Keywords
University Library, Library Desk Service, Library Development
Description
The desk services at our university library provide support on a range of services, from circulation to questions about literature searching, reference management and so on. However, we have insufficient knowledge about the use of the desk services. To increase our understanding, we have launched a project called TREFF, towards a new platform for the desk services at the University Library of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The main goal of the project is to learn more about the personal meeting between students and library staff in times of increasing digitization of the library's collections and services. In addition, we want to explore how the desk services can contribute to the library’s overall objective of supporting learning, teaching and research quality at our university.
We have explored the topic from the point of view of both students and library staff, based on the following research questions:
1. What is the purpose of the students’ use of the library desk?
2. How do library staff and students experience the meeting that takes place at the desk?
3. How can the answers to the previous questions be utilized to identify and implement measures for further development?
We have combined several research methods: mapping of service desk activity, focus group and individual interviews, surveys and literature studies. The paper will present results from the data collections and the measures for improvement of the desk services. At the conference, we would like our presentation to be an introduction to group discussions. We expect that the topic will engage the audience, and we are curious about the participants’ reflections. Hopefully, the discussions will bring us further in the process of defining the main purpose of the library desk in academic institutions: do we want it to be a reception or a pedagogical tool, or something in between?
Included in
The Library Desk in Academic Institutions: Reception or Pedagogical Tool?
The desk services at our university library provide support on a range of services, from circulation to questions about literature searching, reference management and so on. However, we have insufficient knowledge about the use of the desk services. To increase our understanding, we have launched a project called TREFF, towards a new platform for the desk services at the University Library of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The main goal of the project is to learn more about the personal meeting between students and library staff in times of increasing digitization of the library's collections and services. In addition, we want to explore how the desk services can contribute to the library’s overall objective of supporting learning, teaching and research quality at our university.
We have explored the topic from the point of view of both students and library staff, based on the following research questions:
1. What is the purpose of the students’ use of the library desk?
2. How do library staff and students experience the meeting that takes place at the desk?
3. How can the answers to the previous questions be utilized to identify and implement measures for further development?
We have combined several research methods: mapping of service desk activity, focus group and individual interviews, surveys and literature studies. The paper will present results from the data collections and the measures for improvement of the desk services. At the conference, we would like our presentation to be an introduction to group discussions. We expect that the topic will engage the audience, and we are curious about the participants’ reflections. Hopefully, the discussions will bring us further in the process of defining the main purpose of the library desk in academic institutions: do we want it to be a reception or a pedagogical tool, or something in between?