Promoting Library Reference Services to First-Year Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Most academic libraries have limited budgets for promoting their reference services. Understanding which promotions best reach current and potential patrons is crucial to budgeting funding, as well as time, effectively. This article describes a study that sought to answer three questions: (1) What percentage of first-year undergraduate students are aware of reference services? (2) What percentage of first-years seek information from reference librarians? (3) Through which media are first-years comfortable communicating with reference librarians? To answer these questions, the researcher surveyed 237 first-years during their first semester at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Awareness varied greatly by media (i.e., in-person, chat, and telephone reference services). Approximately 35 percent of students reported already having used the UNC University Libraries’ reference services. About 69 percent of students preferred face-to-face options over virtual or voice media. Strong trends related to peers’ and educators’ recommendations of reference services also emerged.