Student Survey 2008-9

Word cloud created by Paul Stainthorp using Wordle, available from: http://www.wordle.net/.

1

Index

Page

Introduction University Library University Library priorities and L+LR response Hull LRC Hull LRC priorities and L+LR response Riseholme LRC Riseholme LRC priorities and L+LR response Holbeach LRC Holbeach LRC and L+LR response Art, Architecture and Design AA+D priorities and L+LR response Business and Law B+L priorities and L+LR response Health, Life and Social Sciences HL+SS priorities and L+LR response Media, Humanities and Technology MH+T priorities and L+LR response Riseholme College – see Riseholme and Holbeach LRCs

3 4 8 10 14 17 21 24 28 28 30 36 38 41 43 46 48

2

Introduction In order to help us plan future service developments, we conducted a survey to gather information on how students use Library and Learning Resources (L+LR), and their opinions of the services we provide. To ensure that we make the best use of resources available, we were particularly keen to establish the areas that students identified as being of high importance / low satisfaction, and this analysis, together with the L+LR response, is outlined in this report. 556 students completed our survey, which was held between 2nd February and 31st March 2009, and included respondents from all faculties and all campuses. Where possible, the questions used in last year’s survey were repeated, to help us to make comparisons, and chart progress. The survey was made available to all students via the library portal, and targeted emails. Many thanks to everyone who helped us by completed our survey.

3

University Library 452 respondents Q3. How often do you visit the Library during semester time?

45%

39%

40% 35% 30% 25%

20%

20%

10%

13%

13%

15% 7%

4%

5%

3% 0%

0% Several times a day

Once a day

Several times per w eek

About Several once per times per w eek month

About once per month

Less often

Never

Q4. How often do you visit the Library during the vacation?

30%

27% 23%

25% 20% 15% 15% 11%

12%

10%

10% 5% 1%

2%

0% Several times a day

Once a day

Several times per w eek

About Several once per times per w eek month

About once per month

Less often

Never

4

Q5. What activities occupied you on your most recent visit to the Library?

Asked for IT help Asked for help at subject support desk

12% 14%

Used a printer / photocopier Used an e-book Used electronic journals or databases

60% 18% 36% 40%

Used printed material (books or journals) Used the Core Collection Used ow n laptop Used a computer for w eb activity

21% 17% 47% 49%

Used a computer for e-mails Used a computer for w ord processing Used a group room Worked in a group Attended a library w orkshop Planned/rehearsed a presentation Individual study Used a self-service machine Borrow ed or returned items at a staffed desk

49% 28% 35% 9% 21% 68% 62% 36%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

5

Q6. How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed. In order to identify priorities (p.6), importance was considered in relation to satisfaction. 2008/9: Students were least satisfied with services for students with disabilities; they were most satisfied with the availability of self-service machines. 2007/8: Students were least satisfied with the range of e-books, and most satisfied with

the availability of self-issue machines.

50.6

Services for students w ith disabilities

51

Cost of photocopying / printing Content and availability of library w orkshops Loan periods

56.8 57.7 57.9

Availabilty of group rooms

60.6

Library induction Time taken to reshelve books and journals Number of course books The British Library interlibrary loans service Range of e-books

61.2 61.3 61.8 62.5

Library environment - heating

62.8

Range of print journals

64.6

Range of e-journals

67

Library environment - noise

67

%very and fairly satisfied

67.6

Availability of computers Quality of photocopying / printing

69.8

Opening hours at the w eekend

70.7 75.3

Opening hours on w eekdays

78.6

Range of books Helpfulness of the IT staff

80.7

Number of books that can be borrow ed

81.7 84.3

Helpfulness of the library staff

86.2

Self issue machines 0

20

40

60

80

100

6

Q7. How important to you are the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important. For the third year running, the most important aspect of our service was identified as the range of books, while the least important was the content and availability of library workshops.

Content and availability of library w orkshops Library induction

56.5 63.3 67.8

Availabilty of group rooms Services for students w ith disabilities British Library interlibrary loans Time taken to reshelve books and journals Self-issue machines

69.6 71.3 76.6 78.1

Library environment - heating

81.4

Library environment - noise

82.2

Range of print journals Number of books that can be borrow ed Opening hours at the w eekend

83.7

Range of e-books

86.2

84.7 85.4

Availability of computers

86.6

Helpfulness of the IT staff

87.1

Quality of photocopying / printing

87.5

Range of e-journals

87.8

Cost of photocopying / printing

88.2

Helpfulness of the library staff

89.1

Opening hours on w eekdays

89.6

Loan periods

90.2

Number of course books

92.6

% very and fairly important

97.7

Range of books 0

20

40

60

80 100 120

7

Satisfaction compared with importance

Range of books Number of course books and essential texts Loan periods Opening hours on weekdays Helpfulness of the library staff Cost of photocopying / printing Range of e-journals Quality of photocopying / printing Helpfulness of the IT staff Availability of computers Range of e-books Opening hours at the weekend Number of books that can be borrowed Range of print journals Library environment - noise Library environment - heating Self-issue machines Time taken to reshelve books and journals The British Library interlibrary loans service Services for students with disabilities Availability of group rooms Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Content and availability of library workshops

Importance 97.7 92.6 90.2 89.6 89.1 88.2 87.8 87.5 87.1 86.6 86.2 85.4 84.7 83.7 82.2 81.4 78.1 76.6 71.3 69.6 67.8

satisfaction 78.6 61.3 57.7 75.3 84.3 51 67 69.8 80.7 67.6 62.5 70.7 81.7 64.6 67 62.8 86.2 61.2 61.8 50.6 57.9

