Use Of Reference Services Research Articles

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE USAGE OF REFERENCE SERVICES BY USERS OF PROF. FESTUS AGHAGBO NWAKO LIBRARY, UNIZIK, AWKA - NIGERIA

This study examined the extent of use of reference services by users of the Prof.Festus Aghagbo Nwako Library, UNIZIK, Awka. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and questionnaire was distributed to 50 users of the library that were selected for the study. The responses to the items in the questionnaire were analysed by means of relevant descriptive statistical tools. The results were further presented by means of tables and discussed. Based on the analysis, the study found that apart from reprographic services, the Prof. Festus Aghagbo Nwako Library renders significant reference services to users of the library. Several problems associated with the delivery and patronage of the reference services were identified and solutions proffered. Given the research outcome, this study recommended that the library should educate students and other users about the reference and information services that are available at the library and efforts should be made by the Librarians to routinely update available reference sources in the Library.
 Keywords: References Sources, Libraries, Library Services, Academic Libraries.

A Survey on the use of Reference Services and Sources by Undergraduate Students in Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE)

A Survey on the use of Reference Services and Sources by Undergraduate Students in Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE)

Academic Library Use is Positively Related to a Variety of Educational Outcomes

A Review of:
 Soria, K. M., Fransen, J., & Nackerud, S. (2017). Beyond books: The extended academic benefits of library use for first-year college students. College & Research Libraries, 78(1), 8-22. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.1.8
 Abstract
 Objectives – To consider the relationship between academic library use and four specific outcomes: academic engagement, engagement in scholarly activities, academic skills development, and grade point average.
 Design – Hierarchical regression analysis.
 Setting – A large, public research university in the Midwest US.
 Subjects – 1,068 non-transfer, first-year students who voluntarily completed the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey.
 Methods – The SERU survey results were analyzed alongside student data derived from institutional records and 10 library usage variables generated from library systems. Velicer’s minimum average partial (MAP) method was employed to develop a factor analysis. Hierarchical regression analyses measured the relationships between independent variables (demographic characteristics, collegiate experiences, and libraries use) and dependent variables (students’ academic engagement, academic skills, engagement in scholarship, and fall semester grade point average).
 Main Results – Students’ use of academic libraries was reported to have a positive relationship with all four dependent variables, above and beyond those explained by pre-college and collegiate experiences: academic engagement (R2∆= .130, p < 0.001), academic skills development (R2∆= .025, p < 0.001), fall semester grade point average (R2∆= .018, p < 0.001), and engagement in scholarship (R2∆= .070, p < 0.001). Use of books and web-based library resources had the most positive relationships with academic outcomes; workshop attendance and use of reference services had limited positive relationships with academic outcomes; and use of library computer workstations had no significant effects on academic outcomes.
 Conclusion – Undergraduate student use of the academic library is positively associated with diverse academic outcomes. Although the explanatory power of library use was relatively low, ranging from 1.8 to 13.0 percent of final variance in the dependent variables, library use is nonetheless reported to contribute significantly to academic outcomes.

Beyond Books: The Extended Academic Benefits of Library Use for First-Year College Students

The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether there are relationships between first-year college students’ use of academic libraries and four academic outcomes: academic engagement, engagement in scholarly activities, academic skills development, and grade point average. The results of regression analyses suggest students’ use of books (collection loans, e-books, and interlibrary loans) and web-based services (database, journal, and library website logins) had the most positive and significant relationships with academic outcomes. Students’ use of reference services was positively associated with their academic engagement and academic skills, while enrollment in library courses was positively associated with grade point averages.

Academic Libraries: “Social” or “Communal?” The Nature and Future of Academic Libraries

The apparent death of academic libraries, as measured by declining circulation of print materials, reduced use of reference services, and falling gate counts, has led to calls for a more “social” approach to academic libraries: installing cafés, expanding group study spaces, and developing “information commons.” This study compares these social models with the traditional academic library, whose spirit is best understood as “communal.” It argues that this communal spirit is unique and greatly valued by academic library users. Efforts to create a more social academic library threaten this communal spirit and may do more harm than good.

