The document discusses how a university library uses the Gimlet reference tracking system to collect data on over 29,000 reference transactions over two years. The data is analyzed using Excel, coding, and content analysis to assess reference services and improve training, policies, and signage. While subjectivity cannot be avoided, managing it through tools allows the library to better understand user needs and fulfill its mission through potential cost savings and more efficient staff usage.

1. Keeping a Gimlet Eye on Reference Data Ken Simon Reference and Instruction Technologies Librarian Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California Twitter: @ksimon Email: kenneth.simon@lmu.edu

3. READ scaleDr. Bella Karr Gerlich http://readscale.org/

5. It depends!

6. How do I request a book from storage? Policy or Reference?

7. It depends!

8. How do I access a database from off-campus? Technical or policy?

9. [Well, you get it by now.]

10. Difficulty of non-reference questions on the READ scale:

11. Policy = always 2

12. Directional = usually 1

14. Gimlet LibGuide for LMU http://libguides.lmu.edu/gimlet

15. DATA DUMP 2 years = 29,000 records

16. It’s Not Social Tagging!

17. It’s Not Social Tagging!

18. It’s Not Social Tagging!

19. It’s Not Social Tagging!

20. It’s Not Social Tagging!

21. Crunch all you want… Excel: sort and filter by fixed fields Content analysis using Simple Concordance Program: Directional: led to signage improvements Technology: Fixes, training, State of Technology in the Library report for campus I.T. Next up: coding the data

22. Coded Data

23. Reference Tags Note: these tags differ from the ones used in Gimlet 1 = Catalog Use & Lookup 2 = Database Help & Use 3 = External Web page 4 = Internal Web page 5 = Reference Book (print) 6 = Referral 7 = Reserves 8 = Retrieval 9 = Other 99 = empty / unknown

24. Conclusions To assess and improve, you need data! It takes work to get the data into shape. You can’t escape subjectivity……but you can help to manage it. Experiment with tools for analysis: Excel, concordance software, codebook/SPSS Why? To better fulfill our mission Potential cost savings, better use of staff time

25. Credit where credit is due: Alexander Justice Susan Gardner Shannon Billimore Courtney Hoffner Jason Campos Meg Gregory Bonnie Rainey

26. Keeping a Gimlet Eye on Reference Data Ken Simon Reference and Instruction Technologies Librarian Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California Twitter: @ksimon Email: kenneth.simon@lmu.edu