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Managing Reference Services

Today: Keeping up with change
through effective assessment of
services

Ruth Rellin-Armilla
Assistant Librarian
Davao Del Norte State College
 Meeting the information needs of library users requires
conscious effort to provide timely and actual information
resources and services that will satisfy their needs, explore
users’ perceptions of the effectiveness of library services and
information resources and to determine how users access or
use the library services and resources.
 To assess the overall quality of the library’s contributions to
users’ experiences.
Cont…
 Library assessment is the practice of evaluating library
services, resources, spaces, and other areas to determine like
the impact of library services and resources will support the
users demand.

How to improve library performance and better align library

services and resources to users need.
 To collect data to analyze trends and changes in the use of
resources and services.
 To solicit feedback from library users by conducting library
survey.
To provide a robust assessment infrastructure that supports
evidence-based decision making. This helps librarians to ensure
that they are providing a range of resources to meet these
different needs and also to understand that people will choose
to use different resources in different ways.

An assessment of the effectiveness of library services has been

conducted based on selected criteria in four domains:
1.) Resources;
2.) Services;
3.) Library/stakeholders interactions and;
4.) Access.
This is to determine/identify about the strengths and the
weaknesses of the library services from the perspective of
researchers/users.
Library effectiveness emphasize the quantity and quality of
services provided to the library.

Five main elements of assessment

1.Specific 4. Realistic
2.Measurable 5. Time-bounded
3.Attainable
 Approaches or Models for Evaluating
Effectiveness
 Organizational Level Approach to Assess Effectiveness
Developing measures of organizational effectiveness and  to
what extent to which it achieves its goals and objectives.
 The Goal Model
The specific goals it wishes to pursue and the functions it
undertakes in order to implement them.
 Process Model
As a collective not only seeking to achieve specified goals, but
also engaged in activities required to maintain itself as a social
unit
 The Open Systems or System Resource Model
To measure their effectiveness in the belief that by counting
inputs they can directly indicate their library effectiveness.
 Multiple Constituencies Approach or Participant Satisfaction
Model
As the degree to which the needs and expectations of strategic
constituencies are met.
 Phase cycle of a Change
Phase 1-Preparing for change
-Define your change management strategy
-Prepare your change management team
-Develop your model
Phase 2 Managing change
-Develop change management plan
-Take action and implement plans
Phase 3 Reinforcing change
-Collect and analyze feedback
-Diagnose gaps and manage resistance
-Implement corrective actions and
celebrate successes
 How reference resources shapes reference services

Reference sources are authoritative works that help you locate

information about people, facts, and ideas. These sources can help
you find the date of an important event, major achievements of an
individual or organization. It caters to the customer’s inquiry related
to the kind of materials that will suit his/her particular requirements.

11 General Reference sources Encyclopedias, dictionaries,

gazetteers, atlases, handbooks, bibliographies, indexes, biographical
dictionaries, directories, almanacs and yearbooks
 Definition of reference service
Reference services also called as reference and information
services’ or ‘reader services’- these are the services provided by the
reference department in a library that helps the library patron to get
access to the information that they needed.

 The assistance in the use of resources of the library (A.B.

Kroeger)

 Part of library administration which deals with the assistance

given to the readers in their use of the resources of the library.
(James I. Wyer )
Cont…

 Includes the direct, personal aid within a library to persons in

search of information for whatever purpose and also various library
activities specially aimed at making information as easily available
as possible. (Margaret Hutchins)

 The personal assistance given by the libraries to individual readers

in pursuit of information.(Samuel Rothstein)
Reference department provide library user with direction to
the library materials, give advice on library collections and
services on various kind of information form variety of
sources. Reference department basically helps user to
answer the questions that the user have in mind as well as
helping the user to locate the information that they need in
the library.
 Some of the task and services provided by the librarian in the
reference department are:

1.Teach patrons on how to use the library catalogue

2. Help patrons find books on shelves
3. Recommend books to patrons
4. Teach user to use online database
5. Advice on searching information.
 Types of Reference Services
1. Ready Reference Service- is reference service finished in a very short
time- in a moment if possible. The concepts of ready reference service
is based on duration of time.
Different reference books are used in ready reference service, such as
Encyclopaedia, Dictionaries, Yearbooks, Directories, Biographical
dictionaries, Geographical dictionaries, etc.
2. Long-range Reference Service- Few long range reference questions
take less than half an hour, while some take a whole day and even weeks.
In long range reference service, the search of information starts with
ready reference services of information and is continued into ordinary
books, reports, periodicals, etc. In case, information is not located in the
library, then search may be continued into resources of other libraries
even carried out to libraries in other parts of the world.
 Functions of reference service by American Library Association

1.The supervision function- Proper organization of facilities,

Selection of reference materials, Direction of personnel, and study of
the library clientele.

2.The information function: The reference librarian should be

prepared to answer all types of questions and should be able to
produce source that would answer the questions. Attempts have also
been made to classify questions in various ways. Reference librarian
should be prepared to give assistance to the enquirer as much as he
requires.
 
Difference between of RSS and LRSS
3. The guidance function: The reference librarian should be able to give
guidance to the readers in the choice of books and other reading materials and
should guide them in the location of documents.
4. The instruction function: A reference Librarian should instruct the readers
about how to work in the library, the use of catalogue and reference works, the
location of materials, etc. For this an orientation programme should be arranged
to familiarize the readers with the library practices and procedures.
5.The bibliographic function: The bibliographies in various subjects of
interest to the readers, should be prepared by the reference staff, so that the
readers are able to know the books and other reading materials in a particular
subject.
6. The appraisal function: The success in reference service largely depends
upon two factors: Possession of right material, and knowledge of how to get
the most out of it.
Preparing to better serve the patrons today and tomorrow

Reference Service Satisfied patrons

Reference Transaction
 Management influence in a virtual global
landscape

Management Influence is to persuade others to agree with

right decision and draw respect from those around them.
Influence is a form of power in any situation, and
especially in the workplace. People with influence at work
tend to be more trusted and recognized. And often,
influential people are also more effective leaders.
 Step by step on how to manage and influence
your colleagues
1.Manage team work.
2.Improve communication and collaboration with your
colleagues.
3.Build trust with your team members.
4.Have more effective communication e.g. virtual
meetings.
5.Increase accountability and engagement among the
team.
6.Understand how to choose the right technology
tools for effective collaboration.
 References
LISBDNETWORK. (2022). Library effectiveness. Retrieved from
https://www.lisedunetwork.com/library-effectiveness/

Techthougth. ( 2022). Types of assessment of learning.

Rehttps://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/6-types-assessment-learning/
treived from
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/6-types-assessment-learning/

NSW Government. (2021). Five elements of effective assessment practice.

Retrieved from
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/learning-from-home/
teaching-at-home/assessment/primary-assessment/five-elements-of-
 References
Reference Librarian. (2012). Why do we need reference services?
Retrieved from
https://referencephsusm.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/why-do-we-need-reference-servi
ces/

Pressley, L., and Yun, A. E. (2013). Reference sources. Retrieved from

https://cloud.lib.wfu.edu/blog/research-like-a-librarian/reference-resources/

Udemy Inc. (2021). Management influence in a virtual global landscape. Retrieved

from https://www.udemy.com/course/virtual-teams/

Birkinshaw, J. (2021). Managing In A Virtual Workplace - Making Use Of All

Possible Levers Of Influence. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lbsbusinessstrategyreview/2021/07/16/managing-in-a-