Librarians without borders: Reaching out to students at a campus center

Abstract

Outpost Services Team was created at Rutgers University Libraries by the New Brunswick Libraries' Information Services Steering Group to study the demand for services at locations outside the physical library buildings. Upon the recommendation of the group, the team planned an exploratory pilot study to investigate the need for library services at campus centers--places where students and faculty members regularly gather for eating, socializing, and using other available services. A part of the main information desk of Rutgers University's Busch Campus Center was used to set up the outpost. Traditional reference-desk type of service was offered using networked digital resources. Reference statistics and feedback surveys were collected, providing data for evaluation. pilot study was a unique endeavor to reach out to less frequent users of libraries, learn about the expectations of students and faculty, and communicate to them about how they can benefit from using library resources and services. This article presents the details of planning the pilot study and a summary of findings and conclusions. ********** Reference services are in crisis. Reference services are one of the core functions that libraries traditionally perform for their communities. (1) Association of Research Libraries (ARL) indicates that the percent change of reference transactions in research libraries fell 21 percent between 1991 and 2001 at an average annual percentage drop of 2.6 percent. (2) public service aspect of reference services makes this function even more indispensable for libraries. trend toward declining numbers of reference queries is of deep concern to libraries, and major efforts are under way to better understand the trend's causes. Libraries across the country are seeking new and innovative solutions to increase the popularity of reference services. New forms of reference services are being offered primarily online or in electronic format, such as e-mail or real-time/live reference. (3) A survey of seventy ARL libraries conducted in 2001 found that nearly all of them offered e-mail reference services. survey further reported that 29 percent of the libraries were already offering real-time reference. (4) Other responses from libraries to the decline in reference transactions include fundamental rethinking of the use of library space and buildings for supporting users' needs. The Information Commons as a conceptual, physical, and instructional space, involves an organizational realignment from print to digital environment. (5) A survey of literature by Cowgill, Beam, and Wess explains the various adaptations of Beagle's model for the Information Commons. Several libraries have used the Information Commons concept and physically reorganized or renovated library space so that users can access both library and nonlibrary services conveniently. Services such as cafeterias, lecture halls, and lounge or reading areas have also been considered to attract students into libraries. Other institutions have taken the idea of Information Commons outside the library buildings into microcomputer labs on the university campus as a way to reach out to users. (6) In addition, academic libraries are using outreach services to increase the visibility of the library to students. These services usually include reference and research assistance to remote or distance education users, special user groups such as international students, users with disabilities, or other targeted groups. (7) Further, libraries are using outposts to build new relationships with other constituents of the university campus, such as residences (dormitories or graduate housing), that serve the same customers, namely, students and faculty. Such outreach activities are critical, especially for larger universities, considering the size of their student and faculty body. Rutgers University Libraries is comprised of twenty-six libraries and centers, including one virtual library (RU-Online). …