Ref statistics sub-group, add 3 citations here by 10/8!  Include summaries or highlights, if you can!   (Ideas for search terms: sample statistics, reference statistics, metrics, circulation statistics)

Lisa:

• http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2007/reference-statistics-with-zoho-creator/; A librarian tried out an online database application to create a way to keep track of ref stats. It took her 20 minutes to create, and it seems to have lots of features. Worth reading this simple blog entry. (LRH)
• http://www.bibliotechweb.com/archives/2005/10/27/reference-statistics/ Older article (2005) about using Excel and Macros to create a simple input form that also adds a time stamp and can do sums. (LRH)
• Collecting Virtual Reference Statistics with an IM Chat-Bot: A perennial problem in libraries is capturing accurate statistics. This article addresses this problem with the creative use of Web 2.0 tools: Meebo and AOL Instant Messenger. It describes the development and implementation of an instant messaging "stat-bot" that prompts staff to record virtual reference statistics via IM. Step-by-step guidelines and the perl script are provided. http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/85 (LRH)

Remlee:

• A Correlation Method for Collecting Reference Statistics (from College & Research Libraries, 1999, v.60, no.1)
  • U of South Carolina tried sampling approach for ref stats, and did some math to support the sample by correlating ref stats to door count.
  • Eventually, they used door count to estimate the number of in person ref stats pretty reliably, but they couldn't count phone or electronic stats
  • Pretty interesting...  pretty mathematical...
• Reference Use Statistics: Statistical Sampling Method Works (p.45-57; from Southeastern Librarian)
  • Includes a lit review, describes what other schools are doing; the one about LSU was interesting: they asked the statistics department to help them, and they ended up sampling with 60 hours of 4103 total service hours for the year.  Error rate was 11.23%, which is actually pretty good.
  • Focuses on in person ref stats
• A tool for all places: a web-based reference statistics system (from Reference Services Review)
  • First few pages do a great job of summarizing our concerns and questions.
  • Then talks about the online form that Texas A&M developed in HTML and ASP code, with screenshots and code included.
  • Too clunky for us.

Heather:

• Miller, J.. (2008). Quick and Easy Reference Evaluation: Gathering Users' and Providers' Perspectives. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 47(3), 218-222. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1473405461).

• Evaluation of Reference Services--A Review. (from The Journal of Academic Librarianship v. 33 no. 3 (May 2007) p. 368-81, Pali U. Kuruppu)
  • Not as current or in depth as you might believe it would be.
  • Good background; covers more than just reference statistics, so explains some of the older arguments of various evaluation techniques for reference services. The older arguments and concerns are similar to the new. People have been trying to figure this out since the '70's.
  • Not necessary reading for this project; but provides some things to think about.
• Introducing the READ scale: Qualitative statistics for Academic Reference Services (Bella Karr Gerlich and G. Lynn Berard, Georgia Library Quarterly, Winter 2007)
  • The READ scale, a pilot project at Carnegie Mellon characterizes reference transactions on a scale from 1 (least amount of effort and no specialized knowledge) to 6 (in depth research and instruction, collaboration, most time and effort) and collects that number as the information for each reference transaction.
  • Strengths include the ability to show that the majority and more complicated reference transactions take place away from the desk. Also requires no coding or infrastructure, could still be recorded on paper. Minuses include: difficult to implement in a larger institution (from both a data integrity and participant buy-in perspective), still need to include other data (time of day, at/away from desk, method of transaction (in person, email), so this would just be another piece of information to include)
  • Article loses credibility points for not mentioning any challenges, downsides, arguments against.

Places to look: RUSA's Measuring and Assessing Reference Services and Resources: A Guide (12/10/08 temporary link)

Desk Tracker: http://www.desktracker.com/ This is a product that Peter Cohn and I examined in 2007. It has a flexible input form that we can design, and it can be designed to be unique for many entry points. The problem at the time was that we needed to have about 13 service point "desks" as well as a certain number of away from desk "desks." The basic program allowed for 20 "desks." There was a way to purchase more, and it was still not very expensive. However, the data reporting mechanisms were very weak at the time and not quite what we wanted. It looks like a definite possibility, though, especially if it has grown/improved, so it may be worth asking for a free trial month.

Altarama's RefTracker: http://www.altarama.com.au/reftrack.htm. This is called a request management system for libraries. RequestTracker is also a request management system. It is broader than a simple reference stats tracking system. We looked at this product in 2004 or so. The problems with it were that it dictated a specific workflow that was not how we worked.

Altarama also offers a subset of this product called DeskStats, http://www.altarama.com/deskstat.htm. It can be purchased as a stand-alone product. The product flyer says that it can keep track of the following with a single click: staff member, location, mode (desk, phone, etc.), client details, type of question, length of time to answer, answered vs. referred, time. It can be done live or in batch at a later time. Comes with reports, or can be exported to Excel. Worth looking at, I think. We have not looked at this product in the past.

___

To do:

1. Do lit review by 10/8.
2. Find out what stats are required by ARL and Steve.
3. Find existing method for collecting stats.
4. Think about how we'll use these stats. For scheduling & staffing levels.
5. Think about what we want to know: amount of questions at desk and away from desk, as well as when they're being asked.  Transactions vs. # of questions.  How long they take.

Altarama demo: November 17, 2008

local, 30 concurrent logins, concurrent logins may be a problem, might make it prohibitively expensive
Live mode v. Batched mode
Cannot log exact number of minutes (broken into <1, 1-5, 6-10, 11-20, 20+) breakdown is system-wide

Admin can change breakdown of minutes,
Groups can also be changed by admin, which group is displayed (enabled).
Type is different, each one is member of groups, type can be assigned to different groups.
System-wide, which group is available, then individuals decide which group will be displayed

Hosting 3 levels of security - something other than standard internet access, need to go up a level, gets into your own URL, FDA uses highest level, Corbis or Rand Corporation middle level security. If they host we would have our own place on their site, and other DeskStats users wouldn't be able to see it.

System -> reference users or general users
Pay by number of concurrent logins, regardless of the number of accounts that exist. You would need a few of the higher level accounts (if you buy 30 concurrent, you get a higher level to manage it).
We may have regular full level accounts, without password. trial2.altarama.com then username (hmccann, remlee,..) Lisa is admin

Changing location: some issues, need to change default location if switching libraries
Any number of groups within
Whatever time differentiation we want
Received via - can change categories, make as many categories as we want
Preferences can be set based on login, not location

There are about 60 code tables that they deliver and about 60 that they let us design on our own. (e.g. can we change the wording of status to be more about whether the question was answered or referred)
Can do either live or batch recording

There are multiple resource fields, but we would be able to change the words in that and possibly use it for referral?

Lehigh Valley Hospital Pennsylvania is using this model, but I didn't hear which one.
FDA food and something bio
Lisa is going to be in touch with Linda about setting up a trial period, hopefully sometime in December so that we can take this back to RISG.

We need to figure out

1. Number of concurrent logins
2. Top $ amount that we are working with