An "Information Contact" is an encounter between a library user and a member of the reference/information staff, in which information is sought or provided. Information contacts include both Reference and Directional transactions, as defined below.

"Reference/Information staff" includes every staff member who supplies users with reference and directional services. This includes all staff members who work at all points of public contact, such as information booths, check-out desks, reference and public service desks. Public receptionists and the telephone switchboard operators are NOT included.

1.

REFERENCE TRANSACTIONS: A Reference transaction is an information contact which involves the knowledge, use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources by a member of the reference/information staff.

Reference transactions include:

	1.	Requests for factual information;
	2.	subject requests;
	3.	reader's, viewer's or listener's advisory requests;
	4.	requests for titles or authors;
	5.	bibliographic instruction;
	6.	assistance in interpreting reference tools or devising search strategies; and
	7.	referral to other departments within the library, to other libraries, or to outside agencies when this involves use of information sources to make the referral and is not simply giving directions.

Information sources include:

	1.	Library catalogs and other holdings records;
	2.	computerized data bases (including CD-ROMs, OCLC terminals, FirstSearch, Internet, etc.);
	3.	print and nonprint materials (including books, videos, tapes, etc.);
	4.	other libraries and institutions; and
	5.	persons consulted both inside and outside the library.

Exception: Information contacts in which users have already consulted library sources and then provide staff with complete call numbers, dates, or other data are not Reference transactions. They are Directional B transactions, as defined below. Previous Use of Information Sources: When a staff member answers a question by using information gained from previous consultation of a source, it is counted as a Reference transaction even if the source is not consulted again. When information is provided without consulting a source, staff members should consider whether (and what kind of) source(s) they would have needed to answer the question the very first time they encountered it. Previous experience with a source is as much a part of the present transaction as it was for an earlier one.

2.

DIRECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS: A Directional transaction is an information contact which provides assistance in finding and using library services, collections and facilities. MELSA subdivides the directional transaction count into two sub-categories: "Directional A" transactions assist users in finding, using and interpreting the library's policies and physical environment, often using information sources prepared for that purpose.

Directional A transactions include:

	1.	Directions for locating library buildings;
	2.	Directions for locating facilities within library buildings, such as specific library service desks, rest rooms, carrels, copiers and telephones;
	3.	Directions for locating library staff and users;
	4.	Providing supplies such as paper and pencils;
	5.	Assisting users with the operation of machines; and
	6.	Describing or explaining library policies and procedures such as selection policies, circulation policies, hours, etc.

Information sources include:

	1.	Schedules of library hours and programs;
	2.	Building directories, phone lists and floor plans;
	3.	Library handbooks, guides or brochures; and
	4.	Library policy statements.

"Directional B" transactions involve locating specific materials for users who already have searched library holding sources, such as the catalog, periodical lists, indexes, etc.

Directional B transactions include transactions in which the user provides the library staff with the following types of information:

	1.	Complete call numbers;
	2.	Titles and dates of periodicals;
	3.	Specific subject headings from library finding lists such as subject authority lists for vertical/pamphlet or picture file collections, etc.

Format of requests include:

1.	Call slips;
2.	P-slips/scratch notes, letters, or other written notations;
3.	Computer printouts;
4.	Verbal requests when users indicate that they have obtained the information from a library holdings source.

Note:The use of a terminal constitutes a reference transaction with the following exceptions: when a user gives you all the information, including call number or periodical date, to either ascertain the location of the material in the building or to obtain the availability status of the item.

3.

COUNTING TRANSACTIONS ON REFERENCE/DIRECTIONAL SURVEYS:

All main and branch library personnel assigned to public service points are to report their information contacts.

A staff member should report each contact whether or not the user has already consulted either that staff member or another on the same information need. Subject requests which originate in one library in a system and which are referred to another library in that system are counted at the point of origin of the question and again at the library to which the request is referred.

Each request for information is a transaction. If one user asks for five titles, it is five transactions. If one user asks for one title, one fact, and one search for a subject, it is three transactions.

A contact which includes both reference and directional service is counted as one Reference transaction, i.e., reference transactions that also involve direction are counted as reference transactions ONLY; directional transactions that include utilizing a reference source are reference transactions ONLY.

Contacts other than those made in person, such as by mail, e-mail or telephone, should be counted in the same way as those made in person.

All Reference transactions will be counted, whether or not they are successfully completed, since the LIBGIS definitions are written so as to measure quantity rather than quality. Duration of the contact, number of sources consulted and length of search are not factors in counting.

