BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS The effect of end-user searching on reference services: experience with MEDLINE* and Current Contentst§ By Linda Salisbury, M.L.S. Associate Director for Information Services H. Sylvia Toombs, M.L.S. Reference Librarian
Elizabeth A. Kelly, M.L.S. Associate Director, Access Services!Information Systems
Susan Crawford, Ph.D. Director and Professor of Biomedical Communication
Washington University School of Medicine Library Box 8132 660 South Euclid Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63110 As health sciences libraries offer an increasing variety of search services for end users and as users become more computer literate, the demand for such services has become progressively greater. The planning, implementing, and evaluating of end-user systems are well documented in the literature [1-8]. However, there is a dearth of data on the effects of end-user searching on intermediary services provided by reference or information departments in libraries [9-10]. For over three years, the Washington University Medical School Library (WUMSL) has made available two locally mounted databases to its medical center users through its BACS#t integrated library system. BACS/Current Contents®, which covers the current six months of biomedical and physical science publications, was first offered in June 1985. In response to clinical needs of the center, the library mounted a second database (BACS/MEDLINE) in April 1987, which covers the English-language literature for the current year and two previous years. * MEDLINE is a registered trademark of the National Library of Medicine. t Current Contents is a registered trademark of Institute for Scientific Information. tf BACS is a registered trademark of Washington University School of Medicine Library, St. Louis, Missouri. § Presented May 21, 1989, at the Eighty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, Boston, Massachusetts.
188
Data were collected to investigate how these systems affect the types and amount of services provided by the reference department at WUMSL. As in other academic medical centers, the department provides directional and informational assistance, citation verification, formal and informal instruction on use, and mediated online literature searches for both the medical center staff and members of the general community.
METHODOLOGY Baseline data were collected on reference services offered during three years prior to introducing BACS/ MEDLINE and BACS/Current Contents in the library. Changes were then examined in reference services during the three succeeding years from July 1985 through June 1988. The areas examined included types and levels of questions received, number of mediated versus nonmediated searches, demand for education programs, and reasons for requesting mediated searches. From the introduction of BACS/Current Contents in July 1985 through June 1987, the changes in reference services were minimal. As reported earlier, Current Contents was used primarily by basic scientists to keep up with developments in their fields rather than to find specific information [11]. There was, however, an increased demand for instruction. The demand for tutorials increased from less than once each week to scheduled meetings twice each week. Great changes in service patterns became apparent only after BACS/MEDLINE became available in July 1987. This paper focuses on these changes in reference services from the introduction of BACS/MEDLINE throughout June 1988. The test population included users from two basic sciences departments (pharmacology and cell biology/physiology) and from two clinical departments (pediatrics and radiology). In addition to data on use, questionnaires were sent to determine the reasons for requesting mediated searches after the introduction of end-user systems. In this study, the following distinctions are made among information transactions and instruction programs: * Quick reference: information transactions (manual) that take less than ten minutes to handle. * In-depth reference: information transactions (manual) that take more than ten minutes to complete. * Computer-based searches: literature searches perBull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Brief communications
Table 1 Information transactions before and after introduction of BACS/ MEDLINE end-user system
Information transaction Quick reference transactions (manual) (10 minutes) Mediated computer searches Citation verifications
Average Number of annual number transactions of transafter actions BACS/ made MEDLINE during introduced July 1982- July 1987June 1987 June 1988
Department
Average annual number of mediated searches made during July 1982June 1987
Number of mediated searches July 1987June 1988
% change one year after BACS/MEDLINE introduced
56 32 155 220
13 21 79 177
-77% -34% -49% -20%
463
290
-37%
% change
14,226
17,452
+23%
620 3,836
754 3,138
3,147
2,392
+22% -18% -24%
formed on one or more databases in response to a single inquiry. * Informal instruction: brief instruction on use of the library that is not scheduled in advance. * Formal instruction: scheduled lectures to groups on library resources and their use and on biomedical communication topics.
