MANAGEMENT OF REFERENCE INFORMATION SERVICES: A DYNAMIC RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND SIMULATION MODEL

In recent years, the management of reference services in large scientific and technical libraries has become increasingly difficult. Economic constraints have led to tight library budgets and a scarcity of funds for human and physical resources. At the same time, scientific and technical information has continued to proliferate, systems to access library reference material have grown more complex, and library users have become more sophisticated and demanding.;Three types of library reference services are addressed in REFSIM: (1) answering ready reference, or quick lookup types of queries; (2) conducting in-depth, retrospective literature searches; and (3) providing current awareness notifications, or selective dissemination of information (SDI) services. Both manual and computer-based approaches to the provision of these services are considered.;The REFSIM model simulates the provision and management of these services. It contains components to represent the human, information, and equipment resources required to provide these services; components to represent requester demand, the performance being exhibited by each service; and the degree of satisfaction being experienced by the requesters. Within this framework, the model incorporates key aspects of the generation and flow of monetary resources, such as the charging and collection of service fees from requesters, the allocation of budgetary funds by the parent organization, and the distribution of operating funds by the reference service manager. REFSIM also simulates the ability of the reference service group to attract additional users through promotional activities and to receive continued support from upper management based on the perceived level of benefits it is providing.;Evaluated simulation runs with REFSIM indicate that the model is a useful, although somewhat limited, library management tool. In its present design, the model pertains only to library reference activities. However, the methodology developed in REFSIM could be extended to other library functions or applied to other information-oriented service organizations.;This dissertation presents a comprehensive tool to aid in the cost-effective management of library reference services. The tool consists of a dynamic resource allocation model and an associated computer simulation program. The model and the computer program are known collectively as "REFSIM.".