Distance librarians often do not have the opportunity to engage face-to-face with users of library services. Without this personal interaction, it can be difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of library services in meeting the needs of the distance learners. Distance librarians may not realize it, but most have a wealth of information at their…

Measuring quality of service in academic libraries traditionally includes quantifiable data such as collection size, staff counts, circulation numbers, reference service statistics, qualitative analyses of customer satisfaction, shelving accuracy, and building comfort. In the libraries of the third millennium, virtual worlds, Web content and…

Discusses the evaluation of academic library reference librarians' effectiveness in providing services to patrons using electronic sources based on experiences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Topics include core technical competencies for subject specialists and reference desk service; the Internet; and methods of evaluation.…

Discusses the evaluation of library instruction through observations of student and faculty at the reference desk of university libraries. Bad effects (guilt, overconfidence, indignation) and good effects (patience, adventurousness, trust) of library instruction are noted, and characteristics of more successful academic library instruction are…

Discusses the results of the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program (WOREP) that was used by the reference department at the Brandeis University (Massachusetts) library. Results are compared with an onsite evaluation to determine factors that influence the provision of high-quality reference service. (LRW)

Considers the need for academic libraries to measure the effectiveness of reference services on an ongoing basis, and discusses factors to be considered in the planning, design, implementation, and analysis of various assessment methods. The different evaluation criteria for reference staff, bibliographic instruction, and online services are…

Proposes a framework for academic libraries to use for the reevaluation of reference and bibliographic instruction services that focuses on student attitudes and the World Wide Web. Discusses the postmodern condition that is characterized by consumerism, superficiality, and knowledge fragmentation, and considers how academic librarians can…

This investigation of a methodology for evaluating the reference effectiveness of academic libraries in New South Wales tests the answering of questions with a set of 10 questions seeking general background information on a range of topics. Student volunteers pose the questions by unobtrusive methods to reference staff at three college libraries.…

Intended to provide a guide to the most useful, practical, and relevant methodologies developed and implemented over the past 20 years for assessing a library's effectiveness, this bibliography provides citations to 72 selected studies evaluating the use, collections, and services of academic libraries. The citations are organized into three major…

Discusses library reference services. Topics include the historical development of reference services; instruction in library use, particularly in college and university libraries; guidance; information and referral services and how they differ from traditional question-answering service; and future concerns, including user fees and the planning…

This article presents interesting articles that explore several different areas of reference assessment, including practical case studies and theoretical articles that address a range of issues such as librarian behavior, patron satisfaction, virtual reference, or evaluation design. They include: (1) "Evaluating the Quality of a Chat Service"…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit presents the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries designed to document how ARL member libraries are collecting, using, and modifying their data on reference service transactions. A total of 74 of 124 ARL member libraries responded to the survey. A…

Considers trends in measurement and evaluation of reference service and summarizes research findings on the importance of reference work, library clientele, reference questions, duties of the reference librarians, and the effectiveness of reference service. Measures for the organization and performance of reference work, the adequacy of reference…

Describes how the University of Toronto library addressed the problem of supporting the extensive learning of electronic-information resources required by reference and library instruction staff by organizing teams of learners who shared responsibility for leadership. Discusses responses from evaluation questionnaires. (Author/LRW)

Duke University science librarians took a one-day retreat to examine operations, define goals, and explore options for achieving goals. Cost/impact analysis and decision matrix models were used to analyze each librarian's activities. The cost/impact model enabled the librarians to prioritize functions and to better deploy limited resources to…