1. In the pilot described in this article, the model evolved without review of the literature on triaging, tiered service models and using paraprofessionals at the reference desk. However, for comparison, here are a few recent articles on the issue: Marcelia D. Genz, “Working the Reference Desk,” Library Trends 46 (Winter 1998): 505–525; Vicki Coleman et al, “Tiered Reference Services: A Survey,” The Reference Librarian 59 (1997): 25–35.; Felix Tse-Hsiu Chu, “Another Look at Staffing the Reference Desk,” College & Research Libraries News (November 1997), pp. 713; Douglas Herman, “But Does It Work? Evaluating the Brandeis Reference Model,” Reference Services Review 22(4) (Winter 1994): 17–28; Carol Hammond, “Information and Research Support Services: The Reference Librarian and the Information Paraprofessional,” The Reference Librarian 37 (1992): 91–104.
2. M.I.T. Libraries’ User Survey (November 1996), unpublished.
3. Nancy K. Reger, “Redefining Reference Services,” Reference & User Services Quarterly 38 (Fall 1998): 74.
4. Roswitha Poll, “Measuring Quality: International Guidelines for Performance Measurement In Academic Libraries,” IFLA Publication 76 (1996): 16.
5. The article does not include numbers or percentages for the survey because the results were gathered very informally, and specific percentages imply more scientific proof. However, the authors can supply specific data to anyone who requests it.