RESULTS: FAQ | Summary report |
Respondent
comments | Data
notebook | 2004
survey
What is the LibQUAL+ survey?
LibQUAL+(http://libqual.org) is a
survey developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
which helps the Library:
• Better understand the respondents' expectations and
perceptions about library service quality and help identify areas
for improvement.
• Provide benchmarks that help measure service quality
improvements over time.
• Provide benchmarks that help us understand how well we are
doing compared to our peers.
What does the survey measure?
The survey is designed to gauge user perceptions of service quality
in three areas:
• Information control: The scope and accessibility of the
Library's collections
• Affect of Service: The quality of staff assistance
• Library as Place: How well the library spaces meet users'
needs
Each of the 22 core service statements are rated on three measures:
the minimum acceptable level of service, the
desired level of service, and the
perceived level of service.
The survey includes five locally-chosen questions, asks about general satisfaction, and provides an optional comments box (review comments).
Who took the survey?
In Spring 2007, a total of 1,334 faculty & students responded
to the LibQUAL+ survey:
• Faculty: 15.3%
• Doctoral: 35.8%
• Masters: 17.1%
• College: 31.3%
• 69% of the surveys were completed by those who listed
Regenstein as the library they use most often
• 20% of the surveys were completed by doctoral students in
the social sciences and humanities divisions
What are the 2007 survey results?
Faculty gave positive scores (perceived service level above the
minimum) for 20 of the 22 core questions, but negative scores on
the issue of the adequacy of our journal collections and web site.
The combined results for the 41 research libraries that
participated in the 2007 survey also show faculty giving negative
scores for journal collections and website, along with negative
scores on four other items related to information control.
Graduate students gave positive scores for 21 of the core questions
but agreed with faculty that the Library is not meeting their
minimum needs when it comes to journal collections. Graduate
students also gave the Library negative scores on three of the five
items related to Library as Place. Clearly, the fact that
multi-year renovation projects were underway at the time of the
survey had an impact on users' perceptions.
Undergraduate scores were all positive but reflect the high value
they place on information control issues and the importance of the
facilities. The most-improved scores among the undergraduates were
all related to their interactions with Library staff.
Read the summary
report for more detailed analysis of the results.
How is the Library responding to these
results?
The Library is addressing the perceived indadequacies of the
journal collections, the website, and the Library's facilities by
conducting focus groups and usability studies. If you would like to
participate, please fill out this form. Moreover, the
survey results are informing the Library's strategic planning
process.
The comments also led to a number of service and collection
improvements, including:
• Changing the renewal policy to allow unlimited renewals for
PhD candidates.
• Developing process to acquire frequently-recalled research
materials.
• Making sure that all collections can be found through online
search tools.