Research & Instruction Department: Goals & Objectives

The mission of Hilton C. Buley Library’s Research & Instruction Department is to provide quality research & information services to the University community in a professional and timely manner, to develop and maintain a collection of print and electronic resources that support the learning, teaching and research needs of the university, and to instruct individuals, groups, and classes on the retrieval and effective use of information sources.

In order to provide quality service to the University community, the Research & Information Desk is staffed by a librarian most (not all) hours the library is open. Research librarians use the most effective innovative and traditional techniques in providing information, and instruct patrons in the value and use of the library's collections. The department recognizes that patron information needs and demands require that Research & Instruction staff members possess substantial capabilities and competencies and will strive to serve patrons with knowledge, alertness, accuracy, and speed.

The basic objective of the department is to provide direct support of the University curriculum through answering the research questions of patrons and by providing current, easily-accessible materials to answer those queries. In meeting the patron needs, the Research & Instruction Department follows standards presented in "Information Services for Information Consumers: Guidelines for Providers", prepared by the American Library Association in June, 1990. The department regularly reviews its guidelines for both the subject scope of the Reference Collection and the types of materials included in it. Also, it aims to set procedures for acquiring new materials and for weeding the collection to ensure the development and maintenance of a complete, current, and convenient Reference Collection.

As with many libraries, we have seen a gradual decline in questions asked at the reference desk or via other mediums. The likely explanation is the increase in “self-service” types of access, an improvement in search interfaces, and a general, increasing familiarity (though not necessarily expertise) in online searching. There is a general pattern of higher fall numbers and lower spring numbers, reflecting the familiarity with searching gained by our incoming fall students. However, changes create questions! The spike in Fall 2017 is probably related to the switch from our previous library catalog system to the new Alma/Primo “SouthernSearch” which happened in January 2017. While it’s not as clear, the lack in a decline in Spring 2017 from the previous spring is also most likely due to this change. Our lowest numbers by far were in Spring 2020, reflecting the scramble to adjust to the pandemic closures – many people reported simply making do with what they could easily find and not asking for more. We rolled out an expanded chat service at the end of the semester, when it became clear that this wasn’t a short term problem. It was too late to see a strong increase in questions that semester, but we made up for that in the fall. We had more questions than we have had in years, as faculty, staff, students, community members, and unaffiliated users turned to the Library for resources and answers. Our expanded chat services will continue post-pandemic, and the Library will continue to strengthen our virtual offerings and services to better serve our community, especially online and commuting students.

Questions come in via many different ways, with in-person (Desk) questions still representing a high percentage of our questions. Chat questions tend toward more in-depth questions, while many in-person questions are basic and directional.