63.3 56.5

60.6 56.8

I-S 19.1 31.3 32.5 14.3 4.8 37.2 20.8 17.7 6.4 19 23.7 14.7 3 19.1 15.2 18.6 -8.1 15.4 9.5 19 9.9 2.7 -0.3

Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Cost of copying / printing Loan periods Number of course books Range of e-books Range of e-journals

Michelle Anderson, Head of Library and Learning Resources said: We are pleased that overall, you are satisfied with the service that we provide, and would like to assure you that we are continually striving to improve. We welcome the feedback from the user survey and the opportunity to respond to the issues that you have identified: Cost of copying and printing Michelle Anderson and Mike Day, Head of ICT Services responded: ¾

¾ ¾

The charges paid by students for printing and photocopying are used to cover the general running costs of providing the service; they are not used as a source of income for the University; This year, the basic cost of running the service has risen by 20%, due to an increase in the cost of raw materials. We recognise that the cost of printing is an important issue for you, and will:

8

o

o

o o

o

Investigate, with Student Services, the possibility of extending the Hardship Fund to include some provision for supporting printing costs; Seek your views on the idea of changing your printing allowance to £5 for level 1, £10 for level 2 and £15 for level 3, to reflect the increase in your printing requirements over the course of your studies; Allocate available resources more fairly by providing pro-rata printing credits for part-time students; Help you to reduce your need to print, by compiling a list of “Top 10 hints”, and in the medium term, work with academics and Registry to review the printing requirements associated with assignment hand-ins, lecture notes and the student handbook. Along with the cost of printing, one of your major priorities (communicated to us through various channels, including the answers to the open question in this survey), is your wish for 24 hour opening in the University Library. We will ask you to tell us if you prioritise 24 hour opening more highly than the additional £10 printing credit for level 3 students.

Loan periods and the number of course books. Philippa Dyson and Lys Ann Reiners, Senior Academic Librarians responded: Our stock is very heavily used, and we set loan periods to try to maximise access to essential texts. We will continue to improve access by working with academics to select chapters of key texts to digitise, and make them available through Blackboard. We have also invested heavily in e-books (we currently have access to approximately 43500 e-books), will continue to buy key texts in this format as they become available. Academic staff can also help us to improve access to course books, by working in partnership with us to provide you with up-to-date reading lists, and a clear understanding of what we are able to provide. Range of e-books and range of e-journals Di Walker, Acquisitions Librarian and Paul Stainthorp, E-Resources Librarian responded: We have access to approximately 43500 ebooks (to which additional titles are added on a monthly basis under the terms of our subscription to Ebrary), and online access to full-text articles from more than 40,000 subscription and openaccess electronic journals. Academic Subject Librarians will continue to purchase additional e-book titles as appropriate for each subject, and we have a policy of subscribing to the electronic version of a journal whenever e-access is available. Together with the Academic Subject Librarians, we will work with you to increase your awareness of this resource. Q8. How far would you agree with the statement: “Library and Learning Resources are good enough for my needs”? We are very pleased that 94% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

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Hull LRC 43 respondents. Q 3. How often do you visit the LRC during semester time?

50% 44%

45% 40% 35% 30% 25%

19%

20%

14%

15% 10%

7%

7%

7%

5%

2% 0%

0% Several times a day

Once a day

Several About times per once per week week

Several About times per once per month month

Less often

Never

Q4. How often do you visit the LRC during the vacation?

30%

28%

25% 19%

20%

19%

19%

15% 10%

7% 5%

5%

2%

2%

Several times a day

Once a day

0% Several times per w eek

About Several once per times per w eek month

About once per month

Less often

Never

10

Q5. What activities occupied you on your most recent visit to the Library?

Asked for IT help Asked for help at a subject support desk

42% 33%

Used a printer / photocopier Used an e-book Used electronic journals or databases

65% 28% 47%

Used printed material (books or journals) Used the Core Collection Used ow n laptop

30% 21% 21%

Used a computer for w eb activity Used a computer for e-mails Used a computer for w ord processing

54% 49% 58%

Used a group room Worked in a group Attended a library w orkshop 0% Planned/rehearsed a presentation Individual study Used self-service machines Borrow ed or returned items at a staffed desk

21% 23% 7% 65% 65% 74%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

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Q.6: How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

British Library interlibrary loans

53.6

Services for students w ith disabilities

55

Content and availability of library w orkshops

56.5

Number of course books

58.1

Range of print journals

68.6

Cost of photocopying / printing

69.2

Loan periods

69.8

Range of e-books

71.1

Library induction

72.5

Library environment - heating

74.4

Range of books

81.4

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

83.3

Library environment - noise

83.7

Availabilty of group rooms

83.8

Range of e-journals

84.2

Opening hours at the w eekend

84.6

Quality of photocopying / printing

87.2

Self issue machines

90.5

Number of books that can be borrow ed

90.7

Opening hours on w eekdays

90.7

Helpfulness of the IT staff

97.4

Availability of computers

97.6

Helpfulness of the library staff

97.7 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

12

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important. Content and availability of library w orkshops Services for students w ith disabilities The British Library interlibrary loans service Library induction

57.6 58.3 61.8 65

Self-issue machines

73.8

Availabilty of group rooms Time taken to reshelve books and journals Library environment - noise

