LIBRARY STATISTICS
Research Consultations
USG Priddy Library received over 500 consultation and reference questions. Consultations are primarily one-to-one in-depth research assistance provided by subject specialist liaison librarians. Librarians and staff spent 254 hours working with students (undergraduate/graduate) and faculty to meet their research needs.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) offer programs which have some of the highest enrollment numbers at USG. These programs (nursing, psychology, and social work) also tend to have assignments that require library research.
The transformation to a virtual work environment meant rethinking the way services were delivered. A library chat widget placed prominently on the main page allowed visitors to instantly communicate with a library staff member.
Forty percent of all interactions during the year were via chat sessions. Following close behind were requests responded to via email (one third). With both students and librarians working from home, email proved to be a very convenient service method. Zoom consultations replaced in-person consultations, with 20% of the requests.
Instruction and Workshops
The virtual academic year didn’t seem to have too big of an impact on instruction and workshops. Librarians were quick to adapt to using Zoom as a platform to conduct consultations and teach workshops. Librarians and staff delivered 73 instruction and outreach sessions, reaching 884 people. Not surprisingly, outreach (library orientations/tours) numbers were low as academic programs needed to modify their approach. Although overall numbers were about 30% lower than the previous year, the number of workshops conducted remained the same and in fact the number of workshop attendees had increased.
Subject Guides
Subject guides continue to be a valuable resource for students and faculty. There was an even greater increase in usage during this past year where students relied heavily on electronic resources. Usage increased over 40% from the previous year.
Curbside Pick-up
The physical closure during the past year affected the circulation of books. As a new service offered to USG students, staff, and faculty, Priddy Library began offering no-contact curbside pick-up. This enabled access to items (whether located in Priddy Library or any of the other University System of Maryland Libraries). Once checked-out, patrons receive an email with date and time pick-up options. This service began during the Fall 2020 semester, and a total of 451 books were checked out throughout the fiscal year.