Fundamentals of Reference

Reference Evaluation 103

measuring and assessing reference resources—

use, usability, and Collection assessment

In this section the importance of assessing both print and electronic reference
collections is highlighted with accompanying links to selected measurement
tools and bibliographic references.
So what are some typical forms of reference evaluation? Evaluation meth-
ods may vary from the simplest tallies of the number of reference transactions
handled and recorded by hash marks on a piece of paper to detailed online
questionnaires that rate patron satisfaction.
As the discussion so far has indicated, some of the most frequent subjects
for reference evaluation have been reference services, reference collections,
and reference staff. Here are some of the forms of evaluations used in assess-
ing each.

reference services

Quantitative as well as qualitative measures may be used to evaluate reference
services. For example, the number of questions answered in a given time
period may be counted (quantitative) or how well they were answered (qualita-
tive) may be assessed (correct answer, patron is satisfied, etc.). Knowing when
the most reference transactions occur will indicate when to schedule staff, and
may also be used in decisions about staffing levels. Knowing how reference
questions are answered may reveal subject areas with which staff members may
not be as familiar as they should, and thus indicate where training is needed.
Knowing how patrons perceive the reference service they receive may also
indicate where staff training, retraining, or “attitude adjustment” is called for.
While quantitative evaluation may produce a “snapshot” of reference
activity in a particular time period at a particular service point (for example,
how many reference transactions were conducted), it may not provide the
“big picture,” that is, not only how many transactions but how they were
handled—were patrons satisfied with the outcome; were they (patrons) wel-
comed, listened to, treated with respect, and so on. This is the kind of infor-
mation that a qualitative evaluation is intended to yield. Acquiring this kind
of information may require a little more than checkmarks on a form. It need
not be a lengthy personal interview with each patron; however, there should