74.3 81 81.4

Range of print journals

83.3

Cost of photocopying / printing

83.7

Quality of photocopying / printing

85.4

Opening hours at the w eekend

87.2

Library environment - heating

88.4

Availability of computers

89.7

Opening hours on w eekdays

90.5

Range of e-journals

90.7

Range of e-books

95.3

Loan periods

95.3

Helpfulness of the IT staff Number of books that can be borrow ed Range of books

97.5

Helpfulness of the library staff

97.7

Number of course books

100

97.6 97.7

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

13

Satisfaction vs importance

Number of course books and essential texts Helpfulness of the library staff Range of books Number of books that can be borrowed Helpfulness of the IT staff Loan periods Range of e-books Range of e-journals Opening hours on weekdays Availability of computers Library environment - heating Opening hours at the weekend Quality of photocopying / printing Cost of photocopying / printing Range of print journals Library environment - noise Time taken to reshelve books and journals Availability of group rooms Self-issue machines Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) The British Library interlibrary loans service Services for students with disabilities Content and availability of library workshops

Importance 100 97.7 97.7 97.6 97.5 95.3 95.3 90.7 90.5 89.7 88.4 87.2 85.4 83.7 83.3 81.4 81 74.3 73.8

satisfaction 58.1 97.7 81.4 90.7 97.4 69.8 71.1 84.2 90.7 97.6 74.4 84.6 87.2 69.2 68.6 83.7 83.3 83.8 90.5

65 61.8 58.3 57.6

72.5 53.6 55 56.5

I-S 41.9 0 16.3 6.9 0.1 25.5 24.2 6.5 -0.2 -7.9 14 2.6 -1.8 14.5 14.7 -2.3 -2.3 -9.5 -16.7 -7.5 8.2 3.3 1.1

Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Number of course books Loan periods Range of e-books Range of print books Range of print journals

The Hull Campus LLR Team responded We are happy that overall, you are satisfied with Library and Learning Resources on the Hull Campus. High importance/low satisfaction 1. Number of course books Response: We will continue to provide as great a range of course books as is possible within resource constraints. There is a delicate balance to be struck between the purchase of multiple copies and creating a collection that allows students to read around the subject. Academic staff actively promote the Reader Policy and use it in the unit handbooks. 2. Loan periods Response: We will continue to monitor loan periods very closely, whilst maintaining a balance between the wish for longer loan periods and the need to

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ensure the optimum circulation of books in the collection, and what is possible within our funding limits. 3. Range of e-books Response: We will seek to extend and promote the range of e-books, bearing in mind that we are dependent on the availability of e-books as determined by publishers. In particular Learning Matters, a key publisher for Social Work books, do not provide e-books at this moment in time. 4. Range of print books Response: This remains one of our main issues in Hull. A number of HL&SS courses in Lincoln cover areas relevant to Social Care, and students thus perceive that ‘all the books are in Lincoln’. Paradoxically, a common issue raised by Lincoln Social Work students is that ‘all the books are in Hull’. We will continue to provide as great a range of course books as is possible within resource constraints. 5. Range of print journals Response: This comes as something of a surprise, as we have the same number of print titles as we always have, and many of the Social Science journals have recently been replaced with more Social Work related titles. It may be that we are becoming blasé about the print collection as we successfully promote our eresources to students, and we will look at improving the promotion of the print collection. Common issues identified through respondents’ answers to the question “What one thing could we improve” Faster computers/Slow login times We are aware of the problem with logging on times on the Hull Campus and are working with ICT to resolve the issue. As Microsoft constantly update Windows XP, an ever greater load is placed on the computer with each new update, consequently, we now need to upgrade the memory in each open access machine from 512Mb to 1Gb. Tests have shown that such an upgrade will greatly reduce the login time. We have asked for funds to carry out these upgrades during Summer 09. Number of books available Please see response 1 above Earlier opening times Some students have requested that the Library open at 8.30am so they can access printing and computing resources before lectures start. Room 6202 currently opens from 8am every weekday morning which allows users access to 10 networked pc’s and a Safecom printer/copier. We are aware of requests to open the main library before 9am; however this would not be cost effective and would mean cutting services elsewhere in the day/week to pay for this change. On balance, most people find the current opening arrangements more than sufficient for their needs. We do provide book return facilities outside our normal opening hours so that you don’t need to carry around books that are due back.

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Length of time to get books from Lincoln Our current system for transporting items between campuses works well with an average lead time of just under 3 days from request stage to the item appearing on the shelf in Hull for collection. This system does however rely on the item being available in Lincoln for transfer so it’s worth checking that the item is in stock (checked in) before requesting it. We are constantly monitoring the intercampus delivery service to ensure it meets your needs. Grace periods for fines Fines can be avoided in most cases. Several mechanisms are in place to ensure you don’t get fined for late returns. Last year, we invested in software to notify you in advance of your books becoming due, this just requires you to check your university email account regularly for courtesy reminders. You can renew items via the internet from anywhere in the world or call us during our opening hours to renew items. We realise that sometimes things can go wrong or an item is requested so you cannot renew it, but we’ll do everything in our power to make sure that fines are the very last option available to you. Also we’ve increased the amount you can owe the university before your library account is locked out. This is currently set at £20 so even if things do go wrong, you have some flexibility before you need to pay off your debts. We value your comments and suggestions and are always willing to listen you your views on issues that matter to you. If you have any comments/suggestions or concerns, you can speak to a member of the LR Hull team at our desk on the 6th floor or you can email us at [email protected]. Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? We are very pleased that 95% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement

16

Riseholme 41 respondents. Q 3. How often do you visit the LRC during semester time?

60% 49%

50% 40% 30% 20%

20% 15% 10%

10%

5%

2%

0% 0% Several Once a Several About Several times once day times times a per per per day w eek month w eek

About once per month

Less often

Q4: How often do you visit the LRC during the vacation?

