Our intern conducted a comprehensive analysis of our latest data statistics, with a particular focus on identifying peak periods and days characterized by a substantial surge in reference traffic inquiries. This encompassed the collection of our Ask a Librarian reference statistics from Springshare's LibAnswers and LibChat products and the synthesis of this data to discern the weekly reference trends at the Woodruff Library service desk. This project held significant significance within our organization, serving a dual purpose. It not only aimed to enhance our understanding of reference inquiry performance but also provided our intern with invaluable experience in data handling and interpretation in the field of library services.
This research project sought to answer the following questions:
The insights derived from this data will play a crucial role in shaping staffing decisions and fostering collaborations with other library units such as the Research, Engagement, and Scholarly Communications team who serve as reference librarians to our academic community. Additionally, our intern collaborated with graduate student staff from our Emory Center for Digital Scholarship to create the graphics and charts that constituted an integral part of their project.