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Reference Desk Observation Study
 Submit Assignment
Due Aug 11 by 11:59pm  Points 20  Submitting a file upload Available May 22 at 12am - Aug 13 at 11:59pm 3 months
Reference Observation Assignment

For this assignment, you must find a library of your choice (academic, school, public, special collections) and conduct at 3 hour observation of that library. Because this is a class on reference, I want you to spend most of your time observing the reference desk itself, though depending on the library you may want to observe other parts of the building (e.g. if there are roving reference services in place). You should play close attention throughout to several aspects of reference services at the library, including:

-What does the physical space look like? What kind of signage is used? Furniture? Technology?

-What kinds of patrons ask for help? Can you identify patterns based on age? Race? Gender?

-What kinds of questions are asked? Directional? Research? Organizational? Reader's Advisory?

-What do the librarians staffing the desk do between questions?

-What kinds of reference sources does the library utilize to answer patron questions (include both sources that might be used during your observation, but also ones available that might not have been used in your narrow window observing)

 

You will write an approximately 4-5 page report responding to the above questions as well as providing additional information about the institution you observed. What kind of library is it? How many patrons does it serve? How many librarians are employed there? How big is the reference book budget? Be sure to utilize the library website to answer many of the above questions. You might also look for a strategic plan, which many libraries have and freely publish on their web pages.

 

To add greater detail and insights into your observation, you should also plan to interview at least one member of the reference staff as part of the assignment and incorporate their answers into your paper. This person will undoubtedly be able to fill in any gaps and answer questions that you could deduce from the observation or from reading any info on the web page.

 

All paper should utilize standard 12 point font, Times New Roman, one-inch margins

Rubric
Reference Desk Observation
Reference Desk Observation
Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThoroughness
view longer description
15.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeQuality
view longer description
5.0 pts
Total Points: 20.0

Reference Desk Observation | 170811 | 802xs | BWhitmer | 
I conducted my Reference Desk Observation at Mid-Continent Public Library System’s Woodneath Library Center branch (Kansas City, Missouri) primarily on August 1, 2017, but with supplementation from prior and later visits as well as material gleaned from the MCPL website and annual reports. I also spoke with several librarians to gain nuanced insight into the operational philosophy at Woodneath including the branch manager, Kira Green and Dave Burns, Woodneath Press manager.


