Reference Service: A Traditional Desk or Something Else?

Amy BurgerBonnie Morris

Reference in Decline

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 20060

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

Transactions

Association of Research Libraries

NGCSU Reference

• In decline since 2004

• Question types changing

• Why?

Get rid of reference desk?

desk goes here

Ref-olution

1876• Traditional reference

service established

1986• Barbara Ford called

for reexamination of reference desk model

New Models

Roving

Consultation

OutreachVirtual

Tiered

Ref-olution

1992• Virginia Massey-

Burzio first proposed “tiered reference” model

Tiered Reference

Advantages• Efficiency• Time Management• Cost-effectiveness• Improved Service

Tiered Reference

Disadvantages:

• Decreased visibility• Reliability of

answers• Librarian preference

Reference in USG Libraries

Traditional Desk

Yes 77%

No23%

Tiered Reference

Yes

52%

No48%

Forms of Reference Service

Face-to-Face Email Phone Chat Text Go to Meeting0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Moving Forward

• Survey results• Original question:

traditional desk or something else?

• Continued development

• Your experiences?

Thank you!

abburger@northgeorgia.edubmorris@northgeorgia.edu