Accuracy of telephone reference service in health sciences libraries.

Six factual queries were unobtrusively telephoned to fifty-one U.S. academic health sciences and hospital libraries. The majority of the queries (63.4%) were answered accurately. Referrals to another library or information source were made for 25.2% of the queries. Eleven answers (3.6%) were inaccurate, and no answer was provided for 7.8% of the queries. There was a correlation between the number of accurate answers provided and the presence of at least one staff member with a master's degree in library and information science. The correlation between employing a librarian certified by the Medical Library Association (MLA) and providing accurate answers was significant. The majority of referrals were to specific sources. If these "helpful referrals" are counted with accurate answers as correct responses, they total 76.8% of the answers. In a follow-up survey, five libraries stated that they did not provide accurate answers because they did not own an appropriate source. Staff-related problems were given as reasons for other than accurate answers by two of the libraries, while eight indicated that library policy prevented them from providing answers to the public.