Our library used +LIBQUAL. You are generally limited to a finite list of questions for users. Because of the interest in reference, circulation, services, serials, etc., Special Collections and Archives did not have any specific questions. I was asked if I wanted any but I could not think of a meaningful one. We did a semester survey once with a form asking "Was the Special Collections staff helpful?" "Did you find the information you were looking for?" and "If not, what resources would you like to see in Special Collections?" Our library folks thought this would be a meaningful survey.
For the first question, the responses were 99.9% helpful, friendly, positive. For the
second question, the responses were 99% negative...they did not find what they were
looking for. And in answers to that, folks said things like they couldn't find air quality
surveys from the 1930s (EPA did not begin this until 1960s) or we didn't have the name census for 1990 (they don't come out until 72 years after the census), stuff
like that. The third question on what SC should have included things like microfilm
of the Ukrainian archives, translations of all the 18th century Spanish records we
own, the 1930 Harley Davidson motorcycle handbook, stuff like that. Okay, I'm making some of this up....but it gives you a flavor of what we were faced with.
In the LIBQUAL survey, users were asked what part of the library they used. Roughly 2% said Special Collections. We did not read anything into that since at any given time that would vary. Rather in LIBQUAL there is a comment section and
we ran a tally of pages and pages of these comments. There were quite a few
laudatory comments about Special Collections and very little negatives here.
Interpretation of LIBQUAL has been difficult in general for the library. Results give
you things like...on a scale of 1-4, 3.1 indicated the environment was lacking. And
we've run into problems defining this...for some, too noisy, for others, too quiet,
for some too much light, for others too dim....but the scale and results don't point to
things like noise, light, etc. so we're left a little in the dark. (pun intended).
Dean
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian, Special Collections
John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514-5750
850-474-2213
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-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carlos Vílchez Román
Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 5:24 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: User satisfaction with archives' services
Good morning,
Here at work we are interested in measure the user satisfaction
with the services available in the archive. I've told that in
academic libraries the user satisfaction with the services is
measured with a nine-point Likert scale survey called LibQUAL+.
More information about LibQUAL+ in the following direction:
http://www.libqual.org
But I've found nothing similar to LibQUAL+ in the archivistic
specialized journals.
So, I want to know if anyone knows of a standard survey used to
measure the user satisfaction with the services found in an archive.
Any information would be appreciated.
Cordially yours,
Carlos Vilchez-Roman
ONP ACP Archives
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