40% 35%

34%

34%

Less often

Never

30% 25% 20%

15%

15% 10% 5%

0%

2%

5%

5%

5%

0% Several Once a Several About Several About times a day times once times once day per per per per w eek w eek month month

17

Q 5: What activities occupied you during your most recent visit?

Asked for IT help Asked staff at subject support desk for assistance Used a printer / photocopier

15%

Used an e-book

15%

Used electronic journals or databases Used printed material (books or journals) Used the Core Collection

17% 81%

46% 61% 7%

Used ow n laptop

34% 81%

Used a computer for w eb activity

68%

Used a computer for e-mails

73%

Used a computer for w ord processing

20%

Used a group room

27%

Worked in a group Attended a library w orkshop Planned/rehearsed a presentation Individual study Borrow ed or returned items using selfservice machines Borrow ed or returned items at a staffed desk 0%

2% 10% 83% 15% 83% 20%

40%

60%

80% 100%

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Q6: How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed. Content and availability of library w orkshops Library environment - noise

37.5 46.3 50

Range of e-books Availabilty of group rooms

51.6

Library environment - heating The British Library interlibrary loans service Range of e-journals

53.7 56.5 56.7

Availability of computers

58.5

Opening hours at the w eekend

58.8

Library induction

58.8

Number of course books

60

Self issue machines

60 63.4

Cost of photocopying / printing Opening hours on w eekdays

65.9

Services for students w ith disabilities

66.7

Range of books

70.7

Range of print journals

72.7 75.6

Loan periods

78.1

Helpfulness of the IT staff

80

Quality of photocopying / printing Number of books that can be borrow ed Helpfulness of the library staff Time taken to reshelve books and journals

85.4 87.8 88.2 0

20

40

60

80

100

19

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important.

48.5

Availabilty of group rooms

51.6

Self-issue machines Content and availability of library w orkshops The British Library interlibrary loans

54.3 59.4

service Library induction

61.1 66.7

Opening hours at the w eekend

68

Services for students w ith disabilities Time taken to reshelve books and journals Cost of photocopying / printing

74.4 77.5

Quality of photocopying / printing

79.5

Range of e-journals

81.1

Range of print journals

82.1

Range of e-books

83.8 85

Library environment - heating

87.5

Opening hours on w eekdays

90

Library environment - noise Number of course books

92.5

Availability of computers

92.5

Loan periods

92.5

Helpfulness of the IT staff

94.7

Number of books that can be borrow ed

94.9

Range of books

97.5

Helpfulness of the library staff

97.5 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

20

Riseholme - Satisfaction vs importance

Helpfulness of the library staff Range of books Loan periods Number of course books and essential texts Availability of computers Number of books that can be borrowed Opening hours on weekdays Helpfulness of the IT staff Library environment - noise Range of e-journals Range of e-books Library environment - heating Range of print journals Quality of photocopying / printing The British Library interlibrary loans service Cost of photocopying / printing Time taken to reshelve books and journals library induction Opening hours at the weekend Content and availability of library workshops Services for students with disabilities Availability of group rooms Self-issue machines

Importance 94.4 94.4 91.7

satisfaction 87.8 70.7 75.6

I-S

91.7 90.9 86.1 84.8 82.9 81.8 79.4 79.4 75.8 71.4 67.6

60 58.5 85.4 65.9 78.1 46.3 56.7 50 53.7 72.7 63.4

31.7 32.4 0.7 18.9 4.8 35.5 22.7 29.4 22.1 -1.3 4.2

62.1 60

56.5 63.4

5.6 -3.4

58.8 58.3 56.7

88.2 58.8 58.8

-29.4 -0.5 -2.1

48.4 47.1 44 36.4

37.5 66.7 51.6 60

10.9 -19.6 -7.6 -23.6

6.6 23.7 16.1

2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Library environment – noise Availability of computers Number of course books Range of e-books Range of print books

Pam Young and Niki Rogers, Riseholme Library Team Leaders responded: We are pleased that overall, you are satisfied with the library service provided at Riseholme, and we would like to assure you that we are continually striving to improve. We welcome the feedback from the user survey and the opportunity to respond to the issues that you have identified: Issues identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1) Library environment – noise We have taken steps to alleviate the problem of noise by swapping the silent and group working rooms. This means that the silent working room can be monitored more closely from the desk and staff areas. Please let us know if you are being disturbed, and we will take appropriate action. We are aware that the situation of the silent working room is still not ideal, as noise can be

21

heard from the group room and the reception area, but unfortunately due to the limitations of the building we cannot prevent this. 2) Availability of computers At busy times we realise that the computers are in heavy demand. Unfortunately we cannot increase the numbers of computers in the library because of networking limitations. We are aware that the computers are not always being used for study, and we try to monitor this; however we would ask you to help us by telling us if you see computers being used for nonacademic work purposes. We will in these cases remove the users and thus make computers available to those needing to use them for study. 3) Number of course books Because of financial and spatial limitations, we cannot always provide multiple copies of texts. We are increasing our stock of electronic books and journals, and we encourage you to use these where possible, as they are permanently available. We are also happy to advise you on alternative texts should the exact item you want be unavailable. 4) Range of e-books We have access to approximately 43500 e-books, to which additional titles are added on a monthly basis under the terms of our subscription to Ebrary. We will continue to buy key texts in this format as they become available. 5) Range of print books We work with academic staff to ensure that we hold copies of all texts classed as essential for your courses, and purchase as much as we can within budgetary limitations to supplement the essential texts with a wider range. Unfortunately, our book budget always under pressure. Please ask library staff if you need any advice with selecting relevant texts. Common issues identified through respondents’ answers to the question “What one thing could we improve” 1) Longer weekend opening hours We understand that longer opening hours are important to you, but evidence suggests that it would not be economical for us to extend the weekend opening hours at Riseholme LRC. The recent introduction of campus-wide wireless network availability has led to a significant drop in demand for library services at weekends, and the resources are no longer under pressure during the current opening hours. 2) Noise levels Please see response 1) above. 3) More course texts Please see response 3) above. 4) Segregation of FE and HE students – separate rooms To reserve a room exclusively for either FE or HE students would lead to more pressure on the resources in the other rooms, as peak usage times for FE and HE students differs. We believe that non-segregation can be advantageous in encouraging FE students to progress to HE studies, having been given confidence by being involved in the HE environment. We realise that FE and HE students sometimes have different priorities, but the library is a resource for both. If any student is using the library or its resources in an inappropriate way, please let us know and we will take action, as outlined in response 1) above.

