Evaluation of Reference Services

1
Evaluation of Reference Services

• Dr. Dania Bilal
• IS 530
• Spring 2006

2
Why Evaluate?

• Assess and improve the quality of existing
  services
• Identify the need for new types of services or
  programs
• Justify funding and support

3
Why Evaluate?

• Manage human and physical resources more
  effectively and efficiently
• Justify the need for maintaining services and
  need for additional programs

4
Levels of Evaluation

• Lancasters scheme
• Inputs
• Outputs
• Outcomes

5
Levels of Evaluation Inputs

• Materials available to provide a service
• Reference collection
• Print, CD-ROM, Web-based databases
• Virtual materials

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Levels of Evaluation Outputs

• Measurement of quality of providing a service
• Answering reference questions
• accuracy
• completeness
• Assistance given in using sources

7
Levels of Evaluation Outcomes

• Meeting user information needs
• Level of satisfaction
• Level of knowledge gained or improved
• Discussion Question How should professionals
  assess user satisfaction?

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Evaluation Guidelines

• RUSA guidelines for reference services
• http//www.ala.org/rusaTemplate.cfm?Sectionrefere
  nceguideTemplate/ContentManagement/ContentDispla
  y.cfmContentID26884

9
Evaluation of Print Sources

• Direct examination using criteria
• Authority, currency, physical condition, format,
  target audience, curriculum needs, objectiveness,
  etc.
• Standardized lists
• Interlibrary loan requests
• Collection mapping software

10
Evaluation Electronic Sources

• User Interface
• Search features
• Retrieval features
• Help file
• Content vis-à-vis purpose and target audience
• Currency

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Evaluation Techniques Electronic Sources

• Design
• Record structure
• Navigation
• Visual elements (Icons and their metaphors,
  colors, etc.)
• Hyperlinks (live vs. dead)
• Overall user interface
• Authority
• Other

12
Evaluation of Reference Staff

• Approachability
• Knowledge of reference collection
• Knowledge of local services and referral
• Skills in identifying user needs
• Communication with users

13
Evaluation of Reference Transactions

• Types
• Obtrusive
• Issues challenges
• Unobtrusive
• Issues challenges
• Reference statistics

14
Evaluation of User Satisfaction

• Assess satisfaction of all types of users,
  including specific populations
• Techniques
• interviews
• via telephone
• via the Web
• via other means

15
Group Activity

• Visit Internet Public Library
• Use the criteria for evaluating electronic
  sources
• Evaluate the IPL website based on the criteria
  above
• Describe how well these criteria apply to the IPL
  website.