Identify Categories of Library Serv

Identify Categories of Library Service

The rows of the service-user matrix are categories of library service. In its brainstorm- ing session to construct the service-user matrix, the team may be tempted to cat- egorize library services by the library’s own internal organizational structure. If the library’s staff is divided into departments such as administration, acquisitions, infor- mation technology, reference, fiction books, nonfiction books, periodicals, children’s services, and government documents, then the team’s first inclination may be to struc- ture the measurement of library benefits around these categories. But how well will that approach serve the study’s objectives?


See the Library through the Users’ Eyes

Remember that the purpose of the service-user matrix is to frame the study to facili- tate the measurement of benefits to library users. Only users can provide information

about the benefits they receive from library services. Consequently, the categorization of library services must fit users’ perceptions of services, not librarians’ categories of work process. The two sets of perceptions may be similar but are not always the same. When developing the service-user matrix and survey questions, be careful to frame them in terms of how users ask for help or materials as opposed to the names or la- bels librarians use. The validity of the survey instrument and conclusions depends on whether users interpret correctly the questions posed to them.
Will all users, for example, understand the librarian’s term “Internet access” to refer to searches or e-mail on computers? Will users interpret the librarian’s term “readers’ advisory” appropriately, or do most just want help finding a book or video? If asked about their reasons for using the library, some users will misconstrue the librar- ian’s typical “research” and “reference” categories. Many might claim to be conducting “research” when simply seeking help finding information of a general (e.g., a book on the environment or “something to read” like Nora Roberts’s novels) or specific (e.g., where to find a part for a rebuilt old car or the street address of a family member in
1900) nature. Also, don’t let your discussion devolve into ongoing staff debates about how to organize and display collections. It needs to focus on how users ask questions and how they behave in particular user situations.


Don’t Let Service Categories Overlap

The categories of service should not overlap. Ideally they should be mutually exclu- sive. Because the consultant eventually adds up benefits across all service categories to get total library benefits, overlap causes benefits from some services to be counted more than once and total library benefits to be overstated. For example, “Children’s Services” can include children’s books, audiovisual materials, and programs such as story hour. If “Books,” “Audiovisual,” and “Programs” are also included in the service- user matrix without any qualification, then they overlap with “Children’s Services” and are likely to lead to double-counting of benefits.