Introduction
These days, reference services are more varied and complex than a client asking for a book with a blue cover that they saw on the Internet. For the past 5 years, I’ve been working in special libraries where my main responsibilities were inter-library loans, reference questions and working at the Information Desk. My impression is that during that period, the number and complexity of reference questions changed due to the Internet and digital resources. The public might think that it would make sense that the number of reference questions might change and even decrease, but how could the complexity of the questions change? In my opinion, the complexity of the questions would change if after searching on Internet or in their databases, the client not finding his or her answer, would then submit that question to their library. These would be questions that would not be easy to find on the Internet and would therefore be more complex. It is a theory that has interested me and that I would like to prove.
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of digital trends on references services in the Canadian Federal Government. As such, a quantitative survey will be sent to participants over a period of two years.
This study aims to answer these questions: a. Has the number and complexity of reference questions received at service points changed over time? b. Has usage of digital resources versus paper format resources changed over time? c. What impact has the Internet and other digital resources had on the number and complexity of reference questions that these governmental libraries receive?
Litterature review
I also intend to find other peer-reviewed articles for this proposal. Initially, I found these articles thanks to Web of Science (WoS) via the VOSviewer software tool. Please see below a printscreen of the mapping results:
Among the articles that I reviewed, I noted that Maloney and Kemp (2015) conducted a two-part study and revealed that the number of complex questions had decreased at reference desk in academic libraries whereas they had increased via chats. After analyzing their quantitative survey on digital reference service (DRS), Rasheed and Rafiq (2017) discovered that all the libraries surveyed in Pakistan offered DRS. 74.1% of respondents thought that reference questions via DRS were increasing and the majority (48.2%) thought that the reference questions received via DRS were easier. In their survey, Chow and Croxton (2011) discovered that 49% of university students preferred the traditional method of submitting their question in person at the reference desk with 36% preferring emails. However, email was the preferred choice if students were submitting either factual or research questions.
Methodology
In terms of methodology, I intend to send an email with a link to the Google survey to the head of reference of each federal library in Ottawa. The reason that I would email the head librarian of reference would be to ask their library's approval for their employees to participate in the survey and to ask them to forward the survey to participants who answer these criteria regardless of age or experience:
Currently working in a library in the Canadian Federal Government
Currently working in the National Capital Region
Have a MLIS or MIS
This should give me a good sample of the population of MIS or MLIS who are currently working in reference services in the federal government in Canada. Each library varies in terms of number of employees with MIS or MLIS. This website provides a list of 26 departmental libraries. Although not listed on this website, I would also include the Library of Parliament as a participating library.
Participants will answer the questions of the survey by giving an average number for each question. The data from this survey will be collected twice a year over a period of two years. The result will be shared with the participants at the end of the survey.
Pilot Survey
In my pilot of the survey, I contacted two librarians who manage reference teams in Canadian governmental libraries in Ottawa. One library has a team of 10 reference librarians (MLIS) and the other with a team under 30 reference librarians with MIS or MLIS. If the response rate is like the response to my pilot for the survey, then it is going to be a very low rate. Only 3 participants provided feedback and 4 answered the survey. I’m hopeful that with the updates I intend to make to the survey and people being back to work, the study would have a higher response rate. Indeed, I would like a 20% response rate for this survey. In terms of number of responses for each round of the survey, it depends on the number of employees with MIS or MLIS that the libraries employ.
Following feedback on my Google survey,* I have modified my questions and objectives for the research proposal:
Here are the questions that I would like the participants to answer: 1. What is the main topic of the questions that your library answers? 2. What type of reference questions did you receive today? 3. How many internal reference questions (submitted by departmental employees) did you receive? 4. How many internal reference questions (submitted by departmental employees) did you answer? 5. How many external reference questions (submitted by the public) did you receive? 6. How many external reference questions (submitted by the public) did you answer? 7. Of the questions that you answered, how many internal digital, external digital and paper format resources did you use to answer your questions? 8. Does your organisation have a program (software, SharePoint, Excel …) to manage the reference questions it receives? 9. Are your answers reviewed by someone else before being sent to a client? 10. In terms of subscription to journals and databases, do you believe that your library has more digital resources than resources in paper format?
Conclusion
In the past decade, there have been many changes in reference services in libraries all over the world. While people are still requesting that book with the blue cover, the number and complexity of the reference questions have definitely changed since the advent of the Internet. I hope that this study will be able to shed light on the digital trends that currently exist in reference services in the Canadian Federal Government.
References Chow, A. S., & Croxton, R. A. (2012). Information-Seeking Behavior and Reference Medium Preferences. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 51(3), 246–262. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.51n3.246
Maloney, K., krisellen. maloney@rutgers. ed., & Kemp, J. H., Jan. Kemp@utsa. ed. (2015). Changes in Reference Question Complexity Following the Implementation of a Proactive Chat System: Implications for Practice. College & Research Libraries, 76(7), 959–974. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.7.959
Rasheed, M. A., & Rafiq, M. (2017). New trends and practices for Digital Reference Service (DRS) A survey in the university libraries of Punjab, Pakistan. Pakistan Library & Information Science Journal, 48(4), 44–55.
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*It is important to note that the Google Survey has not yet been updated. It will be updated at the end of the pilot-testing of the survey.