Bio-Med Library Access Services Blog

Hold onto your hats - we're going to start tracking desk statistics!

But it shouldn't be too, too onerous. After each interaction with a patron, either in person or by phone, click on the Track Your Transaction button on the blog. Complete the form, and you're done! The form will default to the most common types of interactions (for example, it defaults to "in person" rather than "phone" and the 2nd Floor rather than the 3rd floor). The intention is to gather the data we need, but make the entry as fast and straightforward as possible.

Here are the definitions for the Transaction Types. Know these definitions and use them properly! If you have a transaction that involves multiple Transaction Types, you can and ought to check more than one entry. Questions? You know where to find us. Please comment, so we know you've read this post, and start trackin' ASAP!

Thanks,
Emily

Transaction Types
Located an Item/Verifed Holdings - Use for looking up a specific (or known) item for a patron in Aleph/MNCAT.
Borrowing/Circulation Assistance - Use for checking out an item, looking up a patron's record, or taking a fine.
Accepted Payment - Use this for accepting any kind of payment - cash, check, U Card, EFS number, etc.
Directional - Use for questions about the building or campus - hours, location of bathrooms, directions to Magrath.
Citation Clarification - Use for looking up a full citation or correcting a bad citation.
How to Use a Resource - For any type of library resource instruction, including how to use MNCAT, how to place an ILL, how to use PubMed, how to use RefWorks, etc.
Eresources Access Troubleshooting - Use when assisting patrons with e-journals and online resource problems.
Technical/Computer Issue - Use for computer hardware/software/network issues of a non-library nature (how do I view a PDF, why is my screen frozen, etc.).
Referral* - Use when referring to another staff person or library department. Don't forget to fill in Referral information below.
Ready Reference - Use when providing factual, at-hand knowledge in response to a question. Examples of this type of question includes definitions of words, populations of a state, or name of an organism.
In-depth Reference - Use when answering a question involves research beyond Ready Reference.
Other - You guessed it. Use this for other types of transactions.