Library Consultation Assessment: Examining Time and Difficulty Across Patron Type, Format, and Location

Library Consultation Assessment: Examining Time and Difficulty Across Patron Type, Format, and Location

Patron consultations, ranging from simple directions to complex research inquiries, are a notable component of librarians’ work. Research has examined different facets of these consultations, such as topic, skill development, and location, however, fewer studies have examined the duration and difficulty of those library consultations. We examine both the time and difficulty of library consultations across patron type (e.g. community member, undergraduate student), format (e.g. email, in person), as well as campus location (e.g. Atlanta, Decatur, Clarkston). Data used for this analysis is from the Patron Transaction log for Georgia State University Library which contains over 150,000 consultations.