22

NB: We are grateful for all your suggestions, and if your comment is not highlighted here we will still be taking steps to accommodate it where possible. Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? 89.5% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

23

Holbeach 20 responses Q 3. How often do you visit the LRC during semester time?

50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

45%

20% 10%

10%

10%

5% 0% Several Once a Several About Several About times a day times once per times once per day per w eek per month w eek month

Less often

Q4. How often do you visit the LRC during the vacation?

50%

0.45

45% 40% 35%

0.3

30% 25%

0.2

20% 15% 10% 5%

0.05 0

0

0

0

0% Several Once a Several About Several About times a day times once times once day per per per per w eek w eek month month

Less often

Never

24

Q 5: What activities occupied you during your most recent visit?

Asked for IT help Asked staff at subject support desk for assistance Used a printer / photocopier

0% 35% 40% 20%

Used an e-book Used electronic journals or databases

25%

Used printed material (books or journals)

20%

Used the Core Collection

0%

Used ow n laptop

0%

Used a computer for w eb activity

50%

Used a computer for e-mails

60%

Used a computer for w ord processing

60%

Used a group room 0% 20%

Worked in a group Attended a library w orkshop Planned/rehearsed a presentation Individual study Borrow ed or returned items using selfservice machines Borrow ed or returned items at a staffed desk

15% 10% 60% 15% 70%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

25

Q6: How satisfied are you with the following?

This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

Services for students w ith disabilities

0

Self issue machines

11.1

Availabilty of group rooms

12.5 25

Cost of photocopying / printing

33.3

Opening hours at the w eekend Content and availability of library w orkshops The British Library interlibrary loans

40 45.5

service Range of e-journals Number of course books and essential texts Range of print journals

47.4 50 52.6 52.6

Range of e-books Range of books

70

Loan periods

70 73.3

Quality of photocopying / printing

76.5

Helpfulness of the IT staff Introduction you received to library services (eg. a library tour) Library environment - noise

80 81.3 83.3

Availability of computers Time taken to reshelve books and journals Library environment - heating

84.6 87.5 88.2

Opening hours on w eekdays Number of books that can be borrow ed

90 95

Helpfulness of the library staff 0

20

40

60

80

100

26

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important.

20

Self-issue machines

27.3

Availabilty of group rooms

30

Services for students w ith disabilities Time taken to reshelve books and Content andjournals availability of library

35.3 37.5

w orkshops Cost of photocopying / printing

50

Quality of photocopying / printing

50

Opening hours at the w eekend

50

Range of print journals The British Library interlibrary loans service Library environment - noise

57.9 61.5 62.5 62.5

Library environment - heating Range of e-journals Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Range of e-books

70 70 75 75

Number of books that can be borrow ed

77.8

Helpfulness of the IT staff Opening hours on w eekdays

81.3 87.5

Availability of computers Range of books Number of course books and essential texts Helpfulness of the library staff

95

Loan periods

95

95 95

0

20

40

60

80

100

27

Satisfaction vs importance

Loan periods Helpfulness of the library staff Number of course books and essential texts Range of books Availability of computers Opening hours on weekdays Helpfulness of the IT staff Number of books that can be borrowed Range of e-books Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Range of e-journals Library environment - heating Library environment - noise The British Library interlibrary loans service Range of print journals Opening hours at the weekend Quality of photocopying / printing Cost of photocopying / printing Content and availability of library workshops Time taken to reshelve books and journals Availabilty of group rooms Self-issue machines

Importance 95 95 95 95 87.5 81.3 77.8 75 75

Satisfaction 70 95 50 70 83.3 88.2 76.5 90 52.6

70 70 62.5 62.5 61.5 57.9 50 50 50 37.5 35.3 27.3 20

80 47.4 87.5 81.3 45.5 52.6 33.3 73.3 25 40 84.6 12.5 11.1

I-S 25 0 45 25 4.2 -6.9 1.3 -15 22.4 -10 22.6 -25 -18.8 16 5.3 16.7 -23.3 25 -2.5 -49.3 14.8 8.9

Julie Smith, Holbeach Library Officer responded: We are pleased that overall, you are satisfied with the service that we provide, and would like to assure you that we are continually striving to improve. We welcome the feedback from the user survey and the opportunity to respond to the issues that you have identified: 2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Number of course books Loan periods Range of print books Range of e-journals Range of e-books

Julie Smith and Paul Stainthorp, Electronic Resources Librarian, responded: 1. Number of course books – We have increased the bookstock over a number of years. For the past two years, we have received extra funding to improve course text provision. We make the most of our limited space, removing out-of-date texts to make room for more important course books. We can also arrange for digitised extracts to be placed on Blackboard for any high-demand or key texts. 2. Loan periods – We try to ensure there are shorter loan periods for all items of high demand, and also that at least one copy is reference only. If there are more than 3 requests for an item, normal loans will automatically revert to one week loans (it is not practical to have shorter