FINDINGS Information transactions, July 1982-June 1988 Table 1 shows trends in the number of information transactions handled at Washington University over the years 1982-1988. The objective is to compare the demand for reference services after the end-user system for MEDLINE was introduced in April 1987. Between July 1982 and June 1987, the average annual number of manual and computerized searches remained relatively stable with small fluctuations. During this period, there was an annual average of 14,226 quick-reference queries and an annual average of 3,836 computer searches. These annual averages were then compared with the number of mediated information transactions made during the year between July 1987 and June 1988, after end-user searching was introduced. This is shown in the second column; the percentage change in number of transactions is shown in the third column. As shown in the first two lines, quick-reference and in-depth reference requests increased by 23% and 22%, respectively. However, one year after introduction of the end-user system BACS/MEDLINE, the number of computer searches fell by 18%. Also shown is a 24% decrease in citation verifications after the mounting of the database. The findings suggest that the opportunity for individuals to run their own searches using Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Table 2 Changes in the number of mediated computer searches in four test departments after introduction of BACS/MEDLINE end-user system
Pharmacology Cell biology Pediatrics Radiology Test data for all departments
BACS/MEDLINE had a direct effect on the number of mediated searches and on the number of citation verifications provided by the library staff. In addition, it appears that individual use of WUMSL's systems was accompanied by an increase in quick and indepth manual reference transactions.
Mediated searches from four test departments Table 2 shows changes in the number of mediated searches performed by the library staff for four test departments following the introduction of BACS/ MEDLINE. Every department showed a decrease in the number of mediated searches, ranging from - 20% in the Department of Radiology to -77% in the Department of Pharmacology. Reasons for differences in percentage of decrease among the test departments were not investigated in this study. For all four test departments, mediated searches declined by 37%. These changes in the number of mediated computer searches are attributable to end-user searching.
Instruction sessions attendance As the number of mediated computer searches decreased, the attendance at instruction sessions for enduser training increased, as shown in Table 3. Between July 1987 and June 1988, instruction given to users individually increased by 50%, and attendance at group instruction sessions increased by 32%, with an overall increase of 47%. The attendance reflects demand for instruction, which may be requested by individual users or taken in group sessions that are available twice a week.
Reasons for requesting mediated searches As shown in Table 4, the most frequently cited reason for requesting mediated searches is the limited time 189
Brief communications
Table 3 Attendance at instruction sessions before and after introduction of BACS/MEDLINE end-user system
Type of session Informal instruction Formal instruction Attendance for all departments
Number of attendees Average annual during July 1982July 1987June 1987 June 1988
Table 4 Reasons for requesting mediated searches after introduction of enduser systems (N = 137 users who requested mediated searches) Reason for request
% increase
2,732
4,096
551
730
50% 32%
3,283
4,826
47%
% users
Time coverage of BACS/MEDLINE and BACS/Current Contentss not adequate Reference staff expertise References retrieved were not sufficientt Too busy to do own search Did not know how to formulate search strategy System not user-friendly Other reasons
48% 40% 29% 28% 21% 3% 7%
Users were permitted to respond to more than one category. t Users perceived that there were insufficient references retrieved due to inadequacy of their search strategies and need for search of other databases, e.g., Biological Abstracts, Psychological Abstracts.
coverage of the two end-user systems. BACS/Current Contents, which is intended as a current awareness browsing service rather than an on-demand search service, covers the current six months of publications. During the test period, BACS/MEDLINE covered the current year and the two previous years. Future enhancement of the system should include more years of coverage, since 48% of users wanted more years. Some 40% of the respondents indicated that they requested mediated searches because of reference staff expertise and 29% found that the references they retrieved were not sufficient and that they needed help. Almost 30% of the respondents requested mediated searches because they were too busy to do their own searches. In addition, 21% said that they requested mediated searches because of problems in formulating search strategies, an aspect related to staff expertise. When asked if librarians were consulted for more in-depth searches, 44% responded affirmatively while 56% said that they did not use librarian assistance for more in-depth searches. Only 3% sought librarian assistance because the system was not "user-friendly."
