Holistic 360 Reference Services
Revitalizing and Engaging Students through in-person Reference, a [Institution] Library Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2024.294Keywords:
Academic Libraries, Reference Services, Pandemic Response, Emerging Technologies, Higher Education, Public Services, Holistic Reference ServicesAbstract
This study focuses on how academic libraries face ongoing challenges in adapting to emerging technologies and external events like the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores a sampling of the literature on the decline in reference transactions and the growing reliance on technology-mediated reference services. It presents Penn State Berks Thun Library’s approach to remediate and reverse this decline. The library aimed to enhance student access to reference services and increase librarian visibility by piloting in 2022-23 a mobile ASK desk. Data analysis from the pilot program indicates an increase in reference queries compared to previous years reversing the multiyear downward trend, suggesting the effectiveness of the ASK desk in meeting student needs. The article introduces the Holistic 360 Reference Services Model (H360 Ref), which provides a framework for delivering comprehensive reference services. Overall, it asserts that enhancing reference services can contribute to increased student engagement, solidifying the essential role of libraries in supporting learning and research endeavors.
References
Applegate, R. (2008). Whose decline? Which academic libraries are “deserted” in terms of reference transactions? Reference & User Services Quarterly, 48(2), 176-189. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20865037
Arndt, T. S. (2010). Reference service without the desk. Reference services review, 38(1), 71-80.
Baker, S., Chaudhuri, J., & Dobry, A. (2022). Leveraging student research consultants to support reference services: A case study comparison of services before and during the pandemic. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 26(2), 57-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875301.2021.2023064
Bowron, C. R., & Weber, J. E. (2019). The evolving reference desk: A case study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(5), 102057.
Bridgeman, M. (2022). A case study on how reference staffing and visibility models impact patron behaviors. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 17(1), 140-142. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip30084
Charbonneau, D. H., & Vardell, E. (2022). Health sciences librarian research and instruction services in pandemic information environments. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(4), 102553.
Dar, M. (2020). How COVID-19 has transformed reference services for public and academic libraries. Library Journal.
Davis, R. (2023). “My second home”: Why undergraduate women in STEM use academic libraries. Portal (Baltimore, Md.), 23(1), 197-214. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2023.0003
De Groote, S. L., Hitchcock, K., & McGowan, R. (2007). Trends in reference usage statistics in an academic health sciences library. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 95(1), 23–30.
De Groote, S., & Scoulas, J. M. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on the use of the academic library. Reference Services Review, 49(3/4), 281-301.
Dennis, M. J. (2021). Impact and opportunities: COVID-19’s effect on higher education. College and University, 96(2), 31-38.
Faix, A. (2014). Peer reference revisited: Evolution of a peer-reference model. Reference Services Review, 42(2), 305-319.
Faix, A. I., Bates, M. H., Hartman, L. A., Hughes, J. H., Schacher, C. N., Elliot, B. J., & Woods, A. D. (2010). Peer reference redefined: New uses for undergraduate students. Reference Services Review, 38(1), 90-107.
Holm, C. E., & Kantor, S. (2021). Reference is not dead: A case study of patron habits and library staffing models. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 21(2), 299-316. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2021.0017.
Kamssu, A. J., & Kouam, R. B. (2021). The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on university student enrollment decisions and higher education resource allocation. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(12), 143-153.
Meldrem, J. A., Mardis, L. A., & Johnson, C. (2005). Redesign your reference desk: Get rid of it! ACRL Twelfth National Conference.
Neal, R. E., Ajamie, L. F., Harmon, K. D., Kellerby, C. D., & Schweikhard, A. J. (2010). Peer education in the commons: A new approach to reference services. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 29(4), 405-413.
Reinsfelder, T., Cahoy, E., Davis, A., Dudash, Q., & Reuscher, J. (2022) Reference Team – Strategic Action Team: Report and recommendations. Penn State University Libraries.
Scripa, A., & Spencer, M. E. (2023). Introducing peer-to-peer reference services in a community college library. Reference Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-09-2022-0039
Sheffield, K. M., Silver, S. L., & Todorinova, L. (2013). Merging library service desks: Less is more. In Mergers and Alliances: The Operational View and Cases (pp. 155-174). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Lisa Rand, John Shank
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Revised 7/21/2020. Revision Description: Updated to APA 7th style.