28

loan periods because part-time students are only in once a week). We post books to all part-time and distance learning students from any of our campus libraries. 3. Range of print books – We continue to monitor the range of print books, and endeavour to introduce relevant new titles as funds allow. 4. Range of e-journals – We subscribe to an extensive range of electronic journals, including most of the top-50 e-journals in Food Science. We run information skills workshops throughout the year, to help students make full use of these resources. We will continue to review the relevance of the workshops and introduce more at strategic points in the modules. 5. Range of e-books – We have increased the number of e-books substantially in food-relevant subjects, and will continue to review the availability of key texts. We are developing better ways of informing students about our range of e-books, including online 'new title' updates, and e-book shelf information markers.

Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”?

95% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

29

Responses by faculty Art, Architecture and Design 102 responses Q6: How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

Cost of photocopying / printing

40.8

Range of e-journals

47.8

Range of e-books Content and availability of library w orkshops Services for students w ith disabilities

48.5 50 51.9

Availabilty of group rooms

52.7

Number of course books Time taken to reshelve books and journals The British Library interlibrary loans

57.1 57.1 58.2

service Loan periods

58.6

Quality of photocopying / printing

61.5

Range of print journals

62.4

Library environment - heating

62.4

Library induction

65.9

Availability of computers

71

Helpfulness of the IT staff

71.7

Opening hours at the w eekend

72.9

Range of books

73

Self issue machines

77.1

Opening hours on w eekdays

79

Library environment - noise

79.8

Helpfulness of the library staff Number of books that can be borrow ed

81.8 83.5 0

20

40

60

80

100

30

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important. Content and availability of library w orkshops Services for students w ith disabilities

53.6 56.9

Availabilty of group rooms

58.3

Library induction

60.9

Library environment - noise The British Library interlibrary loans Time taken toservice reshelve books and

64.6 66.7 69.9

journals Range of e-journals

70.6

Self-issue machines

71.1

Range of e-books

71.3

Library environment - heating

72.2

Range of print journals

74.2

Opening hours at the w eekend Number of books that can be borrow ed Availability of computers

75.8 76.8 80.2

Loan periods

82.3

Helpfulness of the IT staff

84.5

Opening hours on w eekdays

84.5

Helpfulness of the library staff

84.8

Number of course books

85.7

Cost of photocopying / printing

89.8

Quality of photocopying / printing

93.9

Range of books

93.9 0

20

40

60

80

100

31

Satisfaction vs importance Range of books Quality of photocopying / printing Cost of photocopying / printing Number of course books and essential texts Helpfulness of the library staff Opening hours on weekdays Helpfulness of the IT staff Loan periods Availability of computers Number of books that can be borrowed Opening hours at the weekend Range of print journals Library environment - heating Range of e-books Self-issue machines Range of e-journals Time taken to reshelve books and journals The British Library interlibrary loans service Library environment - noise Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Availabilty of group rooms Services for students with disabilities Content and availability of library workshops

Importance 93.9 93.9 89.8 85.7 84.8 84.5 84.5 82.3 80.2 76.8 75.8 74.2 72.2 71.3 71.1 70.6 69.9 66.7 64.6

satisfaction 73 61.5 40.8 57.1 81.8 79 71.7 58.6 71 83.5 72.9 62.4 62.4 48.5 77.1 47.8 57.1 58.2 79.8

60.9 58.3 56.9 53.6

65.9 52.7 51.9 50

I-S 20.9 32.4 49 28.6 3 5.5 12.8 23.7 9.2 -6.7 2.9 11.8 9.8 22.8 -6 22.8 12.8 8.5 -15.2 -5 5.6 5 3.6

2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Cost of photocopying/printing Quality of photocopying / printing Number of course books Loan periods Range of e-books

We welcome your feedback and the opportunity to respond to the issues that you have identified: 1. Cost of copying and printing Michelle Anderson, Head of Library and Learning Resources and Mike Day, Head of ICT Services responded: ¾

¾ ¾

The charges paid by students for printing and photocopying are used to cover the general running costs of providing the service; they are not used as a source of income for the University; This year, the basic cost of running the service has risen by 20%, due to an increase in the cost of raw materials. We recognise that the cost of printing is an important issue for you, and will: o

o

Investigate, with Student Services, the possibility of extending the Hardship Fund to include some provision for supporting printing costs; Seek your views on the idea of changing your printing allowance to £5 for level 1, £10 for level 2 and £15 for level 3, to reflect the

32

o o

o

increase in your printing requirements over the course of your studies; Allocate available resources more fairly by providing pro-rata printing credits for part-time students; Help you to reduce your need to print, by compiling a list of “Top 10 hints”, and in the medium term, work with academics and Registry to review the printing requirements associated with assignment hand-ins, lecture notes and the student handbook. Along with the cost of printing, one of your major priorities (communicated to us through various channels, including the answers to the open question in this survey), is your wish for 24 hour opening in the University Library. We will ask you to tell us if you prioritise 24 hour opening more highly than the additional £10 printing credit for level 3 students.