DISCUSSION In this paper, data were collected on the demand for reference services, both manual and computerized, before and after an end-user system for MEDLINE (BACS/MEDLINE) was introduced at Washington University. The results indicate that overall, manual reference transactions (both quick reference and indepth reference) increased while mediated computer searches declined by 18%. Four test departments were selected, representing both the basic and clinical sciences, to determine the effect of end-user searching in a more controlled environment. It was found that mediated searches decreased in all departments, ranging from -20% in radiology to -77% in pharmacology. At the same time, attendance at individual and group instruction sessions in end-user searching increased by 47%. The data therefore show an increase 190
in manual reference transactions and user training programs, and a decrease in mediated computer searches and citation verification with the introduction of an end-user system. Providing end-user systems has important implications for public services departments and for the future organization of libraries. As the functions of the reference department change, qualifications for selecting and training staff will change as well. Administration may become more complicated as the location, management, and maintenance of these systems cross managerial boundaries of other departments. Education of staff and end users will become an important aspect of public services. The data presented reflect a transition period for libraries in which new resources and services are growing parallel to a communication system that is still based primarily on published text. The increase in end users as networks of workstations become available will lead to distribution of the library throughout the medical center and into the community. The ability to search information outside the library, to order and transmit materials through an electronic network, and to use software to create new publications for dissemination to colleagues will have implications for the library of the future.
REFERENCES 1. BROERING NC. The miniMEDLINE system: a librarybased end-user search system. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1985 Apr;73(2):138-45. 2. CRAWFORD S, HALBROOK B, KELLY E, STucKi L. Beyond the online catalog: developing an academic information system in the sciences. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1987 Jul;75(3):202-8. 3. SHEDLOCK J. Planning for end-user search services in the health sciences library. Med Ref Serv Q 1987 Winter;6(4): 1-13. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April
1990
Brief communications 4. LUDWIG L, MIxTER JK, EMANUELE MA. User attitudes toward end-user literature searching. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Jan;76(1):7-13. 5. BONHAM MD, NELSON LL. An evaluation of four end-user systems for searching MEDLINE. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Apr;76(2):171-80. 6. WELBORN V, KUEHN JJ. End-user programs in medical school libraries: a survey. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Apr; 76(2):137-40. 7. MARKERT RJ, PARISI AJ, BARNES HV, COHEN S ET AL. Medical student, resident, and faculty use of a computerized literature searching system. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1989 Apr; 77(2):133-8. 8. WOODSMALL RM, LYON-HARTMANN B, SIEGEL ER, EDS. MEDLINE on CD-ROM: National Library of Medicine evaluation forum. Medford, NJ: Learned Information, 1989. 9. SALOMON K. The impact of CD-ROM on reference departments. RQ 1988 Winter;28(2):203-19. 10. BRAHMI FA. The effect of CD-ROM MEDLINE on online end user and mediated searching. Med Ref Serv Q 1988; 7(4):47-56. 11. CRAWFORD S, KELLY E, SALISBURY L. Evaluating online biomedical databases: BACS/Current Contents® and BACS/ MEDLINE. Paper presented at the Eighty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1988.
Received May 1989; accepted September 1989.
The role of paraprofessionals at the reference desk* By Kay Deeney, M.L.S. Reference Desk Services Coordinator Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library University of California-Los Angeles 10833 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, California 90024-1798
The introduction of end-user searching has increased the demands on reference librarians' time for developing new instructional courses and for consultations with departments and individuals. In meeting these information demands, the Reference Division at the Louise Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA, has seized the opportunity to take advantage of alternative staffing arrangemerLts. This article describes the use of paraprofessionals at the reference desk as an alternative to traditional service by reference librarians.
