Service Quality Improvement Council

Reference Services Group Charge

Background:

The provision of reference service involves many units of the University Library, various levels of staff, several means of communication, and delivery to readers both affiliated and not affiliated with Yale. Communication and coordination between units has taken place on an as-needed basis and through the established hierarchy of Library organization and committees. The lack of a coordinated program of reference assistance has the potential for inconsistency in assisting readers and referring them to other units; uncertainty on the part of staff as to the service provided at other units; and confusion on the part of readers as to what to expect at different locations.

Purpose:

The Reference Service Group was formed in November 1998 to plan, implement, and oversee a coordinated program of reference assistance at Yale.

Charge:

• Develop a thoughtful statement of a Reference Service Program for the Yale University Library;

• Make recommendations to improve assistance to readers;

• Create a statement of services offered to the reading community;

• Serve as a forum for the discussion of reference issues and communication to the Library staff and the reading community; and

• Establish standards of reference service.

Initially the Group may wish to address some of the following questions as it understands the nature of reference services offered at Yale and develops service objectives for its future improvement:

• For whom are we designing reference assistance?

• What assistance should be provided?

• Does the Yale community need a general reference service? Should responsibility for general reference be shared by all service areas or should it be situated in the SML-CCL complex?

• How can we develop a reliable method for assessing the need for reference assistance? What value do our constituents place on reference services? How can we identify areas for improvement?

• Where should different levels of reference services be offered and by whom? [See the Report below.]

• How can we shape user expectations for our reference services?

• What are the relationships between reference assistance and instruction?

• What is relationship between assistance offered at different sites? How does reference service delivered at one location shape our readers' expectation of services offered elsewhere?

• What service standards should be developed for reference assistance?

Background resources:

Report of the Information Services Group, Summer, 1997

The Reference Services Group reports to the Service Quality Improvement Council. Its members are appointed by the SQI Council chair, in consultation with the group's chair and the AUL for reader services, for a renewable, year term; some continuity among membership is desirable.