1. Microassessments of Public Services Usability: Improving Holds at UMD
Timothy Hackman
Director of User Services & Resource Sharing
University of Maryland Libraries
Charts by Catherine Bloom, Graduate Assistant, UMD Libraries

2. The Problem & The Questions
1,238 unclaimed holds for 855 users in 7 weeks = 25/day
Wasted staff time
Longer queues, poor service
The Questions:
WHY don’t people pick up their holds?
HOW can we reduce the number of unclaimed holds?

3. The Survey
Collected “unclaimed hold” slips for 7 weeks, Feb 24 – May 7, 2014
Recorded name, , hold expiration date, date deleted for each
Qualtrics survey, 7 questions:
Why didn’t you pick up your hold? (5 questions)
Did you ask for help?
Which of these subject lines do you like best?
136 responses (15.9% response rate)

9. Suggest your own email subject line
BOOK HOLD READY. Go for the all caps…it works.
Book here! Still want it?
The Book You Requested Is Ready!
Your book, [book title], is here!
Get your book or you will be expelled
Pick up yo book, bro

10. What do we do with this information?
Improved communication
Clearer language
Catchier subject line
Reminder messages
Improved turnaround time
Consortial borrowing
Recalls
Paging
Close the loop