Client/service provider perceptions of reference service outcomes in academic libraries: Effects of feedback and uncertainty

The principal focus of the research concerns client participation in academic libraries. The study tests a model of the major variables influencing academic library reference service outcomes. This model is based primarily on boundary spanning theory. Organizational boundaries can be expected to create perceptual differences between clients and service providers in evaluating information services. Additional theories from the field or organizational behavior used in developing the model are: communication, social exchange, socialization, feedback, uncertainty and organizational effectiveness.; Independent variables included in the model are: client socialization, service orientation, feedback, time constraints, task uncertainty, size, discipline paradigm and type of assistance. The dependent variables or service outcomes are: librarian value of service outcomes, user value of service outcomes and user success in locating needed materials. The survey questionnaire is the primary method of data collection. The results are based on data concerning 257 individual reference transactions from five academic libraries in Northern California.; Major findings are that classes of variables related to feedback, service orientation, time constraints and task uncertainty have the most significant effects on service outcomes. Distinct but overlapping combinations of independent variables in these various classes explain more variance in librarian and user judgments of service value than in user success in locating needed materials. Findings also suggest that in the reference service desk setting, users expect to be provided with quick, concise information.; The study also identifies user and reference librarian differences in perceptions for the following service outcomes: general quality of service, relevance of information and amount of information. For approximately 83 percent of the reference transactions, librarian judgments of service value are an adequate substitute for user service value judgments because librarian ratings on all aspects of service are identical to or lower than those of users.