Surveys have shown that librarians are not completely satisfied with the statistics used for reference services, so Bella Karr Gerlich at Dominican University developed the READ (Reference Effort Assessment Data) Scale, which has now been tested by 14 academic libraries. In October 2008 the Central Reference Department at Western Michigan University Libraries started using the READ Scale to record reference transactions. Instead of just writing down tick marks for each question answered, each question was rated on a six-point scale, based on the difficulty of the question and the time it took to answer. This low-tech tool was easy to implement and gives reference workers a sense of satisfaction, when a hard question can be given a higher number instead of just counted as one question. The scale was adapted to WMU circumstances, and the first few months of results will be presented. When combined with an in depth analysis of one week of questions, the READ Scale will provide a means to assess reference work and help drive decisions on staffing, scheduling, and training.