Information Services Management Committee

Minutes of the Meeting of June 12, 2001
1:30-3:50 P.M.
Davis Conference Room

Present: Marlene Laurence, Wish Leonard, Maureen McCormack, Doug Morton, Susan Moskal, Shabiran Rahman, Susan Routliffe (Chair), Mary Stanley, Rose Koebel (Recorder)

Regrets: Linda Teather

Guests: Jitka Dvoracek, Sharon Lamont, Janet Wason, Melanie Watkins

1. Minutes of Previous Meeting (June 5, 2001)

   Accepted.

2. User Services and Reference Questions: Review

At meetings held November 7 and 14, 2001, ISMC considered how User Services should respond to reference questions presented at circulation desks, both when the information desks are staffed and when they are not staffed. Discussions focussed on the need to balance the desire to ensure users receive information at the appropriate desk, with the desire to provide some level of assistance when the information desks are not open. To help clarify what constitutes a reference question, in November ISMC also defined a reference question as follows:

A reference question is any question asked by a user when trying to identify resources that contain information that he/she needs. Identifying resources includes finding a call number or an item's location in some electronic format such as CD-ROMs or the Web.

At today's meeting, ISMC reviewed actions taken as a result of those meetings to determine how well things are working, and to determine what outstanding questions remain. Melanie reported on activities and training involving User Services as follows:

• orientation to the reference areas for evening/weekend supervisors so that they are better able to provide directional assistance to sections of the collection and to printed guides
• Updated, handout size copies of the "you’re in the Library" poster were given to supervisors to give to patrons as appropriate
• Evening/weekend supervisors in Porter and Davis libraries sent Janet and Jitka lists of reference questions asked and the actions taken to which Janet and Jitka have been providing feedback
• A session was held with the aim of developing a common understanding of the definition of a reference question as defined by ISMC

Sharon indicated that the session on the definition of a reference question brought forward some concerns about the definition itself, and other ones. Concerns about the definition include the following:
1. The definition was felt to be too broad with respect to the types of resources it specifies. For example, does it include items in the Reserves collection?
2. There is a lack of clarity on whether an item's location pertains only to electronic resources, or everything. (Do User Services staff draw the line at searching TRELLIS, because TRELLIS is Web-based?)
3. There was a common belief that it is a disservice to re-direct patrons rather than help them conduct a TRELLIS search when they know exactly what they are looking for (i.e., they have identified the resource)
4. User Services staff are trained to search TRELLIS OPAC for their own work, therefore are capable of doing routine searches

Other concerns that User Service staff expressed include:
1. There seem to be times when the Information Desk staff re-direct patrons to the Circulation Desk when the questions are perceived by User Services to be reference questions, (e.g. patrons need assistance locating material in micro collections).
2. At times when User Services tries to transfer a phone call to the Information Desk, the call is not answered because the desk staff are working with other patrons and the patron on the phone wants assistance immediately.
3. User Services staff feel that as they are the only staff available when the information desks are closed that they should help as much as possible and that asking the patron to return at another time should be the last resort.

There was considerable discussion about whether User Services staff should help people locate a title in TRELLIS when they appear to have a specific title and to know that that’s what they need. Bearing in mind that User Services staff are all trained to search TRELLIS and do so in various parts of their jobs, ISMC agreed that User Services staff may search for specific titles for patrons. If the title cannot be found, User Services staff will advise the patron to seek assistance at the Information Desk.

Doug will include a copy of "TRELLIS Basics" in the information binder he put together for circulation desk staff to use when the information desks a closed.

Wish, Melanie, Shabiran and Sue M. agreed to work together to clarify the definition of a reference question, then send a revision to ISMC. Sharon will forward the list of concerns raised by User Services staff about the definition.

The Committee also discussed a sample of reference questions recently asked at the circulation desks when the information desks were not open. The following were suggested as appropriate responses:

• Show the patron how to locate Research Guides by Subject under the Find It button on the UW library home page
• Direct the patron to the "You’re in the library now" poster/ handout or other printed guides

3. Other Business

   Susan will try to arrange a meeting with Shabiran, Sue M., Susan Bellingham and Anne Fullerton to consider the feasibility of including faculty in the information literacy workshop scheduled for September 6. Questions to be considered include:

   • how to include faculty in the session
   • whom to invite
   • how to send out the invitation

Next Meeting
June 19, Davis.