* Based on a presentation made on May 23, 1988, at the EightyEighth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
The percentage of true reference questions received at the desk that require the skills of the professional librarian is small. Reference librarians may be more familiar than other librarians with the various indexing and abstracting tools, specific reference works, and online databases, but these tools are not needed for a majority of questions received in many libraries. Aluri and St. Clair stated that well-trained nonprofessionals can answer 80% of the questions asked at the desk [1]. Furthermore, Kok and Pierce's study indicated that only 0.7% of questions are in-depth, timeconsuming reference questions [2]. According to Freides, "The reference desk works best for directional questions and for requests for specific factual information ... simple questions and quick replies" [3]. A fascinating article by Ford, "Reference beyond and without the Reference Desk," hints at eliminating the reference desk altogether in favor of user education, bibliographic instruction, point-of-use aids, and computer-assisted instruction [4]. In keeping with these ideas, staff from other divisions assist at the reference desk of the Louise Darling Biomedical Library. Besides librarians from nonreference divisions, library assistants from technical services and various other divisions, and library school students act as reference desk assistants (RDAs). The main functions of the RDAs are to answer directional questions and to locate call numbers for materials in the library using the online catalogs, ORION and MELVYLt, and the card catalog. They also answer ready reference questions from sources such as medical dictionaries, directories, and textbooks, and direct users to primary indexing services such as Index Medicus or MELVYL MEDLINE®, the library's online version of MEDLINE®. RDAs are scheduled on the desk with a reference librarian so they can ask for help on difficult or unusual questions. RDAs are not required to know interlibrary loan policies and procedures, the mediated database search services, how to answer difficult questions such as those dealing with statistics, and how to use many of the less frequently needed indexes and abstracting tools. RDAs are scheduled at the desk between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, the library's peak use hours. A commitment of between two to five hours per week for at least six months is required. The flexible schedule was introduced to accommodate other divisional workflow. Annually, four to six individuals from various divisions are recruited to staff the desk as RDAs. RDAs
tMELVYL is a registered trademark of the University of California; MEDLINE is Medicine.
a
registered trademark of the National Library of
191
Elizabeth A. Kelly, M.L.S. Associate Director, Access Services!Information Systems
Susan Crawford, Ph.D. Director and Professor of Biomedical Communication
Washington University School of Medicine Library Box 8132 660 South Euclid Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63110 As health sciences libraries offer an increasing variety of search services for end users and as users become more computer literate, the demand for such services has become progressively greater. The planning, implementing, and evaluating of end-user systems are well documented in the literature [1-8]. However, there is a dearth of data on the effects of end-user searching on intermediary services provided by reference or information departments in libraries [9-10]. For over three years, the Washington University Medical School Library (WUMSL) has made available two locally mounted databases to its medical center users through its BACS#t integrated library system. BACS/Current Contents®, which covers the current six months of biomedical and physical science publications, was first offered in June 1985. In response to clinical needs of the center, the library mounted a second database (BACS/MEDLINE) in April 1987, which covers the English-language literature for the current year and two previous years. * MEDLINE is a registered trademark of the National Library of Medicine. t Current Contents is a registered trademark of Institute for Scientific Information. tf BACS is a registered trademark of Washington University School of Medicine Library, St. Louis, Missouri. § Presented May 21, 1989, at the Eighty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, Boston, Massachusetts.
188
Data were collected to investigate how these systems affect the types and amount of services provided by the reference department at WUMSL. As in other academic medical centers, the department provides directional and informational assistance, citation verification, formal and informal instruction on use, and mediated online literature searches for both the medical center staff and members of the general community.
