As we continue to plan for the future of the Georgia Tech Library & Information Center, it's important to understand users' needs and expectations in order to provide dynamic services and comprehensive materials. In spring 2010, for the fourth time, the Libraries participated in an international research and development project to define and measure service quality across libraries. 282 libraries participated in this study during 2010. The LibQUAL+ project uses a survey instrument to gauge library users' perceptions of services and to measure their satisfaction with services and resources so that libraries can identify areas for improvement and enhancement.
We appreciate the thoughtful feedback and insight provided by LibQUAL+ Survey participants, and are thankful for the many faculty, students, and staff who dedicated their time and effort to assess the Library and to assist us in improving the quality of our resources and services.
Nationally, the web-based LibQUAL+ survey consists of 22 items which are rated on a scale of 1 to 9 and four demographic questions. In addition, there were five questions selected by Georgia Tech Library for a total of 30 questions. We implemented the “Lite” version of this survey,so participants were asked to respond to 18 questions total. In addition, survey participants were given an opportunity to make suggestions or comments. The following are some of the survey data and highlights:
Survey Participants:
Survey invitations were emailed to a random sample of 6,100 members of the Georgia Tech community. 1,038 students and faculty completed the survey for a response rate of 17% overall. This is considered a good response rate for a survey group of this size.
Overall respondents by user group:
- Undergraduates: 551 (18% response rate)
- Graduates: 346 (27% response rate)
- Faculty: 92 (8% response rate)
- Staff: 48 (5%) [Note: this group was not targeted for this survey]
Respondents by Discipline:
The responses were generally representative with a few disciplines responding at a higher rate than their proportion on campus. Engineering responded at a slightly higher rate than their proportion on campus and Management responded at a slightly lower rate.
What was measured:
LibQUAL measured three dimensions of service:
- Affect of Service
- Information Control
- Library as Place
Incentives:
The survey was random and completely anonymous. As an incentive, respondents were given the option to enter their email addresses into a drawing for one of 7 local prizes. The grand prize winner had a choice of several prizes and chose the Xbox 360.
Feedback:
Especially useful were the qualitative comments. We received comments [LINK TO COMMENTS] from 120 people with approximately 630 distinct comments.
Results:
Comment Highlights
- Most users are pleased with staff and think the Library does a good job with limited resources
- All users want more books, journals, and online (electronic) materials, including textbooks.
- Faculty members are particularly vocal in this area and are dissatisfied with the Library's collection depth.
- Students agree that the Library buildings, furnishings, etc. need further refurbishment, but are pleased with the Library improvements such as the Library West Commons, Library East Commons, 2 West Commons, Jazzman’s Café, and more.
- Students want more computer workstations and both students and faculty want more enhancements to the Library web site.
Note Regarding Library Journal Access
The economic downturn and declining state budget have forced cuts in the Library’s budget. One area impacted by these cuts is journal subscriptions. In the last 20 years, journal subscription prices have risen 8 to 11% annually, much faster than the Consumer Price Index (please see graph below). Therefore, the Library has found it necessary to cancel 678 journal subscriptions, resulting in approximately $320,000 in cost savings.
Fortunately, many of the titles that were canceled, effective January 2010, are available electronically using the “Find It@GT” or “Check for availability” links. Other canceled titles can be requested from the Library’s ILLiad service with most articles available through RapidILL, an expedited interlibrary loan service (one to two business day turnaround is typical). Only those journal articles published after 2009 are affected by the cuts. The Library will continue to review Interlibrary Loan requests and resubscribe to heavily used journals when the collection budget permits and it’s cost effective to do so.
If you have questions, please contact Nancy Simons, Head, Collection Development, or your school’s subject librarian. For more information about the “serials crisis” in academic libraries, visit the Library’s Crisis in Scholarly Information page.
Key Findings
The two areas where graduate students perceived their library experiences as less than their minimal preference are:
- Quiet space for individual activities
- A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own
Georgia Tech Graduate and Undergraduate Student Use of Library Facilities (LibQUAL+ 2010)
65% of undergraduates and 58% of Georgia Tech graduate students utilize the library facilities on a weekly basis at minimum
There were a number of areas were faculty perceived their library experiences as less than their minimal preference:
- Making electronic resources accessible from my home or office
- A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own
- Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work
- Modern equipment that lets me easily access needed information
Factors Most and Least Desired
The three most desired factors by group are:
Undergraduate Students (same factors as the 2006 LibQUAL+ Survey)
- Modern equipment to find things on my own
- A getaway for study, learning, or research
- Library space that inspires study and learning
Graduate Students
- Making electronic resources accessible from my home and office
- Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work
- A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own
Faculty
- A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own
- Making electronic resources accessible from my home or office
- Making information easily accessible for independent use
Georgia Tech Faculty Use of Library Electronic Resources (LibQUAL+ 2010)
85% of surveyed Georgia Tech faculty use the library’s electronic resources on a weekly basis.
There were a number of areas where faculty perceived their library experiences as less than their minimal preference.
The three least desired factors by group are:
Undergraduate Students
- Giving users individual attention
- Employees who instill confidence in users
- The printed library materials I need for my work
Graduate Students
- Community space for group learning and group study
- Giving users individual attention
- Employees who instill confidence in users
Faculty
- Quiet space for individual activities
- Library space that inspires study and learning
- A comfortable and inviting location
Thanks for your participation in this important survey. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email us.
See also:
