2007 LibQUAL+™ Survey Information

This is an invitation to help us at the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center. Your participation in the LibQUAL+™ survey gives us a chance to measure and improve service quality in the library and to better meet your needs and expectations.

Please e-mail your comments or questions about the 2007 LibQUAL+™ survey to the Project Lead at the UNM Health Sciences and Informatics Center at libqual@salud.unm.edu.


General Information about LibQUAL+™
WHAT?

LibQUAL+™ is a web-based survey instrument that uses 22 core questions and 5 locally relevant questions to measure library users' minimum, perceived, and desired levels of service quality in three key dimensions: Affect of Service, Library as Place, and Information Control.

An advantage of LibQUAL+™ is that it is an outcomes-based assessment tool that measures on a large scale how users view library service quality and effectiveness. Throughout North America, over 250 institutions are participating in the 2007 survey.

WHEN?

The LibQUAL+™ survey will be available March 19 through March 30, 2007 only.  Taking the survey is completely optional. Typically, the LibQUAL+™ survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

WHO?

This survey is available to all HSLIC patrons.  A link will be provided on the HSLIC homepage.  UNM HSC faculty, staff, and students who have active GroupWise accounts will also receive an e-mail inviting their participation in the survey. The link to the survey will be given on the initial and follow-up e-mails you receive.

WHERE?

This is an online survey. You may access the survey through your own computer, or use one of the many computers available in the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center.

Printed copies of the survey are available if there is a special need. Please contact the Information Desk or the Project Lead at libqual@salud.unm.edu for more information. Completed print surveys should be returned to the Library Information Desk or through campus or U.S. mail to Dick Carr, UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center, MSC09 5100, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001; please include in the address “Attention: LibQUAL+™ Survey.”

WHY?

Your input helps shape the future because we take your responses seriously. We want our patrons to have access to the best collection and to receive the best customer service we can provide. Please be certain to complete the demographic portion of the survey. Knowing our sample population will help us analyze our results and better target our patrons’ needs. If you have questions about which category best describes your position, please contact the Information Desk or libqual@salud.unm.edu.


Answers to LibQUAL+™ Frequently Asked Questions
Is the survey confidential?

Yes.  Your confidentiality is protected. No one at the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center has access to your individual responses.

Caution: If using a public access computer to complete the survey, please close your browser (IE or Firefox) after completion. This will prevent your answers from inadvertent viewing by the next user at the station.

Are there any prizes?

Yes.  If you take the LibQUAL+™ survey, you have the option of entering into a drawing to win one of 2 USB Keys or one of five $5.00 copy cards (or have $5 added to your existing copy card). To be eligible, you must share your e-mail address. Again, your responses remain confidential.

Why do I have to fill out three categories for each question (minimum, desired, and perceived)?

The minimum and desired responses will show us the target range acceptable to our users (“zone of tolerance”). The perceived, or actual, score will show us where we fall in the range—at the top? In the middle? Or worse — at  the bottom or below the minimum.

Do I have to answer every item?

Yes, you have to respond to every item for your survey to be accepted when you submit it. However, you may click the N/A (not applicable) box for any question you prefer not to answer.

Why do some questions seem to be redundant?

Related questions have been designed to elicit various perspectives on each of the three dimensions being assessed: Affect of Service, Library as Place and Information Control.

What other resources talk about LibQual+™?

You can read more about survey design and interpretation at http://www.libqual.org/Publications/ or at http://www.coe.tamu.edu/~bthompson/servqbib.htm.

To view Frequently Asked Questions about the LibQUAL+™ survey itself, follow this link: http://www.libqual.org/Information/FAQ/

How often will the library survey the HSC using LibQual+™?

Because we survey our entire population rather than using a random sample, we don’t want to overload you. We will only participate every two years. Conducting the survey at regularly spaced intervals will allow us to identify trends and to improve the services you most need.


Thank you for your interest and cooperation!