2. Quality of copying and printing Tony Broome, IT Services Manager responded: We are committed to providing you with a high quality service. If you are not completely satisfied with the quality of your printing, please go to the 1st floor desk of the University Library and we will do our best to help you. Staff are also available to help you at the Cathedral Campus and in the Architecture building. 3 and 4. Number of course books / loan periods Judith Elkin, Frederick Dickinson and Chris Leach, Academic Subject Librarian for the faculty responded: The Library has an extensive Art, Architecture and Design collection, and we will work with academics and students to promote awareness of the range of resources and services that you can access. Please contact us if you have suggestions for book purchases, or if you need help with finding information on a particular topic. 5. Range of e-books Chris Leach, Academic Subject Librarian for Architecture responded: The range of e-books is less extensive in these subject areas; however, we have bought some items, and will continue to do so as they become available. Common issues identified through respondents’ answers to the question “What one thing could we improve” You said: “More extensive list of books ie typography, illustration, graphics …..” “Fine Art – loan periods longer…more books on contemporary art/artists…” Judith Elkin, Academic Subject Librarian for Fine Art, Graphic Design and illustration responded: I will raise awareness and use of our collections and services by ensuring that students: • • •

Are able to use the catalogue effectively Know how to request and reserve books Are more comfortable asking library staff for help

33

•

Know how to borrow books from the British Library

A detailed account of my plans for my subject areas is outlined below: Fine Art Year One - induction welcome & tour, as usual; member of Reader Services Team (RST) will introduce self and stress they should ask for help. I will offer 3 compulsory sessions in first semester, as usual. Year Two – I usually offer one compulsory session in January for dissertation preparation but will suggest two sessions would be more appropriate Year Three - I usually offer several non-compulsory sessions, but will recommend they should be timetabled. I will offer to hot desk in Greestone 2 hours per week, if desk is available. Graphic Design Year One - induction welcome and tour has been planned as usual; member of RST team will introduce self and stress they should ask for help. I will contact academics to offer timetabled training session(s). Year Two - I will offer training in timetabled sessions, similar to that delivered this year. Year Three - I will email and write to year three students to offer further training. I will offer to hot desk in TPH for 2 hours per week, if desk is available. Illustration I will contact the academics and offer training for all students. If I don’t receive a positive response I will contact the students individually myself. Year one - induction welcome and tour planned as usual; member of RST team will introduce self and stress they should ask for help. I will offer training and ask all students for their personal email addresses so I can repeat my offer of group and one–to-one training later in the semester. Years two and three – I will write to all students offering email help, group training or one-to-one training. I will contact student representatives and ask for their help in promoting the Library. You said: “Buy more books on packaging” “Provide a better choice of conservation books” Frederick Dickinson responded: I have worked with academic staff to update our collection of packaging books, and have ordered new titles which will be available next academic year. Conservation staff will be providing us with additional book lists, but please contact me directly, if you would like me to consider purchasing specific items for you. You said: “More Computers with Auto CAD on (1st Floor) OR the prevention of students studying other subjects to use those computers. It is extremely annoying when

34

one needs to do some CAD work and Sociology, or Accounting students are using those specialist computers.” Chris Leach and Tony Broome, IT Services Manager, responded: These machines are only for use by Architecture students, and require a special password after power-up; however, if a student then logs off without powering off, any student will be able to use it. Please contact staff on the IT desk (1st floor) if it appears that other students are using this specialist resource. You said: “Wider range of architecture books and better holdings of historic architecture journals.” Chris Leach responded: Next year, I will to raise awareness of our Architecture Resources, by participating in a new set of workshops for all Architecture students. You said: “Noise levels at first and second floor are very high that distracts the concentration” Paula Hill, Reader Services Librarian responded: There is a library staff group which is looking at managing student behaviour in and around the GCW. This will look at the consumption of food and drink, and noise levels, and the students will be encouraged to take responsibility for their building. It is hoped that this will result in a more subdued atmosphere throughout the building, although silence can only be guaranteed on the 3rd floor. Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? 94% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

35

Business and Law 124 responses Q6: How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

Services for students w ith disabilities

55.9

Loan periods Introduction you received to library services (eg. a library tour) Availabilty of group rooms

55.9 57.4 58.4

Cost of photocopying / printing

58.6

The British Library interlibrary loans service

62.7

Range of e-books

62.7

Content and availability of library w orkshops

64.1

Library environment - noise

64.2

Availability of computers

65.5

Library environment - heating

65.9

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

67

Opening hours at the w eekend

71.4

Number of course books and essential texts

71.5

Quality of photocopying / printing

71.8

Opening hours on w eekdays

76.4

Range of print journals

77.5

Range of e-journals

81.3

Helpfulness of the IT staff

84.3

Number of books that can be borrow ed

85

Helpfulness of the library staff

87.7

Range of books

87.9

Self issue machines

88.9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90 100

36

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important.

64.8

Content and availability of library w orkshops Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) The British Library interlibrary loans service

65.5 67.3

Services for students w ith disabilities

73.2 79.7

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

80

Self-issue machines Range of print journals

80.8

Availabilty of group rooms

81.1

Quality of photocopying / printing

83.8

Cost of photocopying / printing

84.6

Library environment - heating

86.9

Availability of computers

87.5

Range of e-books

88.4

Helpfulness of the IT staff

88.9 89

Opening hours at the w eekend Library environment - noise

89.3

Opening hours on w eekdays

89.3

Number of books that can be borrow ed

91.6

Helpfulness of the library staff

91.7

Range of e-journals

92.5

Loan periods

95.8

Number of course books and essential texts

95.8 100

Range of books 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

37

Satisfaction vs importance

Range of books Number of course books and essential texts Loan periods Range of e-journals Helpfulness of the library staff Number of books that can be borrowed Opening hours on weekdays Library environment - noise Opening hours at the weekend Helpfulness of the IT staff Range of e-books Availability of computers Library environment - heating Cost of photocopying / printing Quality of photocopying / printing Availability of group rooms Range of print journals Self-issue machines Time taken to reshelve books and journals Services for students with disabilities The British Library interlibrary loans service Library induction Content and availability of library workshops

