Desk StatisticsUnder A Microscope =

Improved Library Services

Susan [Gardner] ArchambaultLoyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Loyola Marymount University

• Private Catholic

University in Los

Angeles, California

• 5900+ undergraduates

and 1900+ graduates

• William H. Hannon

Library Information

Desk open 24/5

Overview

• Case study: Assessment of transactions collected from

LMU’s Information Desk

• Data collected through the Gimlet electronic tracking

system

• Content analysis performed on data

• Resulted in changes/advancements based on user needs

Gimlet Interface

Directional Signage

A content analysis was run on directional questions asked at the Information Desk to get a list of broad

categories

Word frequencies were then totaled within each category

PowerPoint Slides Created for Frequent Directional Queries

Rotated Within Nix X15A 15’ Digital Photo Frame

Building a New FAQ Knowledge Base

Word Frequencies by Materials

LibAnswers FAQ Knowledge Base

Student Usability Testing

Integrated Into New “Get Help” Page

New Technical Services

Technical Questions Analysis

• Technical questions broken out by word frequency

• Demand for scanner and color printer

• Frequent questions about computer availability

LMU Student Scanning Survey

Results

Survey Results• Scan documents rather

than books

• Color scanning

• Document sheet feeder

• Ease of use

Epson GT-2500 Scanner

Ricoh Color Printer

Online Computer Availability MapLabStats, from Computer Solutions, allows you to create maps based on tracking the usage of the computers managed by the system.

Additional Analysis:Technical Questions

• How to access software we already owned

• How to switch operating systems (Mac to Windows)

• How to recover lost work

New Desktop Image

New Reference Services

Colleges Asking More Difficult Questions

College Times

Business 63

Communication & Fine Arts 27

Education 14

Film & Television 6

Liberal Arts 148

Science 14

More Business Questions on Mondays/Tuesdays

Day of Week Number of Questions

Sunday 7

Monday 23

Tuesday 18

Wednesday 15

Thursday 8

Friday 10

Saturday 6

Satellite Roving Reference @ School of Business on Tuesdays

Advertising Roving Through Location-Based Check-Ins

Top Databases Used:Information Desk

Database Times Used

JSTOR 47

Academic Search Complete 45

Proquest 45

PsycINFO 33

Business Source Complete 28

Lexis Nexis 23

Ebsco 21

MLA Intl Bibliography 18

ERIC 17

ATLA 14

Bibloi 14

ABI Inform 13

Mergent 13

CQ Researcher 12

OneSearch 12

WorldCAT 12

Business & Co. R.C. 10

GVRL 9

Lit. Resource Cntr 9

Euromonitor 8

Lit. Criticism Online 8

Soc. Abstracts 8

Science Direct 7

Biography in Context 6

CMMC 6

Opposing Viewpts 6

Proquest Dissert. 6

Sage Jnls Online 6

Upcoming Workshops

Conclusions

• Daily recording of reference statistics allows for systematic monitoring of user questions and patterns

• Recording statistics electronically makes data analysis much easier

• Can lead to proactive, user-driven changes in services

Selected Bibliography

• Simple Concordance Program: www.textworld.com/scp

• Gimlet: https://gimlet.us

• Computer Lab Solutions LLC: www.computerlabsolutions.com/labmaps.cfm

Additional Acknowledgements

• Thank you to the William H. Hannon Library Research Incentive Travel Grant

• Thank you to all members of the Reference & Instruction Department between 2009-present; and Burney Wong, IT Specialist for the Library

Additional Information

• PPT: bit.ly/iflamicroscope

• Contact Info:

Susan [Gardner] Archambault

Email: susan.gardner@lmu.edu

Twitter: @susanLMU