METHODOLOGY Baseline data were collected on reference services offered during three years prior to introducing BACS/ MEDLINE and BACS/Current Contents in the library. Changes were then examined in reference services during the three succeeding years from July 1985 through June 1988. The areas examined included types and levels of questions received, number of mediated versus nonmediated searches, demand for education programs, and reasons for requesting mediated searches. From the introduction of BACS/Current Contents in July 1985 through June 1987, the changes in reference services were minimal. As reported earlier, Current Contents was used primarily by basic scientists to keep up with developments in their fields rather than to find specific information [11]. There was, however, an increased demand for instruction. The demand for tutorials increased from less than once each week to scheduled meetings twice each week. Great changes in service patterns became apparent only after BACS/MEDLINE became available in July 1987. This paper focuses on these changes in reference services from the introduction of BACS/MEDLINE throughout June 1988. The test population included users from two basic sciences departments (pharmacology and cell biology/physiology) and from two clinical departments (pediatrics and radiology). In addition to data on use, questionnaires were sent to determine the reasons for requesting mediated searches after the introduction of end-user systems. In this study, the following distinctions are made among information transactions and instruction programs: * Quick reference: information transactions (manual) that take less than ten minutes to handle. * In-depth reference: information transactions (manual) that take more than ten minutes to complete. * Computer-based searches: literature searches perBull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Brief communications
Table 1 Information transactions before and after introduction of BACS/ MEDLINE end-user system
Information transaction Quick reference transactions (manual) (10 minutes) Mediated computer searches Citation verifications
Average Number of annual number transactions of transafter actions BACS/ made MEDLINE during introduced July 1982- July 1987June 1987 June 1988
Department
Average annual number of mediated searches made during July 1982June 1987
Number of mediated searches July 1987June 1988
% change one year after BACS/MEDLINE introduced
56 32 155 220
13 21 79 177
-77% -34% -49% -20%
463
290
-37%
% change
14,226
17,452
+23%
620 3,836
754 3,138
3,147
2,392
+22% -18% -24%
formed on one or more databases in response to a single inquiry. * Informal instruction: brief instruction on use of the library that is not scheduled in advance. * Formal instruction: scheduled lectures to groups on library resources and their use and on biomedical communication topics.
FINDINGS Information transactions, July 1982-June 1988 Table 1 shows trends in the number of information transactions handled at Washington University over the years 1982-1988. The objective is to compare the demand for reference services after the end-user system for MEDLINE was introduced in April 1987. Between July 1982 and June 1987, the average annual number of manual and computerized searches remained relatively stable with small fluctuations. During this period, there was an annual average of 14,226 quick-reference queries and an annual average of 3,836 computer searches. These annual averages were then compared with the number of mediated information transactions made during the year between July 1987 and June 1988, after end-user searching was introduced. This is shown in the second column; the percentage change in number of transactions is shown in the third column. As shown in the first two lines, quick-reference and in-depth reference requests increased by 23% and 22%, respectively. However, one year after introduction of the end-user system BACS/MEDLINE, the number of computer searches fell by 18%. Also shown is a 24% decrease in citation verifications after the mounting of the database. The findings suggest that the opportunity for individuals to run their own searches using Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Table 2 Changes in the number of mediated computer searches in four test departments after introduction of BACS/MEDLINE end-user system
Pharmacology Cell biology Pediatrics Radiology Test data for all departments
BACS/MEDLINE had a direct effect on the number of mediated searches and on the number of citation verifications provided by the library staff. In addition, it appears that individual use of WUMSL's systems was accompanied by an increase in quick and indepth manual reference transactions.
Mediated searches from four test departments Table 2 shows changes in the number of mediated searches performed by the library staff for four test departments following the introduction of BACS/ MEDLINE. Every department showed a decrease in the number of mediated searches, ranging from - 20% in the Department of Radiology to -77% in the Department of Pharmacology. Reasons for differences in percentage of decrease among the test departments were not investigated in this study. For all four test departments, mediated searches declined by 37%. These changes in the number of mediated computer searches are attributable to end-user searching.
Instruction sessions attendance As the number of mediated computer searches decreased, the attendance at instruction sessions for enduser training increased, as shown in Table 3. Between July 1987 and June 1988, instruction given to users individually increased by 50%, and attendance at group instruction sessions increased by 32%, with an overall increase of 47%. The attendance reflects demand for instruction, which may be requested by individual users or taken in group sessions that are available twice a week.
