Beyond Satisfaction: Investigating Patron Use of Reference Information

ABSTRACT

This study examines and categorizes common next steps patrons take with information received during reference encounters and examines implications for practice. In a qualitative user study, patrons at a large academic library were interviewed to investigate the criteria they used to evaluate the completeness and accuracy of individual reference encounters and to uncover what they did after the encounter with the information they received. Results indicate practical directions for staff training, marketing, outreach, and design of reference services to accommodate the full life cycle of patron research needs.

KEYWORDS:

• reference services
• qualitative studies
• user interviews
• service improvement
• staff training

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Elizabeth Morris, graduate assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, for her assistance in gathering and processing the interview data used in the study.