SPEC Kit 327: Reconfiguring Service Delivery · 63
Desire to provide “one-stop shopping” for customers by training staff in Reference and Access units to provide basic
services in both areas to all customers.
It has been the goal of the Wilson Special Collections Library to streamline services and eliminate both the confusion
for the public and the redundancy that come from having five collections in three different reading rooms which, in the
past, have each had different hours, policies, and procedures. Consolidation of services for the Rare Book and North
Carolina collections in a single reading room is the first very visible step toward improving the Wilson Library experience
for users.
It was not a good use of time to have a librarian sit at the branch reference desk. Circulation could handle many routine
questions and refer to a subject specialist if needed.
More emphasis was placed on quick reference and referrals (triage) and less on intermediate reference level service,
which could now be referred more easily to the combined Art+Architecture+Planning and Science/Engineering desk.
Marketing of the integrated services and installation of new equipment/software in the building created more demand.
The CLC moved the “coaching corner” off the desk to allow users to have more time for the services they wanted most.
The technical questions continue to increase and are more varied and more complex.
Not really a change in philosophy, but a change in ability to provide the service, leading to heavier reliance on users’
own ability to find and request materials.
Our former Head of Systems wanted to try this idea in the hopes that it would help reference librarians who were
answering lots of technical questions at the desk.
Re-thinking of what services might be provided to our users (more types of technology) and, at the same time, more
self-service approach to multi-media workstations.
Students were copying less and asking to scan materials.
The Doucette Library of Educational Resources has long been a collaborator with University Library. Faculty budgetary
reviews recognized they could no longer afford to run the facility. Library service philosophy placing higher value on
presence in faculties increased attraction for bringing this facility into the LCR organization.
The library system has always been highly centralized (i.e., only a small number of branches) and our goal has been to
centralize further as conditions and resources permit. In this case, the PSRR was directly across the street from our main
library—by no means “remote.” It was increasingly difficult to justify the expense of maintaining a separate reading
room so close to our main facility.
The Libraries is committed to the strategy of fewer, more consolidated service points. As more material and service
is delivered electronically, we take the opportunity to leverage librarian expertise to support emerging needs. The
increased interdisciplinarity of research and teaching also drives this change.
There was no change. The library had wanted to integrate this collection and service point for some time but the
changing space needs within the Math Department made it possible for us to initiate this.
We needed to provide a location for 24x5 access to the building as well as new group study spaces and enhanced
technology services.
We wanted to provide more access and more welcoming access for these materials. Users felt that a staffed desk made
them not want to browse and spend time in the stacks. We wanted to change this perception.
Desire to provide “one-stop shopping” for customers by training staff in Reference and Access units to provide basic
services in both areas to all customers.
It has been the goal of the Wilson Special Collections Library to streamline services and eliminate both the confusion
for the public and the redundancy that come from having five collections in three different reading rooms which, in the
past, have each had different hours, policies, and procedures. Consolidation of services for the Rare Book and North
Carolina collections in a single reading room is the first very visible step toward improving the Wilson Library experience
for users.
It was not a good use of time to have a librarian sit at the branch reference desk. Circulation could handle many routine
questions and refer to a subject specialist if needed.
More emphasis was placed on quick reference and referrals (triage) and less on intermediate reference level service,
which could now be referred more easily to the combined Art+Architecture+Planning and Science/Engineering desk.
Marketing of the integrated services and installation of new equipment/software in the building created more demand.
The CLC moved the “coaching corner” off the desk to allow users to have more time for the services they wanted most.
The technical questions continue to increase and are more varied and more complex.
Not really a change in philosophy, but a change in ability to provide the service, leading to heavier reliance on users’
own ability to find and request materials.
Our former Head of Systems wanted to try this idea in the hopes that it would help reference librarians who were
answering lots of technical questions at the desk.
Re-thinking of what services might be provided to our users (more types of technology) and, at the same time, more
self-service approach to multi-media workstations.
Students were copying less and asking to scan materials.
The Doucette Library of Educational Resources has long been a collaborator with University Library. Faculty budgetary
reviews recognized they could no longer afford to run the facility. Library service philosophy placing higher value on
presence in faculties increased attraction for bringing this facility into the LCR organization.
The library system has always been highly centralized (i.e., only a small number of branches) and our goal has been to
centralize further as conditions and resources permit. In this case, the PSRR was directly across the street from our main
library—by no means “remote.” It was increasingly difficult to justify the expense of maintaining a separate reading
room so close to our main facility.
The Libraries is committed to the strategy of fewer, more consolidated service points. As more material and service
is delivered electronically, we take the opportunity to leverage librarian expertise to support emerging needs. The
increased interdisciplinarity of research and teaching also drives this change.
There was no change. The library had wanted to integrate this collection and service point for some time but the
changing space needs within the Math Department made it possible for us to initiate this.
We needed to provide a location for 24x5 access to the building as well as new group study spaces and enhanced
technology services.
We wanted to provide more access and more welcoming access for these materials. Users felt that a staffed desk made
them not want to browse and spend time in the stacks. We wanted to change this perception.
