LibQUAL

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LibQUAL Process ManagementUsing the Web as a
Management Tool
Amy Hoseth ALA Midwinter Meeting San Antonio,
Texas January 23, 2006
old.libqual.org
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Objectives

• Learn about LibQUAL
• Identify key elements that contribute to a
  successful survey implementation
• Learn how the LibQUAL project web site can help
  you manage your survey

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What is LibQUAL?

• LibQUAL is a suite of services that libraries
  use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon
  users' opinions of service quality. The program's
  centerpiece is a rigorously tested web-based
  survey bundled with training that helps libraries
  assess and improve library services.

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Step 1 DefineConsider participation in LibQUAL

• When deciding whether to participate, consider
  project requirements people, supplies,
  technology
• Also consider your institutional goals what do
  you want to get out of the survey?

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Registration and Costs

• 2006 participation fee 2,500 per survey
  implementation
• Other potential costs include
• Local marketing and promotion
• Travel
• Staff time spent on the project
• Registration is now open for both Session I
  (January-June) and Session II (July-December)

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Survey format

• 22 core items
• 5 optional local questions (more on this later)
• Additional questions on library use, information
  literacy, and general satisfaction
• Demographic questions
• Box for open-ended comments

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Survey dimensions

• Information Control
• Affect of Service
• Library as Place

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Technology

• Work with IT department to select e-mail
  addresses and compile mailing lists
• Consider your hardware, software, and network
  connections

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Sample Groups

• Identify your sample groups (undergraduate,
  graduate, faculty, staff)
• Determine your sample size
• Sampling guidelines provided in Procedures
  Manual lthttp//old.libqual.org/Information/Manual
  /index.cfmgt
• Minimum recommended sample size for a large
  institution 900 undergraduates, 600 graduates,
  600 faculty, 600 non-library university staff
  (optional), and all library staff (optional)

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Survey Liaisons

• Prepare for survey administration
• Communicate with LibQUAL team
• Respond to user feedback
• Work with local IT/academic computing contacts
  and ARL to resolve any local technical issues

11
Survey Communications

• How will you promote your survey and communicate
  results?
• Advertising/marketing
• Survey web sites
• Flyers and other handouts

12
Success Criteria

• Dependent on your local situation
• General criteria
• Data analysis yields representative and useable
  results
• Response rates, completion rates, and
  representativeness

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Step 2 PrepareComplete required steps to launch
your survey

• LibQUAL survey Management Center as a
  management tool
• Several required steps before your survey can go
  live
• Determine whether you need IRB approval

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Survey Management Center
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Manage Your Survey
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Survey Preferences

• Participants are asked to indicate/provide
• Support e-mail address
• Language
• Institution logo
• Whether they want SPSS data files
• Whether offering local incentive prizes
• Dates of survey

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Survey Customization

• Choose five local questions (optional)
• Using Localized Survey Items to Augment
  Standardized Benchmarking Measures Across User
  Groups A LibQUAL(TM) Study, Bruce Thompson and
  Colleen Cook
• Define disciplines for your institution
• Provide library branch information

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Preview

• Preview your survey, exactly as it will appear
  to users
• Data entered in preview survey is not recorded
• Clicking on Approve turns on your actual survey
  URL

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Representativeness

• Tell us about your institution
• User types (undergrad, graduate, faculty)
• Number of users in each discipline
• ARL statistical information (number of volumes
  held, etc.)
• User data will be used to determine the
  representativeness of your sample

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Step 3 Implement Launch the survey on your
campus

• Send survey invitation and URL
• Typical survey period is 3 weeks long
• Send 2-3 follow-up reminders to users
• Respond to user feedback

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Monitor the Survey

• Track your surveys progress in real-time
• Number of surveys completed, day-by-day
• Surveys completed by user group
• Average completion time
• Turn off survey when finished
• Can also see user comments in real-time

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Step 4 Wrap-upClose down your survey and
receive results

• Session I closes in early June Session II in
  early December
• Contact local incentive winners, if you offered a
  local prize
• Provide feedback to the LibQUAL team about your
  survey
• Receive survey results data
• Results notebooks (in PDF format) and Excel data
  files provided on a rolling basis
• SPSS data files sent separately at a later date

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Local Incentives

• Provides list of 50 randomly selected respondents
  for local incentive prizes
• Available as soon as you turn off your survey
  run, or when survey closes to the public
  (whichever is first)

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Post Hoc Questionnaire

• Provide the ARL team with information about your
  survey run
• Sample size
• Number of e-mails sent
• Incentives offered
• Marketing/promotion methods

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Evaluation Survey
Your opportunity to provide feedback to the
LibQUAL team and evaluate your institutions
survey experience
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LibQUAL Resources

• Project Web Site
• http//www.libqual.org
• LibQUAL Procedures Manual
• http//www.libqual.org/Information/Manual/index.c
  fm

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LibQUAL Team at ARL

• Martha Kyrillidou
• Director, Statistics and Measurement Program
• martha_at_arl.org
• Amy Hoseth
• LibQUAL Communications Coordinator
• amyh_at_arl.org
• Jonathan D. Sousa
• Technical Applications Development Manager
• jonathan_at_arl.org
• Richard Groves
• Research Assistant
• richard_at_arl.org