LIBQUAL and Library Summit: The Clemson Experience

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LIBQUAL and Library SummitThe Clemson
Experience
        
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• Clemson University In Context
• Land-grant university for South Carolina
• 17,000 students (13,500 undergrad and 3,500
  graduate)
• 900 faculty
• Majority of doctoral programs in sciences and
  engineering
• One main library and branch for architecture

        
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• The Clemson Summit Concept
• Concept initiated by President
• Summits are organized around a university
  function
• Bring university constituents together to focus
  on
• one area

        
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• The Clemson Summit Concept continued
• Library Summit I was the second university
  summit
• and was designed to identify major themes for
• the Libraries in the future.
• Attendees included faculty, students, staff,
  trustees,
• former president, administrators including
• President and Provost.
• We followed Library Summit I with Library Summit
  II
• which consisted of the entire library staff.

        
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• Themes from Library Summit I
• Declaration of Independence
• Move to electronic formats as quickly
• as possible.
• Change the nature of the place make the
• library facilities more of an academic meeting
• place rather than a warehouse.
• Staff Libraries appropriately for new mission.
• Increase funding for Libraries from all sources.

        
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• Results from Library Summits I and II
• Strategic Plan for 2000-2004
• Business Plan for 2000-2004
• Included detail tasks and dollar amounts
• Resulted in the Library being included in the
• Academic Affairs Road Map Funds for the
• next four years. Received 1 Million the first
• Year and 500K each of the next 3 years

        
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Services added based on Business Plan

• Improved overall cleanliness of building
• Dramatically increased Library hours to 24/5
• with increased weekend hours
• Provided 2 scanners for public use, then
  increased
• number to 4
• Added staffing to improve printing in campus
  computer lab located in Library

        
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Services added based on Business Plan

• Improved group study space
• Reconfigured furniture to help support quiet
  floors
• Improved access to electronic journal holdings
• Improved popular reading collection of books

        
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Services added based on Business Plan

• Relocated book drops and added drive up drops
• Addition of proxy server to increase access to
  electronic resources
• Improvements to the Libraries web page
• Added staffing to improve printing capabilities
  in campus computer lab located in Library
• Increased number of laptops available for
  checkout

        
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• LIBQUAL and Clemson University Libraries
• First LIBQUAL followed Library Summits I and II
• Used LIBQUAL results to determine if the
  choices we made from the summits were correct.
• We determined that the LIBQUAL results
  validated the themes and detailed objectives
  resulting from the summits.

        
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• 2003 LIBQUAL Results
• Received our 3rd LIBQUAL Results
• Paid close attention to those that had a
• negative adequacy gap

        
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• Disconfirming Expectancy
• Increased credibility by providing negative
• information.
• We wanted help from faculty and students to
• understand the 2003 LIBQUAL results.
• Because of success of Library Summit I and II
• decided to have Library Summit III.

        
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• Summit Planning
• Planning Committee
• Determined date and location (university
  conference
• center)
• Determined schedule (300PM 700PM)
• Determined meal
• Set Agenda
• Recommended participants (by group) 60 total
• Organized discussion topics
• Prepared and sent formal invitations

        
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• Summit Goals
• Verify improvements since 2000 summits
• Use ideas to extend existing Strategic and
  Business
• Plans
• Use ideas to allocate 2003-2004 Road Map Funding

        
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• Summit Process
• Organized around three LIBQUAL areas
• Information control, affect of service, Library
  as
• Place
• Had two tables of 10 participants per topic
• At half way point had participants change
  tables.
• Table leaders where library staff who also
  recorded
• ideas.
• Each table was asked to come up with 9 ideas
  plus
• one off the wall suggestion.

        
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Adequacy Gap Faculty

2001 2002 2003 Change Print and/or electronic
journals -1.74 -0.74 -0.83 -0.09 Printed
materials I need -1.46 -0.65 -0.71 -0.06 Electron
ic resources accessible 0.15 0.02 -0.22 -0.24 Em
ployees who are caring 1.17 0.99 1.19
0.20 Employees who are courteous 1.25 0.83
1.14 0.31 Employees who instill confidence
1.12 1.08 1.03 -0.05
        
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Adequacy Gap Grad Students

2001 2002 2003 Change Electronic resources
accessible -0.17 -0.08 -0.14 -0.06 Print
and/or electronic journals -1.18 -1.18 -0.13
1.05 Printed materials I need -0.91 -0.54 0
0.54 Employees who are caring 0.58 0.91 1.30
0.39 Giving users individual attention 0.45
0.91 1.26 0.35 Employees who are courteous
0.34 1.13 1.12 -0.01 Convenient Service
Hours -0.38 0.52 1.08 0.56
        
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Adequacy Gap Undergrad Students

2001 2002 2003 Change A quiet place for ind.
activities 0.51 0.50 1.06 0.56 Convenient
Service Hours -0.02 0.61 1.05 0.44 A
comfortable and inviting 0.64 0.62 1.04
0.42 Electronic resources accessible -0.15 0.58
0.29 -0.29 Willingness to help users 0.48
1.12 0.96 -0.16 Print and/or electronic
journals -0.03 1.02 0.88 -0.14
        
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• What Happened
• Providing negative information from LIBQUAL
• results was very positive.
• University supports and rewards honest
  examination
• of opportunities to improve.
• A real assessment culture at Clemson which
  looks
• to close the loop.

        
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• What Happened
• Seeing problem patron become actively
  interested
• in helping to solve problems rather than
• complaining.
• While there were several expensive suggestions,
• many of the ideas were very feasible to
• accomplish with available funds.

        
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• Library Town Meetings
• Critical to success of Summit
• Had 3 Town Meeting with Library Staff
• Staff added ideas and enhanced many of those
• suggested at the Summit.

        
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• What we learned
• Have less library staff, more users
• Shorten second session somewhat
• Provide more training to table leaders
• Schedule so President and Provost can
• participate.