LibQUAL+ comments 2007: Suggestion

Suggestion

CIRCULATION/DOCUMENT DELIVERY
1. At my undergraduate school, there was a service that allowed a student to request certain books from the library shelves, and in a few days pick up all the books from a central location without having to hunt down all the books in the stacks - This service was one that I used frequently and found very useful. Perhaps it could be considered here.
2. And most importantly-- why do you print out a receipt for every single book checked out? Just print out one per transaction, or let the user say whether or not they want one, or just have people check online- you're wasting a ton of paper.
3. Laptops for people in the libraries! You should be able to check out a laptop from the circulation desk in any one of the libraries for a certain amount of time, and there should be many available.
4. Or consider more mundane things: making it possible to return items in more than just one place in the library,
5. My suburban library has an option for placing items on hold for later pickup. I can search for items in the catalogue, add them to an on-line list, and then order them to be set aside for me to pick up later when I drop by the library. I would be very interested in such a service at the Regenstein. It would be quite beneficial to my research.
6. I miss one service at Duke University (where I got my Ph.D.) library - getting users (even graduate students) pdf's of any journal article they request through the library website free. Because these requests usually concern articles that are not electronically available, this service is tremendously helpful and saves users lots of time retrieving documents on their own (they have to be in the library, finding the article in the stacks, and go make copies). And for persons like me who live far away from campus, getting to the library physically is not always practical. Adding this service would be most welcome.
7. It would also be of great help and save time if faculty could order books that are needed via e-mail, for example, and then pick them up from Circulation desk. This would save great deal of time spent on navigating stacks and retrieving books.
8. It would be wonderful if a mechanism could be put into place so graduate students living away from Chicago could have a friend check out a book in their name, i.e. on a research assistant-type card. That way the friend could pick up and ship the book, but the student living away from Chicago would be responsible for renewing it online, etc. Even if there were a fee associated with this service, it would still be wonderful. An alternative to the card would be a secure internet transaction which checked the book out in the student's name and allowed a different specified person (the friend) to pick up the book at the library.
9. Make materials in Harper Storage more accessible.
10. Library used to have a box at curb of 57th St. for return books. Taken away to save cost by M. Runkle! As emeritus fac., I returned books twice by car, parked outside w. lights flashing, and got tickets--even on Sunday. Total cost=$100.00. Can some relief be forthcoming?
11. 36. I wish that Crerar had a drop box to return books. I don't feel comfortable leaving them at the circulation desktop and it hardly merits calling for assistance. A simple wooden desktop box would do, just so the staff and I know that the material is being returned. Thanks.
COLLECTIONS
12. In my undergraduate experience at another school, there was always a browse section that made new books (fiction or non-fiction) available. If there is one available on campus, I am unaware of its presence and would appreciate it if this type of information were more widely available.
13. Perhaps you could have a new arrival shelf or a selected materials shelf that is rotated frequently. This would help patrons branch out into areas beyond their specialized field.
14. Other than that, and although it wouldn't affect me personally, the only thing I'd like to see the library do would be to expand unique collections to attract top scholars in a range of disciplines to the university. I'm sure though that this is one goal the library already has.
15. Would love to see audiobooks. I would use the library much more often.
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES/DIGITIZATION
16. I would like for a large-scale effort to digitize as much of the library collection as possible, especially for items which see quick turnaround or high demand. PDF copies of, if nothing else, the materials of the reserve would be a wonderful way to give access to materials that are sometimes difficult to get a hand on. Don't imagine that I think such an enterprise inexpensive or easy, but I would appreciate if such a strategy was pursued with a long term goal of digitization.
17. In particular, Ovid seems to give problems in downloading .pdfs. NSIT people are very kind, but have no idea of how to solve the problem. I'd suggest to switch to another e-journal provider.
18. It would be nice if alumni could have access to electronic resources as well as library entry privileges. (Do they?)
19. Alums should have access to electronic materials! Other top universities have this perk!!!
20. I think it would be helpful to have descriptions of what each electronic resource provided. I know the library has handouts. If and information link (maybe and 'i' in a bubble near the resources) could be clicked on to access the handout with instructions and useful information concerning that resource and tips to using it.
21. Everything which is non-copyrighted should be scanned and available electronically. The University should seek to e-link network such scanning with other Universities and institutions around the world. Texts should then be key word searchable. A good example is the economics books at www.econlib.org. The University should be more proactive in expanding the free use of information by following good examples such as the MIT OpenCourseWare project: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
22. The more that can be accessed electronically the better. Scanning all the books in the library would be incredible (and obtaining the appropriate licensing to make them available).
INSTRUCTION, OUTREACH, FACULTY SERVICES
23. To improve library user competence, you might have card privilege providers invite users to seek advice at reference (or other desk) to get started regarding their particular needs. It took me awhile to discover what is available.
24. A new librarian for the Humanities has just been hired and she should make her best effort to open lines of communication with faculty members, especially with those whose fields of study are underrepresented in the collection. Perhaps a visit to the departments related to fields under her purview may be helpful, so she can become acquainted with the research we are doing at Chicago and with our needs.
25. I noticed once that you had a newsletter posted on the bulletin board in the lobby that gave out lots of useful info (e.g. new databases that had been added that I was not aware of and might be useful). Is it possible to send out this newsletter to students once a month?
26. The most disappointing change that was made to the library website this year was removing access to course reserves through the library page. I gained a lot of insight into creating course readings for my own syllabi based on course reserves for other classes. Now, without being registered for a course there seems to be no way to peruse the reserve reading list for a course you don't teach or take as a student. PLEASE, if there's any way to return to the old system, it makes a big difference for the hundreds of us who are becoming teachers every year!
27. Occasional reminders that you are there and have useful resources/training/etc might get me turning to you for help more often.
FACILITIES
28. Vending machines, better printing options (same price as the U-site) on the first floor would be better fit, and enclosed cubicles with dry-erase boards would make the study area better.
29. I mostly access information online. Most of my N/A answers are because I have too little experience with actually spending time in the library to form an accurate opinion. I would like more signage around the library to figure out what floor to be on. Especially in Crerar and Regenstein. The libraries are large, and it's not easy to figure out where to go if you don't go there often
30. Any renovation project should also be consulted with the students (we should have a say in choice of colors/office items).
31. When I reach emeritus, I would love to have an office at Crerar as I once had at Regenstein.
32. If you could make actual rooms for small groups, it would make my experience of the library much more congenial.
33. Either amicrowave or a vending machine in the basement of Crerar would be nice.
TECHNOLOGY
34. The library website/catalog don't seem very accessible to people using hand-held, mobile, or text-based devices. I've tried, and failed, several times to access library resources from my hiptop. (This is also a problem with Chalk, CMore, the Registrar's Office, etc ... so you're not alone!) Anyway, if there's a text-only or mobile-friendly version of the site already available, could you please make that information more prominent? If there isn't - perhaps creating one would be a worthwhile new project ...
35. You should have a contest for people to report areas in the library (generally in the Reg) where there is a bad wireless signal and then fix those areas. It's a huge hassel to set up a laptop, get all of your papers out and then find that the wireless has a low/slow signal in your area.
MISCELLANEOUS
36. On a larger scale, does the library have a fund raising foundation? If so, how effective is it? Does the director have a good relationship with the powers that be? Allies in other departments? This is extremely important in competing for university funds as I am sure the director already knows.
37. Don't take out the Max Courts to expand the library! They are good courts...the Reg is big enough.
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