Generating, collecting, and analyzing building usage statistics can greatly increase the ability of an access services unit to meet the changing dynamic of patron needs in an academic library. By analyzing three different data points, the Access Services Unit in Malpass Library at Western Illinois University was able to determine the most…

The Main Library Service Desk is a one-stop academic help center located between a newly renovated student-focused space called the Learning Commons and the library collections. Services began with the first day of classes, August 26, 2013, and assessment has been ongoing, in part due to the availability of data. Staffing levels, staffing hours,…

In fall of 2011 the University at Buffalo Libraries circulation department undertook Six Sigma training for the purpose of overhauling its student scheduling process. The department was able to mitigate significant staffing budgetary reductions and resource reallocations and to overcome the unique challenges of scheduling student labor for a…

The growth in number and kind of online reference services has resulted in both new users consulting library research services as well as new patterns of service use. Staffing in-person and virtual reference services desks adequately requires a systematic analysis of patterns of use across service points in order to successfully meet fluctuating…

The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptive measures that academic libraries perform when implementing and operating a 24-hour schedule. Five in-depth interviews were conducted with current managerial-level librarians at 24-hour academic libraries. The exploratory interviews revealed similar measures for security, budgeting, employee…

Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing…

The current formula for staffing libraries and resource centers in Virginia public institutions of higher learning was examined by a subcommittee of library directors. Questionnaires were mailed to relevant institutions to collect information regarding: (1) input variables; (2) staffing needs as perceived by the directors of the institutions; and…

Zero Based Staffing/Services (ZBS/S)--a management tool designed to portray the relationship between the people or staff of an agency and the services they perform--was used in this study to inventory library services and staffing at the Central State University Library and provide a long-range planning analysis for library and university…

Identifies and discusses characteristics of effective in-house studies in public libraries. Characteristics discussed include clearly stated research questions, translation into measurable terms, study design, staff training, data analysis, and targeted reporting. It is argued that studies done within existing management and communication…

This paper reports on a study conducted to determine if staffing changes were necessary at the information desk at the main branch of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library (Ohio). Questions addressed included: (1) What times are busiest in the library? (2) Should there be changes in staffing the reference desk that could lead to…

In the spring of 1973, a study was conducted of the interlibrary lending (ILL) process at the California State University and Colleges (CSUC) libraries. Twelve of the 19 CSUC campuses were involved in the study--four in northern California and eight in southern California, the latter already experimenting with telefacsimile interlibrary loan…

Organizational change and technological developments have impacted community college library staffing. Every job description at every level requires some degree of computer expertise. Many libraries have developed new computer-related positions, while other libraries have incorporated these responsibilities into existing staff positions.…

The major purpose of this brief descriptive study was to determine the levels of professional and support staffing within the administrative, technical, public, and media services areas of Pennsylvania's private college libraries. The study also includes comparative data on student assistant staffing. Questionnaires were mailed to library…

This collection of papers is based on projects done in conjunction with a senior level/graduate course, "Applications of Operations Research Techniques in Systems Engineering." These seven papers describe research studies which utilized user surveys and/or statistical methods to analyze various library operations. The papers are…

This compilation of essays and papers in French and English written in tribute to Bjorn Tell, covers various aspects of library and information services from an international perspective, including university libraries, librarianship, research, technology, reference, and organization of information. Articles focus on Berzelius, father of…