ODL Reference Survey from Tuesday 9/10 through Monday 9/16

It’s time for this year’s ODL Reference Transactions Survey! The survey will run from Tuesday, September 10th through Monday, September 16th. Every year, MLS is required by ODL to conduct a Reference Transactions Survey. For one week, Library Staff are asked to keep track of all Reference Transactions with customers. This year, to make the process simpler, instead of counting both Reference and Non-Reference Transactions, we are only keeping track of Reference Transactions.

What is a Reference Transaction?

A Reference Transaction is an interaction with a customer that includes one or more reference questions. ODL defines Reference Transactions as ‘information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help others meet particular information needs.’

Not all questions are Reference Questions. Many of our customers’ questions are Non-Reference or Directional Questions. Non-Reference/Directional Questions include giving instructions for locating staff, library users, or physical features within the library.

Please refer to the attachment, ‘Reference vs Non-Reference Questions’ for more information on the difference between Reference and Non-Reference Questions.

Guidelines for Counting Reference Transactions

• ODL is asking us to count Transactions rather than individual questions. A transaction is a complete interaction with a customer and can include multiple questions. One interaction with a customer including multiple reference questions should only be counted as one (1) transaction.
• If a customer interaction includes at least one reference question, please count it. Interactions containing a mix of reference and non-reference questions are counted.
• Please also count customer interactions that occur over the phone, including those transferred from CIS, if they include reference questions.
   

How will the Reference Survey work this year?

• This year – unless otherwise instructed by your manager – each staff member will be responsible for submitting their own numbers. Each day, at the end of your shift, please go to this link. The survey is through Microsoft Forms, so you will be asked to sign in using your Microsoft credentials before you can take the survey. Once you submit the survey, you will receive an email confirmation that includes your submission details.

Survey results will be shared at the end of the survey period. Thank you in advance for your participation! These are important figures that will be shared with ODL and they will also be valuable in helping us to understand our customer behavior.

Link to Survey