Purpose & Goals

Many public-facing librarians have encountered the time-honored tradition of putting a hash mark to paper after an encounter with a patron at a service point. While many libraries have moved to electronic forms of data gathering, this method has not necessarily been upgraded to meet the latest technology available. Common pitfalls arise from the limited data collected with hash marks, each interaction is counted, but none of the important details about the interactions are captured. At the United States Military Academy (USMA) Library we have implemented Stream Decks, programmable button hardware systems, as tools, used to collect more detailed and accurate reporting at service points while removing staffing constraints and ensuring patron experience is not interrupted by reporting activities. With the push of a button, date, time, location, question type, question method, patron type, and staff member who answered are all recorded automatically. USMA Library uses the software RefAnalytics in Springshare to record this data in an accessible and editable format.

Design & Methodology

Adapting the usage of individual streaming technology, programmable button hardware, an LCD button deck that allows for the automation of specific tasks to be coded in apps or platforms, and using reference analytics or data software, we are updating the systems for recording detailed transactions in a stable, effective, and informative manner. Using parameters of required data reporting, and to meet the information needs of USMA Library Administration, a set of buttons has been designed and coded to record valuable data points affiliated with service point transactions. This new method of reporting helps staff to access and edit submissions that come through via programmable button hardware, allowing the date and time of the transaction to be captured accurately. For USMA Library purposes, the editing option in RefAnalytics also allows staff to add Transaction Duration, difficulty level on the READ Scale, support type offered, and even the major assignment the question was about.

Findings

Integrating the programmable button hardware system into our service points required educating staff on the meanings of their selections on the programmable button hardware. In effect, every button pushed records multiple data points that are logged in reference analytics or data software. These logged events can then be edited by every staff member to add further details and information if necessary. The USMA Library’s initial rollout of the programmable button hardware system was January 2, 2024. Initial findings are visible when comparing data collected in 2023, through the old form, and 2024, through the Stream Deck system. We have had a limited time frame to collect data thus far, but once staff were educated on the functionality of the system, we have seen a significant 67% increase in service point transactions recorded, and a 56% increase in reference records. From January 2 through February 28 of 2023, USMA Library recorded 607 interactions, 196 of those being reference. The same time frame in 2024 saw 1,877 interactions, 449 of which were reference. There was also a huge increase in the speed of completing a record about a transaction. With our previous method, filling out the information required interacting with a questionnaire style form, each submission took an average of three minutes and 52 seconds to complete. With the programmable button hardware, simple interactions are complete after the press of a button. The data processing in the background takes approximately five seconds to load through. Recording transactions with the Stream Deck is over 45 times faster and still collects all the necessary data points.

Action & Impact

The records from the programmable button hardware are more accurate because staff are able to quickly submit the record at the time of the interaction, rather than trying to remember the date, time, and details to fill out the reference analytics or data software form at a later time. In the previous system staff would track interactions mentally, with notes, or hash marks while at a service point and then enter the data when they returned to their office. This created a discrepancy in the times reported. With programmable button hardware connected to reference analytics or data software, the recording of the transaction is actually completed in real time at the service points. At USMA Library, RefAnalytics contains the data and provides a useful Data/Time Stats tab where daily and hourly breakdowns of the questions received can be found. The data collected in the reference analytics or data software system is essential to expressing value and evaluating the services we provide our users. The Stream Deck system will continue to be refined to fulfill the information needs and will provide insight to changes at service points over time. Additionally, findings will inform many of the decisions the USMA Library makes in the future, including decisions on scheduling at service points and better understanding the needs of our users.

Practical Implications & Value

While budgets are shrinking and libraries are forced to prove their value with real data more than ever before, this new system contributes to the overall body of work in library assessment because it integrates the updates in technology with the increased reporting needs. The greater Library Assessment Community can replicate these efforts, and will be able to design systems that meet their own data needs to better support their individual missions or needs. For example, this technology could also be extremely useful for student assistants and other support staff who can be trained to use the system quickly, providing detailed results. References to any specific commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Department of the Defense, the United States Army, or the U.S. Military Academy.