REFERENCE TRANSACTIONS: A Reference transaction is an information contact (i.e., a request for information) which involves the knowledge, use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of information source(s) by a staff member.

	1.	How can I find magazine articles on the current space flight to Mars?
		The staff member knows from previous reference work that magazine articles on a subject can be found in Readers' Guide, InfoTrac, and/or the New York Times Index. The reference portion of the answer is counted.
	2.	Where are the anthropology books?
		This is a Reference transaction if the call number or classification area must be (or must have been in the past) looked up in a catalog or classification table, either of which is a reference information source, or if the staff member must determine to which department this question is to be referred using her/his informed judgment.
		This is a Directional A transaction if the answer is available in a directory or floor plan, and the user is referred to another department or service desk.
		For example:

			a.	Where are the anthropology books? If the response is to refer to another department which is clearly identified in a floor plan or a handbook, this is a Directional A transaction which would not be counted.
			b.	Where are the anthropology books? If the response is a referral to another service desk (such as the circulation desk to the reference/information desk; or from the general information desk to the reference desk), this is a Directional A transaction since it requires no informed judgment on the part of the staff member.
			c.	Where are the books on stone age man? This is a Reference transaction if the staff member is required to use informed judgment to determine to which department or service desk this question must be referred. This is a Directional A transaction if the staff member has no alternative but to refer it to a specific service desk. (If the circulation staff must refer all questions to the reference staff, for instance.)

		3.	Do you have a list of recommended novels for young adults?--when the user is given a bibliography produced by the library.
			This is a Reference transaction even though the information source used was prepared in-house, because it is a bibliographic source--not a source describing that library--which the staff member must know of in order to be able to cite, recommend or hand out.

4.

Does this library have Rand reports?--when the answer includes a location where they may be found. Particularly in a library that is strong on report literature, it is possible to know that if the library has Rand reports, they are in the report collection or other location found on a floor plan or stack chart; but the question cannot be answered with certainty except through consultation or knowledge of either the collection itself, or the library catalog or other bibliographic source such as a serials list. This is thus a Reference transaction unless a library floor plan, handbook, or the like lists Rand reports by series title.

5.

Where do you have SAMS photofacts? When a user asks for any reference title and does not give you the call number, then you count the request for that title as a Reference transaction. "Do you have" or "where is" the SAMS Index, MoodyÕs Manuals or Social Science Index are all Reference transactions. Sometime during your work experience you had to look up those titles in the catalog or library holding record. Utilization of information gained from previous consultation of such a source is considered a Reference transaction even if the source is not consulted again.

6.

When giving a user an address from a telephone book, you will generally also be asked for the ZIP code. In MELSA libraries, this is counted as one Reference transaction, even though it may involve checking a second source.

7.

Title Requests and Taking Requests

		a.	The user asks for five titles and two of the titles are in and three are out. The user wants to request two of the three that are out. This is counted as five Reference transactions regardless of the end result.
		b.	A user has found five titles in the catalog and gone to the shelves and all material is out. He comes to the desk and asks you to place these five titles on reserve. Although the user has the call numbers for the titles, in this case it does not matter. Taking a request is a reference transaction.

8.

Tax Form questions.

Tax form questions are only counted as Reference transactions, if you have to determine the form number. For example, a user asks for the child care credit forms and you check, or had to check before, and discover the forms are MN form M-1CD and federal form 2141. This is counted as two reference questions. If the user already has the form number and you help to find the form in the give-aways or in the reproducible books, the question is counted as a Directional B.

9.

Types of reference questions -

Factual information examples: "How do you spell 'discombobulate'?" "How many RBI's did Chico Escuela get in 1978?" Format requests examples: "Do you have any exercise videotapes I can borrow?" "Where are your jazz compact disks?" Reader advisory examples: "My teacher says I have to do a book report on an Ernest Hemingway novel. Which one is the shortest?" "I found several books in the catalog on Uzbek economics. Can you tell me which one is the most comprehensive?" "I want a book on the origin of life, but I want one that treats all points of view." "My cat just died. Do you have any books that give clear instructions on Egyptian mummification techniques? I need one at a beginner's level." Author/Title request examples: "I just saw this author on a talk show this morning. Do you have any of her books? I think her name is Mary Smith." "I'm looking for a play called Hamlet. I donÕt know who wrote it." Bibliographic instruction examples: "How do I find a book on the computer?" "Is there any way to tell if another library has a copy of ÔUzbek Social Dynamics'?" "I need to find an article on the Star Tribune CD-ROM on Dennis Green, but I've never used a CD-ROM."

