E-Reference Analytics Categories

Updated on July 1, 2021

These are the audience and question type categories for the General Reference LibAnswers and LibChat queue. Please apply them at the end of each interaction. 

Audience Definitions

• Student
• Anyone who is an active Princeton student
• Faculty/Staff
• Faculty; Grad students or staff emailing on behalf of faculty; post-docs; visiting researchers/faculty; staff members
• Alumn
• Graduates of Princeton University
• Affiliate/Retiree
• Someone who has an affiliation with the library e.g. IAS, university press, borrowing card holder
• Unaffiliated
• Someone with no affiliation with the university

Question Type Definitions

• Research Assistance
• Questions where a person needs help getting information beyond a simple catalog or database look up. Nearly all of these will be transferred to a subject specialist or writing sem librarian.
• Access: Building
• Inquiring about how to get in to/visit the physical library locations
• Print Materials
• Inquiries about print materials; can be “do you have, “can you send me,” “make a scan”
• Electronic Resources
• Inquiries about electronic resources; do you have, can I access, troubleshooting, etc.
• Circulation/Account
• Any question that gets transferred to Firestone Circulation should get marked with this
• Technology
• Use this category when we have questions about whether or not we have a particular technology or technology service, or if someone is having trouble with a technology available in the library, such as printing or remotely, such as a connection problem
• Other
• Questions that do not fit into any category above (donations, solicitations, appraisals)