Regular evaluation of archival reference services is essential to ensure that users have appropriate access to the information they need. Archives New Zealand has been measuring customer satisfaction for many years using self-completion questionnaires but recently trialed two new methods of evaluation, using external research companies. One…

This report describes a four-day institute funded by the U.S. Office of Education to increase the utilization of government publications by extending the knowledge of academic reference librarians about them. Librarians from 25 universities attended the institute. Discussion of the use of government publications was divided into three broad…

Discusses an in-service cross-training program designed for reference desk workers at the University of New Mexico Library. Describes the reference department and provides an overview of cross training. Highlights include training issues, a needs assessment questionnaire, program implementation, and evaluation. Four appendices provide sample…

Model for evaluation of library reference services examines four elements of reference process: librarians' performance on requests for factual information; knowledge of library policies, procedures, or services; provision of bibliographical instruction; and performance of interviewing techniques. Reference service questionnaire, criteria for…

Based on questionnaires collected from 1980 to mid-1984, this study evaluates user satisfaction with online reference services at Northern Illinois University Library. Highlights include frequency of databases searched, relevance of references, search value, defining and measuring information needs, and suggestions for improvement of service and…

The online search evaluation form recommended by the Machine-Assisted Reference Section Committee on Measurement and Evaluation of Service of the American Library Association is discussed. Each of the 10 questions recommended for inclusion and questions rejected as inappropriate are analyzed. Eleven references and the Search Evaluation…

This document reports the result of a study carried out to evaluate the installation and use of the UNESCO CD-ROM prototype. A questionnaire in English and French was sent to about 267 institutions around the world. Replies were received from 97 bodies, giving a response rate of about 36%. Almost all respondents were information professionals in…

Based on an analysis of online search evaluation forms collected from all types of U.S. libraries, and a pilot test of a draft evaluation form in selected federal research libraries, this report presents the work of the American Library Association's (ALA's) Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) Committee on Measurement and Evaluation. The…

Presents results of survey based on sample of 500 U.S. academic libraries which was conducted during spring and summer of 1984 to gather descriptive data on current status of online searching and to predict future trends. Four broad categories are covered: availability; search service characteristics; evaluation; future trends. (31 references)…

This report describes a five-part study conducted at the Brigham Young University library during the winter semester of 1987 to assess the quality of the reference service provided to library patrons by student reference assistants (SRAs) after a full semester of SRA participation in the reference patron service system. The study focused on…