SU Library survey will measure quality of service

SU Library survey will measure quality of serviceMarch 20, 2003Cynthia J. Moritzcjmoritz@syr.edu

The SU Library will ask users how well it serves their needs in a survey to begin March 24. The survey is part of a national study, LibQUAL+, sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries with participation by 316 libraries This the fourth year for the survey, which has grown from 120 participating institutions last year.

“This is the first such effort in recent SU Library history,” says Denise Stephens, associate University librarian for public services. “We will use it to inform the ongoing planning and management of our services, and to help establish meaningful standards for service performance and the library’s contribution to research and learning.” A sample of about 2,000 SU students, faculty and staff has been selected to take part in the survey. They will be notified by e-mail on March 19. On March 24, they will receive a link to the survey’s website, and will be asked to respond by April 11.

The survey itself will take only 8-10 minutes to complete. It includes a few demographic questions, followed by 33 questions about the library, including questions about the facilities, staff, the accessibility of materials and whether the library encourages self-reliance, as well as an open-ended question to gather other thoughts about library services. Each question will ask the respondents to rate the level of service now, pick the ideal level and identify an acceptable level. The library will learn what users see as strong areas and which areas need improvement.

The library will receive results from the national survey, helping SU to see where it falls among comparable institutions nationwide. The survey is the first initiative in the library’s new User Services Assessment Program. An assessment program planning team has been assembled, and the library plans to periodically engage the University community about library issues.