Reasons for requesting mediated searches As shown in Table 4, the most frequently cited reason for requesting mediated searches is the limited time 189
Brief communications
Table 3 Attendance at instruction sessions before and after introduction of BACS/MEDLINE end-user system
Type of session Informal instruction Formal instruction Attendance for all departments
Number of attendees Average annual during July 1982July 1987June 1987 June 1988
Table 4 Reasons for requesting mediated searches after introduction of enduser systems (N = 137 users who requested mediated searches) Reason for request
% increase
2,732
4,096
551
730
50% 32%
3,283
4,826
47%
% users
Time coverage of BACS/MEDLINE and BACS/Current Contentss not adequate Reference staff expertise References retrieved were not sufficientt Too busy to do own search Did not know how to formulate search strategy System not user-friendly Other reasons
48% 40% 29% 28% 21% 3% 7%
Users were permitted to respond to more than one category. t Users perceived that there were insufficient references retrieved due to inadequacy of their search strategies and need for search of other databases, e.g., Biological Abstracts, Psychological Abstracts.
coverage of the two end-user systems. BACS/Current Contents, which is intended as a current awareness browsing service rather than an on-demand search service, covers the current six months of publications. During the test period, BACS/MEDLINE covered the current year and the two previous years. Future enhancement of the system should include more years of coverage, since 48% of users wanted more years. Some 40% of the respondents indicated that they requested mediated searches because of reference staff expertise and 29% found that the references they retrieved were not sufficient and that they needed help. Almost 30% of the respondents requested mediated searches because they were too busy to do their own searches. In addition, 21% said that they requested mediated searches because of problems in formulating search strategies, an aspect related to staff expertise. When asked if librarians were consulted for more in-depth searches, 44% responded affirmatively while 56% said that they did not use librarian assistance for more in-depth searches. Only 3% sought librarian assistance because the system was not "user-friendly."
DISCUSSION In this paper, data were collected on the demand for reference services, both manual and computerized, before and after an end-user system for MEDLINE (BACS/MEDLINE) was introduced at Washington University. The results indicate that overall, manual reference transactions (both quick reference and indepth reference) increased while mediated computer searches declined by 18%. Four test departments were selected, representing both the basic and clinical sciences, to determine the effect of end-user searching in a more controlled environment. It was found that mediated searches decreased in all departments, ranging from -20% in radiology to -77% in pharmacology. At the same time, attendance at individual and group instruction sessions in end-user searching increased by 47%. The data therefore show an increase 190
in manual reference transactions and user training programs, and a decrease in mediated computer searches and citation verification with the introduction of an end-user system. Providing end-user systems has important implications for public services departments and for the future organization of libraries. As the functions of the reference department change, qualifications for selecting and training staff will change as well. Administration may become more complicated as the location, management, and maintenance of these systems cross managerial boundaries of other departments. Education of staff and end users will become an important aspect of public services. The data presented reflect a transition period for libraries in which new resources and services are growing parallel to a communication system that is still based primarily on published text. The increase in end users as networks of workstations become available will lead to distribution of the library throughout the medical center and into the community. The ability to search information outside the library, to order and transmit materials through an electronic network, and to use software to create new publications for dissemination to colleagues will have implications for the library of the future.
