Clarifications on the new stats sheets

I've had some questions about what kinds of transactions/questions we record on the new statistics sheets and which ones we don't. I asked the Access Services managers and the clarifications are below. Please ask if you have more questions, I know it's hard for me to remember what to record and what to skip after over a year of using the old sheets!

Do we record ILL transactions? Nope. If it's a simple checkout or return of an ILL item we don't record it as a question. If they ask questions about the survey bookmark, the due date, renewals, etc. be sure to count those though.

Do we record reserves transactions? Not if it's a simple one. If they have the call number and you are just checking it out it doesn't count. BUT if you're having to go into Ares to find the class and call number please do count that! That's a lot of work and should be reflected on the stats.

Other departments might record their desk statistics differently, so if you have questions please ask. The way Lisa explained it to me was if the circ transaction didn't really require any questions or answers then they don't record it.

I hope this helps clarify things. You can always ask one of the circ staff or students if you have a question too.

Ever heard of a Transparency Copier in the Libraries?

A student came in on the first day of classes with a hand-out (presumably from her instructor) that listed resources, and under Library West it said that we had a transparency copier for $.15 a page.

I've checked with the Reference Desk and with Colleen and I can't find any information about any equipment that would allow printing onto transparencies (for use on an overhead projector) if that is what is meant by "transparency copier." Our Xerox printers and copiers don't allow alternate paper sources, no bypass trays, so they can't just insert printable transparencies either.

If anyone knows differently, please share! In the meantime, if you get this question on the desk, try to get the instructor and course number and I'll try to clarify this with the instructor.

Spring Schedule & Upcoming Training Opportunity

You'll notice the Spring Schedule and The Weekly Schedule are now linked up and all set to go. Welcome to Suzanne Brown, our newest Information Specialist! and Welcome Back to Cathy Martyniak!

See you all on the desk next week!

With only one new person starting on the desk this semester I hesitate to offer the plethora of training opportunities we've had in past semesters. If anyone thinks a refresher training would be helpful though please let me know and I'm happy to set it up!

Right now there is one training coming up soon that would be great for us to attend. It's the staff ILLiad training and it's set for Wednesday, January 23rd in West 211. There are two sessions available to choose from: 11-12pm and 3-4pm. I hope to make it there myself!

When the website goes down

If the website goes down while you're on the desk, Rich Bennett sent a handy link that will help out.

Direct Link to the Catalog - Use this link when the Smathers website is down to access the catalog. If you click on "FCLA" in the grey bar (footer) you will find links to the Library Catalog, Research Gateway, E-Journal Locator, Course Reserve, ILLiad, etc. It also has direct links to ALL databases included on the "Databases A-Z" page normally available on the Smathers "Find Databases" page.

You might want to bookmark that link now, just in case.

New Simplified Statistics Sheets

Starting with the Spring semester we'll use the same statistics sheets as the other public service desks. There are only two categories of questions: Reference Questions and Other Questions.

Reference Questions are those that require you to use resources to find the answer. I would include questions that require the catalog, databases, an internet search, etc.

Other Questions are things that are informational, easy to find, or directional. Things like where a call number is located, who is librarian for a particular subject, when we close, how to get a job at the library, etc. would be Other. I would include policy questions here too.

If you relate these two new categories with our old stats sheets, anything that you used to put under Reference is a Reference Question. Anything you put under Directional, Policy, Equipment, Referred, or Other is probably an Other Question.

What about all those Circulation transactions though? Well if you are doing something in Aleph, you do NOT have to count it at all. These transactions will be tracked in Aleph. This includes checking things out, returning things, and activating cards. BUT for those questions that require you to USE Aleph but aren't really transactions, would still count as Other Questions- I'm thinking of questions like: How many books do I have checked out? How much was I fined? When is my book due? etc. Those would all be more informational kinds of questions and would count as "Other" on our new stats sheets.

Hopefully that helps explain the difference. If you have questions you can call me, or ask one of the folks on the circ desk. These are the same sheets they've been filling out since July so they'll have a good idea of what kinds of questions count as each type.

The other important change is that we'll all share the same stats sheet now. Each week there will be a new sheet on a clipboard at the Information Point. There is a pen chained to the clipboard too. This sheet will be used by everyone who sits at the information point for that entire week. (Think of all the trees we'll be saving!)

The reason behind this switch is that our stats have been really consistent for the last year in showing the ratio of question types that we answer. We still have to track total questions for ARL stats and administration, but if we do need more information on types of questions we can run a sample for a week or two instead of doing the more complex stats sheets all the time.

Please ask if you have questions. And I'll see you on the desk!