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DurhamPublicLibrary
BoardofTrustees
LibrarySurvey
FinalReportofSurveyResults
September28,2016
Preparedby:ErinHileySharp,PhD
AssociateProfessorofHumanDevelopment&FamilyStudiesUniversityofNewHampshire
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
This report presents results from the spring 2016 Durham Public Library User Survey designed by the Durham Public Library's Board of Trustees in an effort to inform 2016-2017 strategic plans. A separate adult version and children/youth version of the survey was created. Participants could choose to complete the survey using a hard-copy packet or online using a survey monkey link. The survey was designed to target Town of Durham residents who are library users. There were several opportunities for people to learn about the survey, including FINISH. The survey was completed by 256 adults and 118 children and youth.
KEY FINDINGS
Survey responses suggested an overwhelmingly positive view of the Durham Public Library - the facility, the offerings, and the staff.
Adults, children, and youth reported coming to the library for fairly traditional services. The top 3 reported uses of the library were borrowing fiction books, borrowing non-fiction books, and checking out DVDs and movies. Adult users of the library also reported coming to the library to attend events and programs at rates equal to borrowing DVDs and movies. After borrowing books, top reasons for children and youth to come to the library were to sit and read and to do homework.
The majority of survey participants reported having success finding what they needed when they visited the library; however, when asked about what they wanted to see added to the Durham Public Library, several respondents requested making sure new book releases were available more quickly and that popular titles are more available.
The children and youth survey results highlighted youth's interest in the Durham Public Library carrying more anime, graphic novels, comic books, and manga materials. Manga is a style of Japanese comic that has become popular with youth. Children and youth respondents also indicated wanting the Durham Public Library to add video game rentals.
Over 60% of the adult survey respondents reported attending 2 or more programs or events at the Durham Public Library over the last 12 months. When asked about barriers to attending more programs and events, adult participants reported time as the most common barrier - either not having time to attend or that events conflict with other obligations. Some adult participants requested that the Durham Public Library offer more daytime programs and events.
When asked about interest in specific types of training opportunities at the Durham Public Library, the adult participants and children/youth participants expressed similar interest in photo editing and 3D printers. Twenty-five percent of adult users also listed using a Smartphone to its full capacity as an interest, and 45% of youth respondents listed video editing as a top interest. Open-ended response highlighted additional interests in language classes and groups, robotics, and advanced computer programming, coding, and animation.
The majority of survey respondents reported that the current hours of the Durham Public Library met their needs; however, a number of participants requested Sunday hours and longer hours on Mondays and Saturdays.
About 80% of adult and children/youth respondents reported exceptional and above average ratings for library staff. Open-ended comments were overwhelmingly positive, but some survey participants mentioned that staff could be harsh or unfriendly at times.
BorrowFic
tion
BorrowNo
n-fiction
Atten
dProgram
s
BorrowMu
sic,DVD
BorrowMu
seum
Passes
VisitF
riend'sBooksto
re
Children'sLibrary
UseC
opy/FaxM
achin
e
ReadNew
spaper/M
agazine
UseC
omputer
MeetFrien
ds
Down
loade
-book
0
100
25
50
75
WhatattractsDPL'smostregularusers?
HowoftendoyouusetheDurham
PublicLibrary?
DurhamPublicLibrary2016SurveyReport:
AdultRespondents
Theadultsurveyformwascompletedby256adult
participants.Surveyswereavailableinpaperformat
andonline.Themajorityoftheadultsurveyswere
completedonline.Adultsbetweentheagesof45
and79madeupalmost80%ofthesample.
Thisfigureprovidesdataonwhatthe75%ofsurveyrespondentswhouse
thelibraryonaregularbasis(atleastonceevery3months)generallydo
whentheyvisitDPL.Mostreportborrowingbooks,music,andDVDsand
goingtothelibrarytoattendactivities,programs,andevents.Lessthan8%
reportedusingDiscoverytools,Referencematerials,doingGenealogy
research,andgettingTechnicalassistance.
.
1.0%
15.0%
40.0%
38.0%
6.0%
Age18-24 Age24-44 Age45-64
Age65-79 Age80+
SurveyParticipantsbyAgeGroup
75%ofsurveyrespondentsuse
theDPLonaregularbasis
12%usethelibraryonceevery6
monthsorso
13%ofrespondentsusethe
libraryrarelytonever
87%
OfregularusersreportthattheDPLmeetstheirneeds(66%ofinfrequent
userssaythesame)
MoviesandDVDs
Non-FictionBooks
FictionBooksAlthough80%ofallrespondentsreportedfindingwhattheyneed'always'or'mostofthetime'whentheyvisitedthelibrary,50%ofallrespondentsrequestedthatmoreFictionbooks,Non-fictionbooks,
andMoviesbeaddedtotheDPLofferings.
