Making It Work for Everyone: An Evolving Reference Service |
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| Authors: | Jonquil D Feldman Emme Lopez Christine S Gaspard Karen D Barton Luis F Barcenes III |
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| Institution: | Dolph Briscoe, Jr. Library, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA |
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| Abstract: | At an academic health science center, librarians identified problems, weaknesses, and strengths in reference services. The on-call reference schedule was discontinued and a question flowchart was developed for circulation staff. Only research questions were referred to librarians, who would respond if available. Circulation staff perceived the unscheduled, voluntary model was not working well for the patrons or the staff. After two months, the schedule was reinstated with a hybrid version of the previous on-call format. In the process of changing the service model, the library staff also underwent a cultural change. |
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| Keywords: | Quality of service reference service service models |
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