REFERENCES 1. BROERING NC. The miniMEDLINE system: a librarybased end-user search system. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1985 Apr;73(2):138-45. 2. CRAWFORD S, HALBROOK B, KELLY E, STucKi L. Beyond the online catalog: developing an academic information system in the sciences. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1987 Jul;75(3):202-8. 3. SHEDLOCK J. Planning for end-user search services in the health sciences library. Med Ref Serv Q 1987 Winter;6(4): 1-13. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April
1990
Brief communications 4. LUDWIG L, MIxTER JK, EMANUELE MA. User attitudes toward end-user literature searching. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Jan;76(1):7-13. 5. BONHAM MD, NELSON LL. An evaluation of four end-user systems for searching MEDLINE. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Apr;76(2):171-80. 6. WELBORN V, KUEHN JJ. End-user programs in medical school libraries: a survey. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1988 Apr; 76(2):137-40. 7. MARKERT RJ, PARISI AJ, BARNES HV, COHEN S ET AL. Medical student, resident, and faculty use of a computerized literature searching system. Bull Med Libr Assoc 1989 Apr; 77(2):133-8. 8. WOODSMALL RM, LYON-HARTMANN B, SIEGEL ER, EDS. MEDLINE on CD-ROM: National Library of Medicine evaluation forum. Medford, NJ: Learned Information, 1989. 9. SALOMON K. The impact of CD-ROM on reference departments. RQ 1988 Winter;28(2):203-19. 10. BRAHMI FA. The effect of CD-ROM MEDLINE on online end user and mediated searching. Med Ref Serv Q 1988; 7(4):47-56. 11. CRAWFORD S, KELLY E, SALISBURY L. Evaluating online biomedical databases: BACS/Current Contents® and BACS/ MEDLINE. Paper presented at the Eighty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1988.
Received May 1989; accepted September 1989.
The role of paraprofessionals at the reference desk* By Kay Deeney, M.L.S. Reference Desk Services Coordinator Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library University of California-Los Angeles 10833 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, California 90024-1798
The introduction of end-user searching has increased the demands on reference librarians' time for developing new instructional courses and for consultations with departments and individuals. In meeting these information demands, the Reference Division at the Louise Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA, has seized the opportunity to take advantage of alternative staffing arrangemerLts. This article describes the use of paraprofessionals at the reference desk as an alternative to traditional service by reference librarians.
* Based on a presentation made on May 23, 1988, at the EightyEighth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
The percentage of true reference questions received at the desk that require the skills of the professional librarian is small. Reference librarians may be more familiar than other librarians with the various indexing and abstracting tools, specific reference works, and online databases, but these tools are not needed for a majority of questions received in many libraries. Aluri and St. Clair stated that well-trained nonprofessionals can answer 80% of the questions asked at the desk [1]. Furthermore, Kok and Pierce's study indicated that only 0.7% of questions are in-depth, timeconsuming reference questions [2]. According to Freides, "The reference desk works best for directional questions and for requests for specific factual information ... simple questions and quick replies" [3]. A fascinating article by Ford, "Reference beyond and without the Reference Desk," hints at eliminating the reference desk altogether in favor of user education, bibliographic instruction, point-of-use aids, and computer-assisted instruction [4]. In keeping with these ideas, staff from other divisions assist at the reference desk of the Louise Darling Biomedical Library. Besides librarians from nonreference divisions, library assistants from technical services and various other divisions, and library school students act as reference desk assistants (RDAs). The main functions of the RDAs are to answer directional questions and to locate call numbers for materials in the library using the online catalogs, ORION and MELVYLt, and the card catalog. They also answer ready reference questions from sources such as medical dictionaries, directories, and textbooks, and direct users to primary indexing services such as Index Medicus or MELVYL MEDLINE®, the library's online version of MEDLINE®. RDAs are scheduled on the desk with a reference librarian so they can ask for help on difficult or unusual questions. RDAs are not required to know interlibrary loan policies and procedures, the mediated database search services, how to answer difficult questions such as those dealing with statistics, and how to use many of the less frequently needed indexes and abstracting tools. RDAs are scheduled at the desk between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, the library's peak use hours. A commitment of between two to five hours per week for at least six months is required. The flexible schedule was introduced to accommodate other divisional workflow. Annually, four to six individuals from various divisions are recruited to staff the desk as RDAs. RDAs
tMELVYL is a registered trademark of the University of California; MEDLINE is Medicine.
a
registered trademark of the National Library of
191