The necessity of real-time: Fact and fiction in digital reference systems

discussions and trends in digital reference have emphasized the use of real-time digital reference services. Recent articles have questioned both the utility and use of asynchronous services such as e-mail. This article uses data from the AskERIC digital reference to demonstrate that asynchronous services are not only useful and used, but may have greater utility than real-time systems. ********** Digital reference refers to the provision of human-intermediated to users over a digital network. Sometimes referred to as virtual reference or e-reference, digital reference has become a hot topic in the library community; it has even been called the first mature application of the digital library, even though its development has been in large part parallel to digital library research and development. At conferences, in articles, and on the Intemet, there is an ongoing dialogue about how best to build and run digital reference services. Many of these discussions have been summarized by Peters in his article Current Opportunities for the Effective Meta-Assessment of Online Reference Services. (1) In the article Peters states: A meta-assessment undertaking could focus on raising several key questions and assumptions about reference in general and online reference services in particular. Once the questions have been raised and the assumptions questioned, they can be examined and tested--in thought experiments, in controlled research environments, and in pilot programs. (2) One of the findings Peters generates concerns the inclusion of so-called real-time technologies in a digital reference service: To be successful, does online reference have to be conducted in real-time? Examples of delayed include snail-mail reference, delayed phone reference (where the user calls in the question, then the provider phones back at a later time with the answer or assistance), and e-mail reference. None of these forms of reference has proven to be widely accepted and frequently useful to a population. Although all reference involves some sort of time delay, it appears to be true that, for most users and most reference needs, delays of more than a few minutes diminish both the usefulness and use of a reference that routinely incorporates such delays into its architecture. (3) This article tests Peters' findings against empirical data gathered through customer surveys conducted for the AskERIC asynchronous question-answering service. (4) The results of these surveys directly contradict Peters' findings in relation to real-time services. Study Background AskERIC is a personalized Internet-based providing education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, and others interested in education throughout the United States and the world. It began in 1992 as a project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology (part of the Educational Resources Information Center) and today it encompasses the resources of the entire ERIC system and beyond, using the subject expertise of the sixteen ERIC Clearinghouses to respond to education requests. The AskERIC allows educational researchers and practitioners to ask questions via e-mail or the Web. ERIC experts provide users with a list of ERIC database citations, Internet resources, and other relevant information within two business days. The AskERIC answers between 800 and 1,414 (at peak) questions per week using this asynchronous digital reference service. Table 1 shows the question loads for AskERIC during the past eight years. Clearly AskERIC is a large-volume handling a large number of digital reference inquiries. If, as Peters states, asynchronous services (as opposed to real-time services) significantly diminish both the usefulness and use of a reference service AskERIC users should be very dissatisfied with the service. …

Kids Count: Using Output Measures to Monitor Children's Use of Reference Services

The author discusses Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries and Output Measures for Public Libraries as tools for evaluating reference services and demonstrates how the newer Output Measures for Public Library Service for Children can contribute to our understanding of informational services for young people.

Analysis of the use of reference services in an academic health sciences library.

In 1991, the Reference and Information Services staff of the Alfred Taubman Medical Library at the University of Michigan gathered data on the use of the reference desk, including the frequency and types of assistance requested by different user groups throughout the year. Recommendations based on the results of this study led to improved service as well as more efficient use of staff resources.

External users of a university library

Over a six year period, during which reciprocal borrowing was introduced, visits by external users to the University Library, The University of Western Australia increased only slightly overall. Visits to the main Library increased greatly but visits to branches decreased and while visits by members of reciprocal institutions increased, visits by other types of external user decreased. External user visits were more likely than institutional user visits to include use of reference services, OPAC s and material from the shelves and were less likely to include borrowing, photocopying and use of study desks. Although there is a measurable workload involved in catering for external users, external use of library services (excluding stock) does not appear to disadvantage institutional users.