Notes & Quotes
Library Survey Results
by Mary Lou Neighbour, AV Librarian
“The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
Carl Sagan, American scientist and author, in Cosmos.
Remember the Library Survey you filled out last Spring? Well, thanks to many members of the Library staff and Leon Hill of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, we have tabulated and analyzed the questionnaires. We thought you might be interested in some of the results.
This survey was to be a follow-up to a survey conducted in 2001 to provide information to our consultant. The 2001 survey was conducted only online and had only 126 respondents, 38% of whom were students. The majority of those who responded were faculty and staff. Our 2007 survey had 1357 respondents, 86% of whom were students (58% from the Blue Bell campus and 28% from the West Campus). Thus, this questionnaire reached more than ten times more respondents and surveyed predominantly our student population.
The 2007 survey contained eleven questions in total: 10 detailed multiple-choice questions about facilities, materials, and services, and one open-ended (“Please share your comments or suggestions about how we can improve our facilities, materials and services.”) We made the 2007 survey available via paper for one week in March - to people entering The Brendlinger and West Libraries, and to faculty who requested paper copies for their classes to fill out. The online survey also was available to faculty, staff, students and community residents for two weeks in March and April. The final tally was that 69% of the surveys were completed on paper and 31% were completed online.
Whereas in 2001, the top reason for using the Libraries was to find a book, in 2007 it was to use a computer. In 2001, when the survey was answered primarily by College employees, the second reason for using the Library was to find a video, DVD or CD. In the student-dominated survey of 2007, it was to study alone, and then to find a book, and then to use the copiers.
In terms of importance of the Library in the latest survey, 72% responded that the Libraries are extremely or very important to them, while 54% said that it was extremely or very easy to find what they needed. In addition, 78% answered that the Library staff were helpful. There were high levels of satisfaction in lighting (74%), open student areas (71%), computer workstations (71%), online databases (69%), the reference section (67%), the online catalog (67%), and printers (67%). 52% of responses said that the Library’s home page was easy to find, but only 40% thought it attractive.
Among the seldom or never used equipment and services were microfilm/microfiche readers, laptops, AV equipment, online tutorials, Government documents, audiocassettes/cassettes, and interlibrary loan. The most significant responses in the open-ended question were complaints about noise and requests for quiet study areas. The next most significant responses were positive comments about staff, such as “knowledgeable,” “helpful,” and “welcoming.” Then came suggestions for more, newer, and different types of books as well as requests concerning computers, especially asking for more computers in the Library. The responses regarding facilities asked for better lighting in some areas, better lounge areas, and better cleanliness. Finally, more AV materials were requested – particularly more DVDs.
So, the above is a breakdown of some of the data. We will be using the results to help plan for our renovated and expanded Library to come, as well as for improvement in services and materials prior to that. Again, thanks are due to all who answered the survey questions and those who were involved in achieving it. Particular votes of thanks go Leon Hill for his help in crafting and summarizing the survey, to Gretchen Keer for her help in producing the online version, to Diane Lovelace for analysis of answers, and to Lisa McColl, Linda Diehl, and Kate Pourshariati, all of whom tabulated manually those hundreds of paper responses! A job well done!!