Section I – Introduction
For my reference desk observation, I took a non-intuitive path and choose a library that does not have a dedicated reference section. No encyclopedias, no multi-volume works covering topics as varied as art to medieval history or the lives of the saints. Instead, there is a singular, curated collection of works dedicated to the breadth and minutiae of story telling which makes up the thousands of volumes of the Story Center collection which is focused on the art and craft of storytelling and includes numerous reference works dedicated to the various branches of storytelling from writing to comics to film, live performance, & animation along with a print-on-demand book publishing machine from Espresso that enables the library to function as a small independent press.
I will not be focusing on the Story Center Collection in this report, however, but I mention it to support my observation that Woodneath Library Center is a showcase of the new model of reference service that I think will increasingly become the normal practice for most public libraries according to Cassell & Hiremath (p. 460-461). This includes the integrated service point concept, roving service, and virtual reference part of the changing approach to reference management – the organization is becoming flatter, service delivery is mobile, workers and tasks are integrated, and the user is the main focus instead of the materials of the collection (p. 388). I will conclude my report with some observations regarding new technologies that I think will further this transformation.
Section II – Mid-Continent Public Library and The Woodneath Library Center
The Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) is the largest public library system in Missouri and ranks among the 20 largest public library systems in the United States - collection circulation is over 9 million items per year. The Woodneath Library Center branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) System is a high ceilinged, open floor plan design with ceiling to floor windows providing natural light boosted by skylights in the main atrium. The library is divided into a number of “zones” including the main service desk, computer stations, main collection shelves, study rooms, children’s section, teen section, self check-out kiosks, story center collection, coffee bar, and auditorium space. It is over 35,000 square feet and is the newest and one of the largest branches in the MCPL system.
The space is very contemporary in furnishing with numerous four-person study tables, cushioned reading chairs, and even a reading nook with couch and fireplace. An outdoor patio is accessible from this space and overlooks a forested view. With the exception of the children's and teen areas and highlighted displays there isn’t much signage in the form of posters or signs describing the services offered by the library. There are numerous printed materials available for exploration but overall signage is minimal. A few wall-mounted video monitors provide house ads for library events and services. The library serves upwards of five hundred patrons per day and over ninety-thousand visitors per year. There are over thirty librarians and volunteers on staff at the branch. There is not a dedicated reference section so there is not a reference budget. The closest analog to a reference budget would be money spent on the dedicated Story Center collection.
The library serves a broad demographic community because of its location. It is close to both affluent suburbs and rural and lower-income apartment complexes as well as being a regular destination for special needs adults in the surrounding county. On a typical morning, the library is full of young parents (primarily women) with children attending the numerous early literacy and story time activities. Older, retired persons are also in evidence throughout the day along with college students, business people and community members using computer resources. In the evening, teenagers are more prevalent as they use the space to study and have social time with friends. There tend to be more female patrons by a roughly 60/40 margin. Patrons of different ethnic backgrounds are common, reflecting the general distribution of the local ethnic mix. Being a frequent user of this branch, I know there are many patrons who visit on a regular basis and use the space for study, reading, and business.
Section III – Observation of the Information Desk
The main service desk is identified with large letters in the front saying INFORMATION. The desk itself is about 4-foot tall and allows the librarian’s head to be visible above the height of the desk. The library has an up-to-date online catalog with links to WorldCat and electronic resources provided by the library. The network is incredibly fast thanks to the deployment of Google Fiber. Computer systems run on top of the Windows network and are of recent vintage. There are two computer stations with dedicated check-out systems as well phone and printed library promotional and informational materials ready at hand for patrons. There is an ASK A LIBRARIAN service that can be accessed via SMS text, phone, email and even tweet but this not answered by the desk staff and is a corporate function.
The Information desk is the main integrated service point for patron interaction and is supplemented by librarians and pages roving through the space performing routine library work – straightening, re-shelving, inspection. The two-person shift stationed at the Information desk perform a variety of tasks while active there. They answer the phone, perform clerical tasks, handle study room reservations, new patron card sign-up, fine payments, sign-in questions for the computer stations if assistance is needed, handle inter-library loan requests, assist with book checkout for patrons who prefer not to use the nearby self-checkout kiosks as well as assisting patrons with other questions or needs. They also direct patrons to areas within the library when events are being held. 
During my observation, there were very few pure reference questions in which patrons were asking for the kind of information classified as ready reference. As a public library, the majority of questions are not research oriented but are centered around use functions of the library itself. There are patrons who inquire on the availability of books. Additional library staff performs routine library maintenance and organization as they rove throughout the stacks and may be flagged by a patron needing assistance. This is typical near the computer work stations. With regular patrons, they often engage in conversation. Librarians aren’t tied to the desk and when there aren’t patrons need immediate assistance they can go to another area to complete tasks and follow-up with recently helped and ask if they need any additional help.
Most of the questions that I overheard during my observation focused on non-reference related topics – making change to use the copier, checking in/out books, payment of fines, and directing patrons to areas within the library. There were two reader’s advisory situations – one involving an older husband and wife and one involving a teenage girl and her father. In both cases, one of the librarians on call at the desk looked up materials on the computer. In the case of the teenage girl, the librarian accompanied the patron to the teen section and actively searched and recommended books from the collection.
There was one interlibrary loan request that came in over the phone. A patron called seeking a particular book, the librarian looked for it in the online catalog and then informed the patron that MCPL didn’t have the book but that it was available via interlibrary loan. In this instance, the patron didn’t proceed with the request.
Section III – Concluding remarks and future trends in reference management
The conclusion I am led to is that the reference function of the library has diminished with the ready availability of search services and applications that provide ready answers to non-library specific knowledge. Like more and more parts of the economy, self-service is the expected and often preferred default mode of interaction. Many of the reference materials are available only online at this branch. There is a 28-page catalog of online resources which includes numerous reference tools like Encyclopedia Britannica, MEDLINE, etc, academic databases along with online class materials and electronic book collections like the Safari book collection from O’Reilly. A likely acceleration of this trend will continue as more services migrate to the cloud, apps, and the rapidly evolving internet of things. Question-answering devices like the Amazon Alexa service may become reliable and common aids to help manage short-staffed institutions as they offer the ability to communicate in the most natural of interfaces – the human voice and conversation. 
I believe Woodneath is a harbinger of the evolving role of the library in the reference and information environment of the near-future and can be fruitfully studied to see how the library space will navigate the challenges and opportunities of that near-future.

 
Reference
Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2013). Reference and information services: An introduction. (3rd ed.) Chicago, IL: Neal Schuman.