Re-Visioning the Future of University Libraries and

Archives through LIBQUAL+

Cynthia AkersAssociate Professor and Assessment

CoordinatorESU Libraries and Archives

ESU Assessment ForumPoster Session

February 18, 2011

Why Consider Assessment at This Time?

• Physical renovations of the WAW Library building in the last decade

• Changes in student populations (from primarily Emporia-based to distance education, nontraditional students, international students, etc.)

• Faculty and staff turnover in Libraries and Archives (new faces, new perspectives)

• New Libraries and Archives Dean as of mid-2010 (another perspective to see about resources and services)

Timeline Leading Up to LibQUAL+

• 2006: Administration of “home-grown” student satisfaction survey with ULA services and resources

• December 2008: Assessment Coordinator accepted to ACRL Immersion Literacy Institute for assessment “immersion” program

• 2009-10: Research begins to find standardized library service assessment measures as well as funding for such tests

• Spring 2010: Assessment Coordinator receives a grant of $1000.00 to fund LibQUAL+ from Kathrine White research grant program, ESU Foundation

Why LIBQUAL+?

• Administered by Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

• Since 2000, more than 1,000 libraries of all types (nationally and internationally) have used LibQUAL+

• Designed to solicit, track, understand, and act upon patrons’ perceptions of library service quality

• Standardized approach facilitates benchmarking of results against peer institutions

• Web-based survey; little to no technical expertise needed to run the survey

http://www.libqual.org/about/about_lq/general_info

How Does LibQUAL+ Work?

Long (original) Version used by ULA:• 22 core survey items, or statements, measure user

perceptions of library service quality in the areas of:Affect of Service

Information ControlLibrary as Place

• For each item, patrons indicate:– Minimum service level of satisfaction– Desired service level of satisfaction– Perceived service performance at that point in time

Sample LibQUAL+ Statements

Affect of Service• Employees who instill confidence in users• Employees who have the knowledge to answer user questions• Employees who deal with users in a caring fashion

Information Control• A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own• The printed library materials I need for my work• The electronic information sources I need

Library as PlaceLibrary space that inspires study and learning• A comfortable and inviting location• Community space for group learning and group study

Additional LibQUAL+ Information

• Place at the end of the survey for open-ended comments (optional; we received 108 comments) as well as adding E-mail address for an incentive drawing, an iPad

• Option to add five local questions from a standardized list; we added:– Ability to navigate library Web pages easily– Ease and timeliness in getting materials from other

libraries– Informing me of useful library services– Online course support (readings, links, references)– Teaching me how to access, evaluate, and use

information

Administration of LibQUAL+

Technology and Computing Services staff helped to create E-mail address lists for random samples of:

• 1200 undergraduate students• 600 graduate students• 600 faculty and staff (included unclassified non-teaching

personnel and adjunct faculty)

Web-based survey URL link sent to these groups three times in a three-week period (first three weeks of November 2010)

Total of 344 surveys were completed; 313 of those were valid

Next Steps

• Results notebook of data outlined by radar charts for targeted groups

• Identification of national and international “peer institutions” (we are considering various definitions for peers; 101 institutions did LibQUAL+ in 2010)

• Report pending to ULA Advisory Committee• Analysis of data through SPSS• Other assessment measures in Spring 2011 and beyond

(focus groups for library services and resources?)

Key: Do NOT forget the continuous cycle of assessment! Evaluate; modify/change as needed; assess again…