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Close to fifteen years ago some very bright people in RUSA decided to create a space where the most significant reference research of the year could be shared with RUSA members and other ALA Annual Conference attendees. (more…)
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In an effort to bring RUSA’s ALA Annual Conference programming to RUSQ readers who cannot attend the conference, I invited Marie Radford to write this guest editorial based on her address that was presented as part of the 2008 RUSA President’s Program, “Quality Service in an Impersonal World,” at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. However, this article is much more than a reworking of that excellent presentation. (more…)
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This article describes a multiple-methods approach to examining and enhancing the quality of walk-in service points at a major university library. Selected methods included focus groups, benchmarking, surveys, transaction analysis, activity mapping, and secret shoppers. (more…)
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Subject searching in the OPAC is the most problematic of all search types, causing far greater difficulty for patrons than keyword searching and known-item searching. This study combines two methodologies—transaction log analysis and user observation interviews—to examine the reasons for patrons’ failure to use subject searching effectively. (more…)
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Many library customers’ questions never reach designated service points such as circulation and reference desks. These questions may be addressed to personnel untrained in customer service such as student shelving staff in an academic library. (more…)
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This exploratory study investigated the help-seeking preferences of library users at two large urban universities in Toronto. Reference desk and virtual reference users were compared in terms of their perceptions of the options now available for obtaining reference help. (more…)
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Volunteers have had a major impact on libraries throughout U.S. history. The rapid changes in the information world of the last decade serve as a catalyst for evaluation of library programs including those for volunteers. This article offers a brief history of volunteers in libraries and discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of instituting a volunteer program as well as implications based on library implementation of new computer technologies. (more…)
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After many discussions and intense scrutiny, the working group of the BRASS Business Reference Sources Committee selected ten recent works as either “outstanding” or “other noteworthy titles.” (more…)
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For the past quarter century, we have seen a revitalization of readers’ advisory (RA) services in the public libraries in the United States. The 1980s saw three major events that re-established the value of working with readers: the publication of the first edition of Genreflecting under the editorship of Betty Rosenberg (1982); the establishment of the Chicago-area Adult Reading Roundtable (ARRT) (1984); and the publication of the first edition of Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library by Joyce Saricks and Nancy Brown (1989). (more…)
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This column addresses the impact of recent changes to APA style citation on the academic community, which widely uses this style to document its research. The author notes that these changes, especially the wholesale adoption of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for citing electronic journal articles, have caused frustration and confusion for users of APA style, and the problem is likely to worsen as more students and faculty realize what the new changes entail. (more…)
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The role and powers of the president have come under increasing scrutiny since the tragic events of September 11. While the current political debate is focused on the unilateral actions of the office of the president since the terrorist attack, interest in the ways presidents use and manage the power of their position have been a subject of concern since George Washington. (more…)
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In May 2008 I spent a month working at the Shanghai Library as part of a work exchange. A month is a long time to be gone from work and home, but a short time to become acquainted with a library as large as the Shanghai Library. In this column I will share a few of my thoughts on my experience. (more…)
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The United States has experienced increased immigration rates since 1990 and public libraries are faced with providing services to immigrants from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Which immigrants are the most likely to utilize public library services? (more…)
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This study examines reference transaction quantities reported through the Academic Library Survey of the National Center for Educational Statistics to explore whether, and the extent to which, academic libraries are seeing a decline: the beginnings of a “deserted library.” (more…)
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Dedication: Martha Portree died tragically on July 7, 2007, just days after she completed her work on revisions to this paper. Her enthusiasm and wicked sense of humor sustained us throughout this project, even during the most trying times, and her sly editorial pen lent much needed focus to this paper. (more…)