Open-endedsurveyresponsesindicatethatpeoplewouldliketoseetheDPLfocusonaddingmore
copiesofpopulartitlesandmakesurethatthebookandmoviecollectionsstayup-to-date.
LibraryPrograms,Events,andTrainings
Open-ended responses from survey participants suggested that eveningprograms, events, andtrainingswere not ideal formany. Respondents also expressed concerns about the quality of thesoundsystemusedduringmanyactivities,programs,andevents.
Numberofeventsattendedin
last12months
Ages
25-44
Ages
45-64
Ages
65-79
Ages80and
older
None 20% 29% 19% 12%
One 9% 17% 16% 18%
Two-three 40% 30% 30% 29%
Four-five 17% 12% 20% 35%
6+ 15% 11% 15% 6%
BarrierstoAttendingmorePrograms,Events,andTraining
Lackofinterest Didn'tknowaboutthem Timesdidn'twork Didn'thavechildcare Didn'thavetime
Ages25-44 Ages45-64 Ages65-79 Ages80andolder0
50
100
150
Wouldyoubeinterestedinthefollowingtraining
opportunitiesattheDPL?
Percentage
reporting"yes"
Photoediting 30
UsingSmartphone 25
Using3Dprinterorothercuttingedgetechnology 22
Advancedcomputingskills 17
Downloadinge-books 14
Videoediting 12
Usingsocialmedia 12
Basiccomputingskills 10
Usesofamakerspace 7
Usinge-reader 7
Languageclasses
Conversationallanguagegroups
CPRtraining
Presentationsonlocalhistory
Adultartgroups
Activitiesforolderadultsduringthedaytimehours
Whatadditionalactivities,events,programs,
andtrainingclasseswouldpeopleliketosee
atDPL?
Whataboutofferingsforcommunity
childrenandyouth?
Roboticsandtechnologyclubs
Supportforapplyingtocollege
Lifeskillstraining
21%HavereservedaspaceforuseatDPLOfthose21%,28%reportedexperiencingsometypeofdi culty
orproblemreservingthespace.
Spacealreadyreservedwhenitwasneeded
Restrictionsonnumberofreservationsoneperson/groupcanmake
Constraintswithhowmuchaheadoftimeyoucanmakeareservation
DifficultyusingDPLwebsite
Policiesonuseunclear
ShouldDPLOpenSpacetoGenerateRevenuefortheLibrary?
60.0%
40.0%
Yes No
It was clear from theopen-endedresponsesthatrespondentshadtograpplequiteabitwiththisquestion.
T h e"no" voters expressedstrongdisagreementtotheDPLmakingeffortstogeneraterevenue.
However, the"yes" voters felt that thelibraryshoulddowhateveritneedstodotosupportservices,butwithseveralcaveats.
Open-endedcommentsregardingrevenuegeneration
Aslongasanyprivateeventdoesn'tdisruptlibraryservices.
Allrevenuemustgosolelytothesupportoflibraryprogramsandservices.
GeneratedrevenueshouldbeusedtooffsetlocaltaxesthatsupporttheDPL.
Aslongasthisdoesn'tincludefor-profitfoodvendors.
Shouldbenon-partisanandsupportvaluesofthecommunity.
Eventsshouldnottakelibrarystaffawayfromprimaryduties.
Ideasthatwereprovidedforpossiblerevenuegeneration
Birthdayparties
Cookingclassesanddemonstrations
Wineandbeertasting
Rentspacetolocalvendors
Rentspaceforrecitalsandperformances
ProblemsMakingReservations?
FeedbackfromOpen-endedResponses-SpecificCommentsaboutServiceandAssistancebyDPLStaffwereOverwhelminglyPositive:
Everyoneishelpful,friendly,andknowledgeable."
IloveeverythingabouttheLibrary.Buttomethefriendlinessandprofessionalismofthestaffgiveitsoul.Iappreciatethatthemost.
Staffiscapable,friendlyandefficient.
AreasforImprovementforStaffandtheDPLoverallwereSuggestedbySurveyRespondents:
Suggestions
Improvegreetingandwelcomeatentrance Fixsoundsystem
Focusoncustomerservice-somestaffcanbeharshExpandbookcollectionandmakesurecollectionisup-
to-date
Makesurestaffarepaidfairly EnhancetheInter-LibraryLoansystem
Websiteneedstobemoreuser-friendly Considerwaystobetterutilizetheoutdoorspace
Consideraddingprocessesandproceduresforchildren
andyouthwhogotothelibraryafter-schoolProvidemoreprogrammingforteenagers
Provideabookdrop-offthatisaccessiblebyvehicleExpanddaytimeprogramming-especiallywitholder
adultsinmind
ExtendweekendhoursProvideemailnotificationwhenmaterialsarecoming
due
Makesurethelibraryisfullyaccessibletothosewith
disabilities(especiallyvolunteeropportunities)Considerwaysthatself-serviceoptionscanreducecosts
Thisquoteechoesmanyrespondents'feelingsabouttheDPLfacility:"Ilovethearchitectureandphysicalbeautyofthebuilding.TheDPLgivesthecommunitya
prideof"ownership"ofthebuilding.ThisbelongstoourTown.Thisisaspecialgathering
placefortheresidentstofocusonintellectualandculturalpursuits."
