Library Client Survey 2011 provides direction on what students want

In October 2011, we received 528 valid responses to our online biennial Library Client Survey. There was an overall 5% increase in satisfaction from the 2009 results. The Library staff performance ranked highest at 80% and Facilities and equipment ranked lowest at 65.4%, although when compared with the 40 other participating university libraries in Australia and New Zealand (the sector), it was well within the benchmark rankings.  Three items disappeared from the Lowest Performance list which were all related to availability of curriculum related resources. 

A snapshot of the results included:

• Communication was above the sector benchmarks
• “A computer is available when I need one” ranked higher than most universities
• Library staff performance scored exactly the same in the 2 years surveyed
• Brisbane was the best performing library, then Adelaide, Gold Coast, Perth and Melbourne
• The majority (65%) of respondent provided ‘Comments’; mainly suggestions for improvements or positive feedback; negative feedback was minimal

Areas identified for improvement were:

• Individual study areas
• Online resources
• Opening hours

Each of the Campus Librarians is responsible for an Action Plan in response to the results and comments related to their campus. In Melbourne, there’s already been a new layout for the library to address some of the issues. The Libguides have been reorganised for easier navigation and opening hours for 2012 have been reviewed at each campus.

Thank you for your participation and we promise to continue to improve the library services. You don’t have to wait another 2 years to give us feedback on how we’re going, please use the Feedback option on ePortal or speak to a librarian.