1. LibQUAL 2006 at London South Bank
                   
                                                                                                                      

2. Peter Godwin
London South Bank University
18 July 2006

3. LibQUAL 2006…
London South Bank & LibQUAL
LSBU experience

4. London South Bank and LibQUAL
London South Bank University
2003 = 276
2004 = 568
2005 = 766
2006 = 660

6. London South Bank University
Central London new University
20,775 students
Founded in 1892 as Borough Polytechnic,
Joined 4 other colleges to become South Bank Polytechnic in 1970
Became South Bank University in 1992 and London South Bank University in 2003

7. London South Bank University
41% male, 59% female
63% are 25 and over
48% are part-time
71% undergraduate, 24% postgraduate
By country of origin 40% are from overseas
40% are white and 60% ethnic minorities

9. London South Bank University
19% Arts and Human Sciences
31% Health and Social Care
20% Engineering, Science and Built Environment
23% Business, Computing and Information Management

10. LSBU 2006 experience
option has improved this year and most of the response was through this
Participation increased each year, until this
year : survey fatigue?
Promotion of the survey around the buildings was good
Fewer filled in printed version this year

11. LSBU experience
2003 was a pilot and detailed results had to be treated with caution
2004 was valid and showed some improvements in satisfaction
2005 showed marked improvement, with all positive undergraduate adequacy mean scores
2006 response rate was disappointing, but results have validity and were surprising

12. LSBU 2003 experience After 2003 survey we :
redecorated the main library
installed smart new book shelves
put in a new Library Management System

13. LSBU 2004 experience After the 2004 survey we redesigned our Web site
made off-campus access easier
used “floorwalkers” at crucial times of the year
improved our guiding and maps
prioritised shelf tidying using special team of shelvers with mandatory shelf tidying each week for all staff
prioritised purchase of core above optional items on reading lists

14. LSBU 2005 experience After the 2005 survey we :
Revised our Web site to make it easier to navigate
Improved the marketing to PG students inc. special guide and fliers
Building on 2004 experience with floor-walking we made staff available on top floor at start of Semester 1 to help students navigate the building
Piloted a new help desk on journal floor on level 1 West 11-3 throughout the year

15. 2006 LSBU situation
Book fund was cut by £200,000 this year to £224,000 and spending stopped in the early new year
LIS set to merge with Learning Resources Centre and Learning Development Centre in spring

16. LSBU LibQUAL 2006 results
User group composition of respondents, age and sex profile, FT/PT profile unchanged. Discipline composition similar except for substantial spike in health : up from 29% to 41%

19. LSBU LibQUAL 2006 results
Overall satisfaction is slightly up with printed materials (IC3) and slightly down with journal provision (IC8)
Overall satisfaction with Library as Place has substantially deteriorated
In local questions “availability of main texts… for my work” gets adequacy mean of -0.54, down from in 2005 and availability of subject help still at -0.08, a slight improvement on -013 in 2005

22. LSBU LibQUAL 2006 results
UG results show remarkably similar satisfaction with materials print and electronic for their work. Results from local questions on required texts do show some decline in satisfaction , and this is almost entirely at UG level
With cuts in book fund this year poorer results were expected. However in comments vast majority of materials criticism comes from Health students
Effects of extra journal help not clear from the data

23. LSBU LibQUAL 2006 results
Library as Place is main consideration. From survey questions and comments it appears that noise is the main concern, coupled with inadequate physical space

24. LSBU LibQUAL 2006 results
Academic staff response similar to previous years and cannot be held to be representative. Most significant is less than adequate scores for IC and LP

25. What could be done? Increase book fund, especially for Health
Clearer zoning of where mobiles can be used
Pilot new ways of giving help e.g. blogs for specific courses or subject groups ; more online help
Restrict help on other floors to busiest times
Engage academic staff by having individual interviews in their offices
Hold focus groups with students about study areas

26. LSBU experience
The instrument is comprehensive but is long and off-putting to fill in
Provides excellent information on user satisfaction AND can be supplemented by our own snap surveys e.g.this year on use of Key Text and Reference collections
Comments in the box are very valuable and supplement the statistical information
Focus Groups can follow up areas of concern

27. Comments
“The main complaint I have about the library is the lack of space that is provided for studying alone or in groups…”
(UG Health & Social Care male student 31-45)
“I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE STAFF FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION!!
I SALUTE YOU ALL!!!!!
(UG Combined studies Year 3 female student 31-45)

28. Comments “It looks dirty and unclean, and doesn't inspire me to go”
(PG Business
Male student
31-45)
“I would like the library to become a quiet haven to do quiet reading and research…”
(PG Applied Science FT female student 18-22)

29. What have I learned?
“Only customers judge quality ; all other judgements are essentially irrelevant”
(Zeithaml,V.A. Parasuman, A., Berry.L.L. “Delivering quality”)