DIRECTIONAL B TRANSACTIONS (These are counted for MELSA): With a Directional B transaction the patron requests specific material and provides all of the bibliographic information for the staff to locate the item. These may come in the form of a call slip or a p-slip/scratch note or a printout from a database or catalog. The key is that the patron has the information to find the material and that the staff does nothing more than page or locate it or direct the patron to the item(s). The important distinction between Directional B and Reference questions is that, before the staff member even receives the request, the patron must have done the work of discovering that the library actually owns the material and gathered all the pertinent bibliographic information necessary to locate it. In this way, the staff member does nothing more than search for or page the material. Note: The use of a terminal constitutes a reference transaction with the following exceptions: when a user gives you all the information, including call number or periodical date, to either ascertain the location of the material in the building or to obtain the availability status of the item.

	1.	A patron asks for the June 15th issue of Time.
	2.	Where is TL 106, or where is 641.5?--when answer is "On the 3rd floor." This is a classic Directional B case of a known call number. If the user gets to the shelf and finds hundreds of TL 106s or 641.5s and cannot locate the book s/he wants among them, s/he may return with a request that will be a Reference transaction, but if s/he has brushed aside the warning in the first instance that the call number is incomplete, this contact can only be considered a directional.

3.

A request may be a Directional B transaction if the patron provides an author and a title for the following: fiction books or uncataloged records, tapes, etc. Such requests are difficult to distinguish from author/title reference questions. Remember, the important thing to look for with Directional B questions is whether the patron has already done the work of looking up pertinent information in the catalog. If it is necessary to verify the information the patron provides so that a reserve/hold may be placed by the library staff member or to give assistance in locating the material, the request becomes a Reference transaction.

DIRECTIONAL A TRANSACTIONS (these are not counted for MELSA, but are counted by some systems for their internal statistics): A patron's question is considered to be Directional A when the answer will help her/him find, enter or use the Library building or its physical facilities and may include the use of the following "information sources" to answer. These include:

	1.	Schedules of the library's hours and of library programs and program registration;
	2.	building directories or library floor plans;
	3.	library handbooks, guides, or brochures;
	4.	library policy statements.

		1.	I have this book on reserve. How can I get it? This is an obvious Directional A transaction, i.e., the location of reserved books, and is not counted for MELSA surveys.
		2.	Will you check and see if a book is still on reserve for me? Rechecking reserves/holds for a user should not be counted unless reference work is required in order to recheck. For instance this would be a Reference transaction if the user has forgotten the title of the author's latest work or has garbled the title.

3.

May I check this Time magazine out?--when the answer is "no" and gives the location of the copying machine.

This is a directional transaction which covers both library policy and location information. Neither of these are counted for MELSA surveys.

Other typical examples of Directional A transactions:

			"Is the Washburn library open next Tuesday?"
			"Which library is closest to my home?"
			"How late are you open on Saturdays?"
			"Where are the rest rooms?"
			"Do you have any public access computers?"
			"May I use your phone? Well, whereÕs the pay phone?"
			"Where can I find the Head of the Literature Department?"
			"Whom do I talk to about this overdue bill?"
			"May I borrow a pencil?" "May I use your stapler?"
			"Where can I get some change for the photocopier?"
			"May I listen to this tape?"
			"I've just moved, where do I go to get a new address on my library card?"
			"May I be placed on a waiting list to use the CD-ROM?"

OTHER POINTS:

	1.	Periodicals and newspapers - date versus no date. If the user has a complete date for a desired periodical, it is considered a Directional B transaction. If the user has no date, but simply inquires about a periodical, it is a Reference transaction.
	2.	When a patron places a reserve/hold, count it as one Reference transaction for each title held. Reserves/holds when first taken are counted; however, when a patron picks up an item on reserve/hold, it is not counted as either a Reference or Directional transaction. If there is a reason to recheck a reserve/hold to answer a patron question, the recheck is not counted unless further reference work is required.
	3.	Author/title requests with call numbers are only counted at place of origin for intra-system requests.
	4.	Booking of audio-visual hardware or instruction in the use of audio-visual hardware without booking is counted as Directional A.
	5.	Referrals to other libraries within your system for such services as the lending of equipment, framed prints, and the booking of films and video cassettes are Directional B (e.g., community/branch library to head-quarters/central library) but are Reference transactions if the referral is to another library system. The short statement: "We do not have framed prints," without a referral based on knowledge of another library, is both rude and a Directional A.
	6.	Application of policy to an actual circulation transaction is not counted. An explanation or interpretation of circulation policy is Directional A.
	7.	Booking rooms and tours is not a Reference or Directional A or B transaction.

9/21/95