Perspectives from two UK institutions

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Perspectives from two UK institutions

• Stephen Town
• University of York, UK
• LibQUAL Exchange
• Florence, 2009

2
Outline

• LibQUAL and culture
• LibQUAL at Cranfield
• LibQUAL at York

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Key issues for engagement action

• Basic assumptions
• Dont ask questions you dont want to know the
  answer to
• Dont waste time seeking data on things you
  arent going to fix
• Minimum cultural requirements
• Willingness to listen
• Ability to understand the data
• Permission to act
• Structure for action
• Methodology for action

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Cranfield University
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Context and culture

• DCMT Library part of a contract for education
  between University UK MoD
• Quality paramount
• Management leadership education
• Formal quality initiative since 1993
• Performance culture (and skills)
• Supportive leadership and culture

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Further analysis conducted at Cranfield

• Campus library results
• Results notebook recreated for each campus
  library
• Results by discipline
• Comparisons between PhD and Masters students
• Exploring specific issues
• Detailed analysis of comments (time consuming)
• Longitudinal analysis
• Internal benchmarking
• External benchmarking
• SCONUL ARL average
• Peer-to-peer

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Overall CU Results 2007
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Two Campus Results from CU, 2007
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DCMT Results 2007
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DCMT Results 2007
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Computer Science
Business Management
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Making electronic resources accessible from my
home or office
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Comments 2006

• 205 Comments received overall
• Results grouped by topic
• Topics standardised year-on-year
• Catalogued by
• Dimension
• Discipline
• User group (Undergrad / Postgrad etc.)
• Sex
• Age

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Comment Analysis
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Highlighting Issues
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Year-on-Year Change
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Changes over the years
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Internal Benchmarking
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External Benchmarking
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Peer-to-Peer Benchmarking
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Actions Electronic Developments

• Information skills training
• Information Literacy outcomes received the lowest
  score in the 2003 survey
• Action
• New Information Literacy project to provide
  software based tutorial to help students with IL,
  specifically to aid our distance learners
• Access to electronic resources
• Our Web site and providing electronic access to
  resources were seen as major opportunities for
  improvement
• Action
• Developing a new library Web site, replacing 6
  static html pages with a portal.

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New Web Site

• From

• To

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Results of Actions Information Literacy
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Results of Actions Access to electronic
resources
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University of York
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Context and culture

• Large traditional Library
• Broad and flat University structure
• Progressive and excellent institution, but
  cautious
• SCONUL survey every two years
• Strong project management, but bureaucratic,
  hierarchic style with concerns about change

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Summary of results

• 990 responses (20 response rate)
• 560 UG
• 253 PG
• 110 academic staff
• Largest from History, English, Language and
  Linguistics and Politics.

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Radar Graph University of York
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Zones of Tolerance
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Benchmarking

• York is generally lowest or 2nd lowest across all
  aspects against seven chosen comparators (3 UK 4
  US)
• Lowest in the group on information literacy
• Results for academic staff are the worst in the
  group

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Comparisons with 2004 results

• Most significant improvements on
• Space for group study and group learning
• Readiness to respond to user enquiries
• Giving users individual attention
• Most significant decline on
• Quiet space
• Haven for study and learning
• Printed library materials
• Slight improvements on information literacy
  outcomes and general satisfaction

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Undergraduate radar graph
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Postgraduate radar graph
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Academic radar graph
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Comparison across user groups
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Electronics radar graph
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Electronics zones of tolerance
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History radar graph
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History zones of tolerance
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Politics radar graph
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Politics zones of tolerance
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Comments on Information Control

• The libcat website is difficult to find usable
  information. Frequently it returns results that
  are blatantly incorrect, and others that don't
  match the title I'm searching for. (Computer
  Science)
• Access to online journals is difficult, needing
  to go through Athens and various portals to gain
  access, and not all journal resources are
  available. Making this available to off-campus
  users would be beneficial. (Considering my course
  length is 5 years, and I only have easy access to
  the library in my first year being on campus.
  While I've been off-campus for the majority of my
  course it makes using the library difficult. Most
  journals require access from the campus network,
  and this is problematic). (Computer Science)

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Comments on Library as Place

• Its often noisy and its an uninspiring location
  that doesnt make me want to remain in the
  Library to study (Medieval Studies)
• There are areas of the library that are far too
  noisy. Often, it is only a few selfish students
  that cause the problem. Generally the RBL is
  reasonable. However there is a problem when
  groups of students work together on one table. I
  am aware that there are facilities for group
  study. However this seems to be ignored by
  students (Law)

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Overview all users

• Areas of greatest weakness
• Printed library materials
• Electronic information resources
• Print and/or electronic journals
• Library space that inspires study and learning
• Quiet space
• Haven for study, learning or research
• Areas of greatest strength
• Courteous staff
• Readiness to respond to user enquiries.
• Undergraduates are generally happier with the
  service than postgraduates and academics.

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Action plan

• Information content provision
• Information Needs capital key texts, backfiles
• DLPs, academic liaison marketing of resources
• Process review
• Opening hours
• Web site virtual library
• Library as Place
• Open zone zoning
• Longer term refurbishment CS building
• Service
• Greater consistency
• Culture development
• Leadership and management training development

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University of YorkLibQUAL 2008 to 2009 trends

• Superiority mean scores improved across all but
  one of the 22 core and 5 local questions
• The other item remained constant
• Discipline adequacy scores improved in all but
  six cases
• Information control overall adequacy score moved
  from negative to positive
• Substantial improvements in convenient service
  hours and online course support items (the latter
  also out of the red)

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Engaging stakeholders
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Conclusions

• Communication
• Comprehensive approach to stakeholder interests
• engage all levels and external agents in actions
• Competent programme, project and change
  management methods
• Cultural development mechanisms
• Measures direction
• Values coherence
• Boundary reduction

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J. Stephen Town

• Director of Information
• University Librarian
• University of York, UK
• jst504_at_york.ac.uk