106 REFERENCE SERVICES
Use studies may involve techniques as simple as keeping track of which refer-
ence books are left on tables at the end of the day (presumably they have been
used). They may also entail more sophisticated methods such as gathering
use statistics provided by database vendors or collecting them with home-
grown computer applications. Mary Biggs
reviewed a variety of ways to conduct usage
studies. She “summarize[d] the principal
research methods employed, consider[ed]
their applicability, and set forth suggestions
for multi-faceted explorations of reference
collection use.”^9
Another way to evaluate or assess a ref-
erence collection is to compare it to stan-
dard reference lists such as Reference Sources
for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries (ALA),
Recommended Reference Books for Small and
Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers (Libraries Unlimited), and Guide to
Reference (ALA).
When an evaluation reveals that there are gaps of some type, that is, in
subjects, in a reference collection, it’s time to look for some new titles. In addi-
tion to the retrospective lists mentioned above, reviews are another source of
selection ideas. For new reference titles, the most frequently used publications
are the “Reference Books Bulletin” of ALA’s Booklist, the Reference and User
Services Quarterly (RUSA), Library Journal and School Library Journal (both
published by Media Source, Inc.), and Choice (ALA’s Association of College
and Research Libraries). All of these publications cover electronic as well as
print reference sources, some combining print and electronic reviews, oth-
ers featuring special columns of reviews of electronic reference resources. In
addition, Library Journal compiles an annual list of “Best Reference Sources”
and American Libraries (ALA) publishes the annual list of “Outstanding Refer-
ence Sources” created by the Outstanding Reference Sources Committee of
ALA/RUSA’s Collection Organization Development and Evaluation Section.
Finally, the American Reference Books Annual is published each year by Librar-
ies Unlimited and supplies reviews of the new print and electronic reference
works published in the United States and Canada.
When an evaluation reveals gaps in a collection, reviews and retrospective
lists are consulted for titles to add. When an evaluation reveals old or outdatedDavid A. Tyckoson, “Wrong
Questions, Wrong Answers:
Behavioral vs. Factual Evaluation
of Reference Services,” Reference
Librarian 17, no. 38 (1992):
151–73, proposes reference
evaluation based on behavioral
factors and the accountability of
reference librarians.http://www.ebook3000.com