LibQUAL+ Poster Session, ESU Assessment Forum

Re-Visioning the Future of University Libraries and Archives through LIBQUAL+ Cynthia Akers Associate Professor and Assessment Coordinator ESU Libraries and Archives ESU Assessment Forum Poster 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 Control
Library 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 Place
Library 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…

LibQUAL+ Poster Session, ESU Assessment Forum

by Cynthia Akers on Feb 22, 2011

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LibQUAL+ Poster Session, ESU Assessment Forum Presentation Transcript