Assessing the functionality of the reference collection

Explains how reference staff undertook an assessment of the 30,000+ volume collection in an attempt to determine whether materials in the Carlson Library reference collection are useful to faculty, staff and students. Culled from periodical use studies, several qualitative and quantitative assessment methods were identified: a count of every item physically handled; short in‐house surveys administered randomly to willing library patrons; and a questionnaire distributed to a group of instructional staff. The assessment, which began in 1994, continues, and techniques are repeated as necessary. Additional techniques, such as in‐house interviews, will be implemented, giving the reference staff valuable information on the users and the uses of the reference collection. Maintains that the intermediate results have already impacted the materials selected, and predicts that the final results will aid in the development of a current reference collection management policy.