Assessing music reference services in an age of vanishing reference desks

Patrons' changing needs and expectations, evolving collection delivery modes, increased scrutiny of subject-specialist librarians and libraries, combined with increased demand for accountability from administrators and constituents, means that academic music libraries can no longer continue to maintain the status quo when delivering services. Rather, they need to take this opportunity to assess their current reference service practices and determine whether changes should be made better to meet the patrons' needs. This article offers a look at assessment theory, tools for reference assessment, and a discussion of practical changes which can be affected in reference services based on assessment outcomes.