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Finding Our Value in Lower Usage Numbers: An Examination of Reference Services & Demand Driven Acquisitions
Elizabeth S. Namei, Reference & Instruction Librarian, University of Southern California
Stacy R. Williams, Head, Architecture & Fine Arts Library, University of Southern California
California Association of Research Libraries Conference | Costa Mesa, CA | April 1, 2016
Our Inspiration:
Reference “is a reactive position. We wait for problems to occur and solve them as best we can, considering our sphere
of influence and available resources. Essentially, we wait
for our systems to fail....The fundamental goal of reference work should be self-destruction. We know they want to be able to do it themselves, so we should be working
proactively to make the library system so easy that they
don’t need us to navigate it.”
Judith Logan, July 2015
“Reorienting Reference”
http://acrlog.org/2015/07/02/reorienting-reference/
A Willingness to CannibalizeLibraries “must break out of the natural human trait that propels them to use yesterday’s bag of tools to solve tomorrow’s problems. They must do so today, while they still have options, not tomorrow, when they will have nothing left but a useless bag of tools. They must be willing to cannibalize before there is nothing of value left to cannibalize. Cannibalization is clearly a difficult and painful thing to do. It requires [libraries] to swim against the tide of organizational inertia.” (Chandy and Tellis, 1998, p.485)
Image from: http://www.cultofmac.com/70330/is-apple-really-cannibalizing-everything/
Case study #1 - Declining Reference Transactions and the rise of Self-Service Reference Options
Reference Services @ USC• 13 libraries on our main
campus
• 1 general reference desk
• 2 specialized reference desks (Science & Engineering and Special Collections)
• In 2015 we moved from 24/7 collaborative chat to local chat service
Image from: http://newdigitalguru.com/kckarchitects/usc-doheny-memorial-library/
New features, intuitive systems & services @ USC Libraries:
• LibGuides, September 2008
• Summon added as the default search option, July 2010
• LibAnswers FAQs, January 2013
• Link Resolver results page redesign, March 2013
• StackMap, October 2014
• Improved signage throughout our main library, June 2015
• Website redesign, July 2015
Several of these are “Self-Service Reference” Options:
• LibGuides, September 2008
• Summon as the default search option, July 2010
• LibAnswers FAQs, January 2013
• Link Resolver results page redesign, March 2013
• StackMap in October 2014
• Improved signage throughout our main library, June 2015
• Website redesign, July 2015
StackMap
StackMap
Case study #2 - Declining Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Requests after the Introduction of a Demand Driven Acquisitions Program
Demand Driven Acquisitions (DDA) Program for E-books
• Records are added for items that are not owned by a library
• We only pay if and when an item gets used
• Extends a library’s budget while expanding access to content
• All of this happens seamlessly for users
Image from: http://sunsounds.org/sun-sounds-demand
DDA @ USC2013: Started as a small pilot in with EBL to determine viability
• Added 9,000+ records to Summon
2014: Launched larger scale program• 25,000+ records added to a new
DDA pool
2015: Expanded program to include ebrary and manual additions by ILL staff
• 38,000+ records are in DDA poolImage from: http://michaelhyatt.com/why-do-ebooks-cost-so-much.html
DDA is a Paradigm Shift for Libraries
• From just in case → just in time collection development
• From ownership → access
• From librarian/expert curated → user selected collections
• From educated decision making (predicting) → evidence based decision making
Image from: http://www.enterpriseefficiency.com/author.asp?section_id=3140&doc_id=265278
DDA vs. ILL? “We should replace ILL whenever possible with a DDA model that will allow us all to go to a single location to gain immediate access to any eBook, often at a cheaper cost than borrowing a print book from another library….ILL should become a means of borrowing only materials that are not available — either as [print on demand] or eBook — on demand.”
(Levine-Clark, 2011, Against the Grain, p.26-27.
Image from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/andrew-jackson-kills-charles-dickinson-in-duel
What can we learn from these 2 case studies?
Self-Service Reference and DDA both: • Offer preemptive solutions that anticipate and solve problems before they
arise
• Empower users to be self sufficient and independent
• Focus on enhancing library systems to connect users more quickly and intuitively to information, resources and help
• Prioritize a just in time over a just in case service/collections model
• Remove librarians as a mediators (i.e., gatekeepers)
• Require collaboration across library departments and service points to provide more efficient and intuitive services
Collect Better (Different) Data!
“As we move forward and imagine what public services models should look like in the future, more nuanced data is crucial for making evidence-based transformations. While annual tallies of non- directional reference transactions can help us gauge the extent of informal teaching and learning opportunities, this data is not good enough….Academic libraries...need to start tracking and reporting meaningful teaching and learning opportunities through reference services in order to have valuable discussions about the future of reference services and the value they add to the learning experience.” (Folk, 2015, p.21).
Caroline Muglia - Collection Assessment Librarian
Questions? Comments?
Image from: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/student-driven-learning/
ReferencesChandy, R. K., & Tellis, G. J. (1998). Organizing for radical product innovation: The overlooked role of willingness to cannibalize. Journal of Marketing Research, 35(4), 474-487.
Folk, A. L. (2015). “Access or awareness? Identifying relationships between reference and other dimensions of public services.” Association of College and Research Libraries National Conference. Portland Oregon. http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/2015/Folk_Access.pdf
Levine-Clark, M. (2011). “Developing a Model for Long-Term Management of Demand-Driven Acquisitions.” Against the Grain. 23(3): 24-26. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5887&context=atg
Logan, J. (July 2015). “Reorienting Reference.” ACRLog. http://acrlog.org/2015/07/02/reorienting-reference/
