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Libstats @ Brockport. Moving to Online Reference Statistics: Brockport's LibStats Experience Charles Cowling and Mary Jo Orzech For general questions contact Charlie Cowling, ccowling@brockport.edu. For questions regarding installation and setup, contact Logan Rath , lrath@brockport.edu. .
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Libstats @ Brockport Moving to Online Reference Statistics: Brockport's LibStats Experience Charles Cowling and Mary Jo Orzech For general questions contact Charlie Cowling, ccowling@brockport.edu. For questions regarding installation and setup, contact Logan Rath, lrath@brockport.edu.
In the beginning, (& for a long time after that….) • We used a clipboard & tally sheet to record our reference desk stats, and total the responses. • This had certain advantages: • It would have been hard to run online stats software before we had PCs at the reference desk ;-) • It was easy and convenient.
But then we switched to Libstats… • Why? Management wanted ready access to stats, and was interested in the “difficulty” of questions… • There was a desire to assess not only the amount but the nature of traffic and staff needed to serve patrons.
Switching to Libstats cont. • Also, non-reference librarians worked the reference desk infrequently in the past, but some were now working the desk once a week and interested in a better way to share information. • It was hoped that an online system for stats would allow recording of enhanced stats and permit recording of questions and answers as a sort of “knowledge base.”
First we tried FootPrints • Footprints is commercial IT helpdesk software. • It has it’s points, but is aimed more at tracking and following up on questions than may be needed or helpful at a reference desk. • It seemed clunky to use for librarians. • It was worth a try though, and helped us think more clearly about what we wanted.
A Reference Desk Blog • For better communication of issues we shifted from a paper desk log, and relocated that log to WordPress. • The DrakeRef Blog is at drakeref.wordpress.com. • It serves as a bulletin board for reference desk staff, and continues as a helpful complement to our LibStats application.
But, we still needed online reference desk stat recording software…
On to LibStats… • We surveyed our SUNY colleagues, and the literature, and LibStats sounded good. • It was implemented at the beginning of Fall 2009, so we have had a year of experience with it. • We are pleased with it, and would recommend it to others looking for such software.
LibStats Particulars • LibStats is open source software available at code.google.com. • It was designed by two librarians at the University of Wisconsin, Eric Larsen & Nate Vack. • The Google site has links to download it, and details of server needed, etc. It was not difficult to install or maintain.
More LibStats Particulars • It is easy to modify LibStats categories etc. • We were able to set up different dashboards, e.g., one that the reference librarian sees and one that the reference student assistant sees. • It allows for entry of narrative recording of Q&A, which we do as time permits and as seems helpful. • Overall, our experience with LibStats has been a positive one and worth the effort to transition to it.
Our “Difficulty” Scale • To address assessment, how much are librarians needed at the desk etc., we devised a simple 1-3 scale. • 1 is easiest, 3 is hardest. It’s subjective, all such scales are, but we tried to keep it simple: • 1 is for no brainer questions, where’s the restroom, printer needs paper, do you have a certain book… • 2 is more involved – if the book is out, what are the options, explaining a database in more depth. • 3 is most complex, explanation of multiple resources , extensive use of reference interview etc.
LibStat Reporting Snapshot • LibStats allows reporting by time of day, weekday, initials of person, types of question, etc. • For example, 25% of our questions still concern finding books. • We receive more IM’s now than phone calls, 13% to 8%. • The scale of difficulty shows only 7-8% of the questions are #3, the hardest, but they are scattered randomly, it would be hard to say, “this is a time where a librarian is not needed.”
