Library seeks input through online survey
The Merrill-Cazier Library, with the help of the Assocation of Research Libraries, is conducting a survey on library service and quality. The online survey began March 19 and will be available until April 9.
“We want to find out what people perspectives are and use that information to improve quality,” Library Director Linda Wolcott said.
Wolcott said the library staff has conducted surveys, “but never a comprehensive one over such a wide scope.”
The survey, which was e-mailed to students and is featured in computer labs and on the USU Web site, is being conducted through the ARL, which is based in Washington, D.C. The ARL is a nationwide program that has been using LibQUAL+ software to survey libraries for about six years. This is the first time USU has participated.
Students, faculty and staff can take the anonymous survey and give feedback and comments on a series of 37 questions.
“Some of the questions seem repetitious, but they are there for different purposes,” Wolcott said.
She said the survey is designed to determine three things about the library: the ease of accessing information, customer service and atmosphere.
“It is aiming to see how our library fits into the university’s program,” she said.
The survey is formatted so a respondent gives three numerical ratings for each question.
Wolcott said, “The first two are more hypothetical. They ask what level of service is minimally acceptable and what level you would like to have.”
She said the last response is the only one that pertains directly to USU’s institution. It asks the respondent what level of service they feel they currently receive at the Merrill-Cazier Library.
“We are interested in people who don’t use the library, too,” Wolcott said. “That’s why we advertised for it in The Statesman and the TSC. We want to know why they don’t.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, 2,147 people had taken the survey. More than 70 percent are undergraduate students, and the number includes 150 faculty members.
“We will probably have a series of meetings in the fall to discuss the results,” Wolcott said, “and work out solutions to any weaknesses or problems that may have arisen from the survey.”
She said the university is participating in the survey, which cost just under $3,000, to see what services are the most in demand for library users.
“We have a fairly new facility, and we are planning for the future,” she said. “We have in mind what we think will work, but we want our line of thinking to match users’ line of thinking. We are in the midst of strategic planning.”
The survey results are sent directly to ARL, which will compile and analyze the data and send it to USU when the survey concludes. Results, which will become available shortly after the semester ends, will include typical demographics as well as a category sorted by college. In addition, USU will be able to compare results with the results from 240 other libraries using the LibQUAL+ survey this semester.
Right now, Wolcott has access to the comments respondents make and to the number of respondents, but not to any of the actual data. It will remain confidential until the end of the survey.
Students who respond to the survey are eligible to win prizes, including a video iPod and an iPod shuffle, if they give their e-mail addresses when completing the survey. About five winners will be drawn at random. Other prizes, including Aggie gear and an iPod nano, were donated by the USU Bookstore.
-chelseyg@cc.usu.edu