Metric: The number of individual questions asked at a library service point between July 1 and June 30.
Analysis: In 2019-20 librarians and library staff answered 11,670 questions, including 9,693 directional questions and 1,977 reference questions. Clearly COVID-19 had an impact on the number of questions asked, and particularly in the type of questions asked -- while directional/informational questions accounted for the large majority of questions pre-COVID, during COVID (March 16 - June 30 considered here), the numbers flipped, and the majority of questions were reference questions. This change could be attributed to the fact that the physical campus libraries often function as a resource for all types of questions by students who drop in before/after class, while online those students may have those questions answered by website FAQs or other departments.
Another important distinction between pre-COVID and COVID numbers is the time of day that questions were asked. Before campus closures, most questions came in a block of time during the late morning/early afternoon, again, typically before/after class. During the closure, questions reached their peak in two different and distinct time periods -- mid-morning and mid-afternoon. This could have implications for future staffing models if classes remain mostly online.
Source: LibInsight Circulation & Reference Tracking Dataset
Source: LibInsight Circulation & Reference Tracking Dataset
The chart below shows the service point for reference questions during part of the time when all library services were virtual, between March 16 and June 30:
Source: LibInsight Circulation & Reference Tracking Dataset