Shall we chat? A statistical case study of chat reference utilization

IF 8 Q1 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Jiebei Luo
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate the performance of a chat reference service implemented at an academic library in a private liberal arts college by gauging its impact on other forms of reference service in terms of usage volume, with a focus on research-related face-to-face reference questions. Design/methodology/approach Two statistical methods are used, namely, the difference-in-differences method and a simple moving average time series analysis, to analyze both the short-term and long-term impact brought by chat reference. Findings This study finds that the usage volume of the traditional face-to-face reference is significantly affected by chat reference in its first service year. The long-term analysis suggests that chat reference volume displays a significant declining trend (−2.06 per cent academic month) since its implementation. Yet, its usage volume relative to other reference services remains stable over time. Originality/value The findings in this case study will be of value to libraries with similar scale and institutional features that are also interested in assessing their chat reference service. In addition, this paper is the first to apply the difference-in-differences approach in the field of library science, and the two statistical methods adopted in this case study can be readily adapted and applied to other similar volume-based library assessment projects.
我们谈谈好吗?聊天参考利用率的统计案例研究
本文旨在评估在私立文理学院学术图书馆实施的聊天参考咨询服务的表现,通过衡量其在使用量方面对其他形式的参考咨询服务的影响,重点关注与研究相关的面对面参考咨询问题。设计/方法/方法使用了两种统计方法,即差分法和简单的移动平均时间序列分析,来分析聊天参考带来的短期和长期影响。本研究发现,传统面对面参考在第一年的使用量受到聊天参考的显著影响。长期分析表明,自实施以来,聊天参考量呈现显著下降趋势(- 2.06%学术月)。然而,相对于其他参考服务,它的使用量随着时间的推移保持稳定。独创性/价值本案例研究的发现将对具有类似规模和机构特征的图书馆有价值,这些图书馆也对评估其聊天参考服务感兴趣。此外,本文首次将差异中的差异方法应用于图书馆学领域,本案例研究中采用的两种统计方法可以很容易地适应和应用于其他类似的基于卷的图书馆评估项目。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Bottom Line
Bottom Line INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-
CiteScore
9.90
自引率
12.20%
发文量
7
期刊介绍: Because The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances is written and edited by well respected figures from the librarian community - you can be assured the topics covered will be particularly relevant to you and your library.
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