when a patrons behavior or

electronic viewing material becomes inappropriate, unsafe or uncomfortable for others. Library

staff is as prepared to monitor a patron suspected of being intoxicated or napping in the

bathroom.


17/26

17


Along with this diversity comes a wide range of individual computer literacy levels,

which is why the services of roving volunteers are essential. The stacks and public computers are

contained in the four wings of the second and third floors and one active reference desk sits near

the entrance to each wing. One or two librarians staff each desk. Two librarians staff a larger

reference desk in the second floor lobby.

Design and Procedure

Since this study will investigate the technohosts program in its first-year pilot project

phase and evaluate data gathered during that time, a mixed research approach of qualitative and

quantitative methods to be used. The purpose of using the mixed method is to use qualitative

analysis and interpretation to help explain or elaborate on the dominant quantitative results by

enlivening them with case vignettes pertaining to user satisfaction.

Quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered simultaneously. I will accompany a

technohost on their shift once a month for 12 months and observe interactions between the

technohost and patrons and staff to gather qualitative data. Notes will be recorded in a notebook I

will carry along for this study. After each shift, I will interview the technohost and a randomly

selected reference librarian one who covered one of the desks while the technohost was on duty

separately about the days activities. First names only will be recorded and processed in the

results, so this data will be partially autonomous when its reported. Each interview will last five

minutes. The interview questions will be spontaneous, starting out pertaining to a specific

incident and then eventually going to thoughts, feelings or comments about the program. I will

ask open-ended questions both parties can answer.

Survey research will be used to collect quantitative data. All surveys will be completed

anonymously. Two surveys total will be administered once a week. It will be the same survey


18/26

18


each time but I will break them into two groups, by function. The first survey group will be

called Survey One and it is designed to track reference librarian activity while the technohost is

on duty. The second survey group will be called Survey Two and its meant to track reference

librarian activity while the technohost is off duty. I will email Survey One every Sunday to a

randomly selected librarian and ask that it be filled out the next day while the technohost is on

duty, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I will email Survey Two every week the day before a randomly

selected day the volunteer is not there, to another randomly selected librarian and schedule it to

be completed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to match the time window of the technohost. At the end of

my 12

-month research period, I will have administered 384 surveys. Changes in the survey data

over the course of the 12-month research period will determine the effectiveness of the

technohosts program.

Limitations

Although I and the six reference librarians participating in the study are committed to the

one-year research period, this type of longitudinal survey has its limitations. With 52 weeks a in

a year, I predict the technohost will work 45 of those weeks because of library closures and days

the volunteer does not come in. Time will also pose as a limitation during this study. If the

librarian is too busy to thoroughly keep track of their activity during the scheduled time, then he

or she may fill out the survey later or in a hurry and not provide the most accurate information

possible. Sometimes a librarian may not return a survey at all, for whatever reason. Or, the

librarian may not get the survey because they are out sick on the day they were chosen to

participate or the email gets lost. I will not change the random nature of my research when these

contingencies happen. I will evaluate contingencies after the testing phase. Overall, I expect at

least a 90 percent survey response rate, which means I will get about 345 surveys back. To


19/26

19


account for these biases as I analyze data, the survey will ask the librarians what time it was

completed and how much of it was completed between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Instruments

I will use a pair of six-sided dice to randomly select who gets Survey One on Mondays

and who gets Survey Two on the other six days. One die will have the names of the six librarians

on its sides. The other will have the days of the week, excluding Monday, on its sides. Each

Sunday, I will give the people die a fair toss to the select the librarian who will get Survey One

for that Monday. Then I will give both dice a fair toss to select who will get Survey Two, and

when. All rolls are final unless I roll a librarian on a day they do not work or if I roll a day the

library is closed. Each librarian every week has a one in three chance of getting chosen to fill out

a survey. It is predicted that each librarian will fill out about 17 surveys per year. About half of

those will be Survey One, and about half will be Survey Two.

The survey asks the librarians to count the number of times they perform eight different

actions between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sundays, the weekly numbers for each action from

Survey One and Survey Two will be added up and averaged. There will be eight separate

averages. On the last day of each month, those weekly totals will be added up and averaged. As

months pass, I predict the gap between monthly averages from Survey One and Survey Two for

most actions will grow.

After the testing period, I will run t-tests between my two groups to assess whether the

means of two groups are statisticallydifferent from each other. I will convert the monthly

averages into eight bar graphs, one for each action, to visually represent any month-by-month

changes in the activities of the six librarians when the technohost was there. Red bars on the

graph will represent Mondays while blue bars will represent the other days as a whole. If there is


20/26

20


a change in the average levels between the days the technohost is there and the days the

technohost is not there, then the tests prove the hypothesis.

