| Abstract: | Measurement of current periodical usage is one of several tools used by librarians to make decisions regarding placement or deselection of serial titles. In an open-stack current periodical room, one may make such measurements either through direct observation of periodical usage, or through less direct measures, e.g., reshelving counts or voluntary user responses. In principle, the direct-observation method is attractive because it may include broader classes of use than those covered by other measurement methods. Extended use of direct observation, however, is prohibitively expensive, and if taken to an extreme, may itself intrude on total periodical use. The authors conducted an empirical study to assess the practical merits of direct observation work. The resulting data indicate that observational errors, aggregation issues, and costs limit the feasibility of long-term direct-observation use studies. With careful training of observers, however, direct-observation work may be useful in calibrating the results of other less expensive methods of measuring periodical use. |
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