40 · ARL Academic Health Sciences Library Statistics 2007–2008
Question 29. Presentations to Groups. Report the total number of sessions during the year of presentations made as part of
formal bibliographic instruction programs and through other planned class presentations, orientation sessions, and tours.
If the library sponsors multi-session or credit courses that meet several times over the course of a semester, each session
should be counted. Presentations to groups may be for either bibliographic instruction, cultural, recreational, or educational
purposes. Presentations both on and off the premises should be included as long as they are sponsored by the library. Do
not include meetings sponsored by other groups using library meeting rooms. Do not include training for library staff the
purpose of this question is to capture information about the services the library provides for its clientele. Please indicate
if the figure is based on sampling.
Question 30. Participants in Group Presentations. Report the total number of participants in the presentations reported on
line 29. For multi-session classes with a constant enrollment, count each person only once. Personal, one-to-one instruction in
the use of sources should be counted as reference transactions on line 31. Please indicate if the figure is based on sampling.
Use a footnote to describe any special situations.
Question 31. Reference Transactions. Report the total number of reference transactions. A reference transaction is
an information contact that involves the knowledge, use, recommendations, interpretation, or
instruction in the use of one or more information sources by a member of the library staff. The term
includes information and referral service. Information sources include (a) printed and nonprinted
material (b) machine-readable databases (including computer-assisted instruction) (c) the library’s
own catalogs and other holdings records (d) other libraries and institutions through communication
or referral and (e) persons both inside and outside the library. When a staff member uses information
gained from previous use of information sources to answer a question, the transaction is reported
as a reference transaction even if the source is not consulted again.
If a contact includes both reference and directional services, it should be reported as one reference transaction. Include
virtual reference transactions (e.g., e-mail, WWW form, chat). Duration should not be an element in determining whether a
transaction is a reference transaction. Sampling based on a typical week may be used to extrapolate TO A FULL YEAR for
Question 31. Please indicate if the figure is based on sampling.
EXCLUDE SIMPLE DIRECTIONAL QUESTIONS. A directional transaction is an information contact that facilitates the
logistical use of the library and that does not involve the knowledge, use, recommendations, interpretation, or instruction in
the use of any information sources other than those that describe the library, such as schedules, floor plans, and handbooks.
Questions 32–33. Circulation. For Question 32, count the number of initial circulations during the fiscal year from the
general collection for use usually (although not always) outside the library. Do not count renewals. Include circulations to
and from remote storage facilities for library users (i.e., do not include transactions reflecting transfers or stages of technical
processing). Count the total number of items lent, not the number of borrowers.
For Question 33, report total circulation for the fiscal year including initial transactions reported on line 32 and renewal
transactions. Exclude reserve circulations these are no longer reported.
Questions 34–35. Interlibrary Loans. Report the number of requests for material (both returnables and non-returnables)
provided to other libraries on line 34 and the number of filled requests received from other libraries or providers on line 35.
On both lines, include originals, photocopies, and materials sent by telefacsimile or other forms of electronic transmission.
Include patron-initiated transactions. Exclude requests for materials locally owned and available on the shelves or
electronically. Do not include transactions between libraries covered by this questionnaire.
Questions 36. PhD Degrees. Report the number awarded during the 2007–2008 fiscal year. Please note that only the number
of PhD degrees are to be counted. Statistics on all other advanced degrees (e.g., DEd, DPA, MD, JD) should not be reported
in this survey. If you are unable to provide a figure for PhDs only, please add a footnote.
Question 37. PhD Fields. For the purposes of this report, PhD fields are defined as the specific discipline specialties
enumerated in the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) “Completions”
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