Any gaps of significant size and any non-existent gaps will be explained as the study is

evaluated. At that point, weekly totals will be mentioned because other factors affecting

patronage at a particular point in time might have been at play, such as a weather change, the

start or end of the school year, an economic or social change or changes in library operations.

This is where qualitative data collected simultaneously as the testing will help. If the library, for

example, was slow on a particular day a librarian was surveyed, material from an interview or

comment left on the questionnaire will account for any data fluctuations.

Summary

Using a mixed-model approach in a 12-month period to gather qualitative and

quantitative data, this study will track reference staff activity and used observations and

interviews of the technohosts, patrons and reference staff to measure the effectiveness of the

roving technohosts program.


21/26

21


References

Anderson, A. (2010, March 9). Roving reference [Web log message]. Retrieved from

http://getonthebuswyoming.wordpress.com/roving-reference

Anderson, B., & Webb, P. T. (2006).New directions in reference. New York: Haworth

Information Press.

Burke, J. (2009).Neal-Schuman library technology companion: A basic guide for library staff.

New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Cooper, T. (2007). Are We Helping the Information Have-Nots?.Public Libraries, 46(1),

18-19. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database.

Courtois, M., & Liriano, M. (1999). Roving reference: a new approach to user services.

Proceedings of the 65th ifla general conference.

Courtois, M., & Liriano, M. (2000). Tips for roving reference: how to best serve library users.

College & Research Libraries News, 61(4),2

89-90, 315. Retrieved from Library

Lit & Inf. Full Text database.

Forsyth, E. (January 01, 2009). Fancy walkie talkies, Star Trek communicators or roving

reference?. The Australian Library Journal, 58, 1, 73.

Hersberger, J. A. (2005). The homeless and information needs and services.Reference and User

Services Quarterly, 44 (3), 199-202.

Huwe, T. (2003). Casting a Wider Net with Roving Reference. Computers in Libraries, 23(3),

34-6. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database.


22/26

22


Katz, W. A. (1990). The Reference library user: Problems and solutions. New York: Haworth

Press.

Katz, W. A. (2000).New technologies and reference services. New York: Haworth

Information Press.

Leavitt, M. (2009). Annual update of the hhs poverty guidelines.Federal Register, 74(14),

Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov doi: fr23ja09-64

Mento, B., & Bregman, A. (January 01, 1992). Reference roving at Boston College. College and

Research Libraries News, 53, 10, 634.

Muller, K. (2010, July 20). Volunteers in libraries.America Libraries, Retrieved from

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/ask-ala-librarian/volunteers-libraries.

Pitney, B., & Slote, N. (2007). Going Mobile: The KCLS Roving Reference Model.Public

Libraries, 46(1), 54-68. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Mega database.

Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, 2009-2010. (2010). Chicago: American

Library Association.

Reynolds, M. (January 01, 2005). Commentary - BACKTALK - Operation Rover.Library

Journal, 130, 7, 62.

RUSA Guidelines - Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information

Service Providers. (January 01, 2004).Reference & User Services Quarterly, 44, 1, 14.

Sarasohn, D. (2010, March 6). Renewing connection at the county library. The Oregonian,

Retrieved from http://www.oregonlive.com.


23/26

23


Skorupa, S. (2010, July 19). Library computers essential for those trying to get new jobs.Reno

Gazette-Journal, Retrieved from http://www.rgj.com.

Su, D. (2001).Evolution in reference and information services: The impact of the Internet. The

reference librarian, no. 74. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press.

Walters, S. (1994). Customer service: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal-

Schuman Publishers.

Whitman, J. R., & Hernon, P. (2001).Delivering satisfaction and service quality: A customer-

based approach for libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.


24/26

24


Appendix

Reference desk activity from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on _______________________________

(name of weekday) (month)

Time completed: _______________

Please tally up the and report the following, as best as possible:

1. How many patrons did you help in the three-hour period?

2. How many patrons did you help from behind your desk?

3. How many patrons had to return to the reference desk for additional help?


25/26

25


4. How many times was there more than one person waiting for help at the reference desk?

5. How many times did another staff person help out at the desk with you?

6. How many times did you leave desk to help people use computers?

7. How many times did you leave the desk to help people find print materials?

8. How many times did you leave the reference desk for other reasons (excluding personal

breaks)?

Thank you! Please feel free to provide additional comments here.


26/26

26


Roving technical services research proposal

Documents

Transcript of Roving technical services research proposal