QualityofDPLStaff(%reportingdifferentperceptions)
RegularDPLUsers InfrequentDPLUsers
Poor
Belowaverage
Adequate
Aboveaverage
Exceptional
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
85%...ofrespondentssaidthecurrentDPLhoursmeettheircurrent
needs.
However,whenasked,surveyrespondentsrequestedextendinghoursonMondaysandSaturdays,andmanyrequestedaddingsomeSundayhours.
DurhamPublicLibrary2016SurveyReport:
Children&YouthResponses
Afterreceivingonly26responsesfromtheonlinesurveyoption,theDPLBoarddistributedpapersurveysattheOysterRiverMiddleSchool.Atotalof118childrenandyouthcompletedthesurvey.Surveyfindingsmustbeinterpretedwiththeunderstandingofthelimitationsofthesample.
BreakdownofSurveyParticipants
2.0%
8.0%
85.0%
5.0%
Preschoolage Elementaryage Middleschoolage Highschoolage
AverageYearlyLibraryUse(%)
2
24
28
41
5
Morethanonce
p/week
Aboutoncep/week
Aboutoncep/month
Coupleoftimesall
year
Notimes
0 10 20 30 40 50
Borrowbooks
Dohomeworkorstudy
Sitandread
Usecomputers
Meetupwithfriends
Playvideogames
BorrowmusicorDVDs
Attendclubs,programsorevents
Copyorprintmaterials
Playboardgames
Usereferencematerials
Borrowebooks
Usediscoverymaterials
Attendstorytime
Borrowdiscoveryitems
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
WhatattractschildrenandyouthtotheDurhamPublicLibrary?
Tworequestsforadditionsthatwereproposedseveraltimesintheopen-endedresponseswere:DrawingtabletsandMangamaterials(comicbooksandvideos)
Wouldyoubeinterestedinthe
followingtrainingopportunitiesatthe
DPL?
Percentage
reporting
"yes"
Using3Dprinterorothercuttingedge
technology68
Photoediting 52
Videoediting 45
Advancedcomputingskills 40
UsingallfeaturesofSmartphone 34
Basiccomputingskills 21
Usingsocialmedia 19
Downloadingebooks 13
Usinge-reader 10
WhatwouldchildrenandyouthliketoseemoreofatDPL?
Fictionbooks 3Dprinter VideogamestocheckoutNonfictionbooks Moviestocheckout
60%ofsurveyrespondentswouldliketoseemorefictionbooksatDPL,50%a3Dprinter,28%videogamestocheckout,26%nonfictionbooks,24%moviestocheckout,and24%wouldlikemorevideogamestoplayatDPL.
About15%ofthesurveyrespondentsendorsedwantingtheDPLtoaddmoviestowatchinsideDPL,CDsandmusictocheckout,amakerspace,andmorelearninganddiscoverymaterials.
About10%reportedwantingaccesstomoreboardgames.
HowmanyDPLeventsdidyouattendduring
thisschoolyear?
55.0%
15.0%
18.0%
7.0%
5.0%
None One 2to3 4to5 6+
Computercoding
Computerprogramming
Computeranimation
Robotics
Writingclub
Youth-ledreadinggroups
Comicbookclub
Gamingclub(roleplayinggames)
Refereetraining
Whatadditionalactivities,events,programs,
andtrainingclasseswouldchildrenandyouth
liketoseeatDPL?
FeedbackfromOpen-endedResponses-SpecificCommentsaboutServiceandAssistancebyDPLStaffwereOverwhelminglyPositive:
"Ilovethelibrarians,theyaresofriendly."
"ThestaffarereallyniceandtheyhelpmefindtheresourcesIneed."
"Alwayskind,quick,andhelpful."
Suggestions&Comments:
Morechairs Setupareadingroom
Getnewreleasesmorequickly Addacolorprinter
Moresnacksoravendingmachine Increaseanimesection
Moregraphicnovels AddAdobeFlashtocomputers
Morecomputers Usesolartechnology
Arethelibrarystaffhelpful?
2.0%
14.0%
27.0%57.0%
No,notreally Sometimes Mostofthetime Yes,always
Arethelibrarystafffriendly?
1.0%
11.0%
17.0%
71.0%
No,notreally Sometimes Mostofthetime Yes,always