Importance

Satisfaction

100 95.8 95.8 92.5 91.7 91.6 89.3 89.3 89 88.9 88.4 87.5 86.9 84.6 83.8 81.1 80.8 80 79.7 73.2 67.3 65.5 64.8

87.9 71.5 55.9 81.3 87.7 85 76.4 64.2 71.4 84.3 62.7 65.5 65.9 58.6 71.8 58.4 77.5 88.9 67 55.9 62.7 57.4 64.1

I-S 12.1 24.3 39.9 11.2 4 6.6 12.9 25.1 17.6 4.6 25.7 22 21 26 12 22.7 3.3 -8.9 12.7 17.3 4.6 8.1 0.7

2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Loan periods Cost of printing and copying Range of e-books Library environment – noise Number of course books

Martin Osborne, Alison Sharman, Lesley Thompson and Helen Williams, Academic Subject Librarians for the faculty responded: 1. Loan periods We will continue to monitor loan periods very closely, whilst maintaining a balance between the wish for longer loan periods and the need to ensure the optimum circulation of books in the collection, and what is possible within our funding limits. 2. Cost of printing and copying Michelle Anderson, Head of Library and Learning Resources and Mike Day, Head of ICT Services responded: ¾

¾

The charges paid by students for printing and photocopying are used to cover the general running costs of providing the service; they are not used as a source of income for the University; This year, the basic cost of running the service has risen by 20%, due to an increase in the cost of raw materials.

38

¾

We recognise that the cost of printing is an important issue for you, and will: o

o

o o

o

Investigate, with Student Services, the possibility of extending the Hardship Fund to include some provision for supporting printing costs; Seek your views on the idea of changing your printing allowance to £5 for level 1, £10 for level 2 and £15 for level 3, to reflect the increase in your printing requirements over the course of your studies; Allocate available resources more fairly by providing pro-rata printing credits for part-time students; Help you to reduce your need to print, by compiling a list of “Top 10 hints”, and in the medium term, work with academics and Registry to review the printing requirements associated with assignment hand-ins, lecture notes and the student handbook. Along with the cost of printing, one of your major priorities (communicated to us through various channels, including the answers to the open question in this survey), is your wish for 24 hour opening in the University Library. We will ask you to tell us if you prioritise 24 hour opening more highly than the additional £10 printing credit for level 3 students.

3. Range of e-books We will seek to extend the range of e-books, bearing in mind that we are dependent on the availability of e-books as determined by publishers (for example many up-to-date law books are not available in e-format) and the resources available to purchase often expensive items. (A recently published ebook in accounting cost £391). 4. Library environment – noise We will seek to instil a greater respect for the environment from our users, as part of a project to develop ways of managing student behaviour. Areas for quiet study are available, for example on the third floor of the University Library. 5. Number of course books We will continue to provide as great a range of course books as is possible within resource constraints. Common issues identified through respondents’ answers to the question “What one thing could we improve” In relation to law, the main concern is up-to-date and a wider range of law books. The need to replace new editions on an annual basis makes it difficult to expand the collection. Multiple copies are generally limited to three, which are often all out on loan. You said: “It would be nice if there was a clear way like a poster showing students how to get other law journals that the library doesn't currently have because of date or they just aren't ones the library has.” We responded: The Academic Subject Librarian is planning to produce a step-by-step guide on finding journal articles in the library and electronically, and she will place a poster

39

to advertise this guide. She is also planning to hold sessions on finding law journals in print and electronically next year. You said: “The whole library system – I think it is very complicated.” We responded: We will seek to make library guides more readily available. We will produce a greater range of guides including a ‘top tips’ guide covering the basics. You said: Core books limited at the Hull campus. We responded: We are liaising with academic staff to improve the collection in Hull. You said: Various comments on using computers. We responded: In-depth induction sessions on IT will be provided at the start of the 2009/10 session. You said: Comments on 24-hour opening We responded: We have requested funding to enable us to open 24 hours during peak periods of the year in 2009/10.

Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? 97.6 % respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

40

Health, Life and Social Science 202 respondents Q6: How satisfied are you with the following?

This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

Services for students w ith disabilities

55

Content and availability of library w orkshops

56

Number of course books and essential texts

57

Cost of photocopying / printing

59 63

Range of print journals

64

Loan periods Library environment - heating

66

The British Library interlibrary loans service

67

Library environment - noise

67

library induction

67

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

68

Range of e-books

68

Range of e-journals

70

Availabilty of group rooms

70

Opening hours at the w eekend

72

Availability of computers

73

Range of books

77

Opening hours on w eekdays

78

Quality of photocopying / printing

78

Number of books that can be borrow ed

85

Helpfulness of the library staff

87

Helpfulness of the IT staff

87

Self issue machines

91

0

20

40

60

80

100

41

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important.

Content and availability of library w orkshops

56.3

Availabilty of group rooms Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Services for students w ith disabilities

64.8 67.2 72.1

The British Library interlibrary loans service

72.8

Self-issue machines

76.8

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

77.9

Library environment - heating

85.4

Quality of photocopying / printing

86.5

Library environment - noise

86.7

Opening hours at the w eekend

87

Range of print journals

88.1

Number of books that can be borrow ed

88.3

Cost of photocopying / printing

89.2

Availability of computers

91.8

Range of e-journals

91.9

Helpfulness of the library staff

91.9

Loan periods

92

Helpfulness of the IT staff

92.2

Opening hours on w eekdays

92.4

Range of e-books

93.4

Number of course books and essential texts

96.5

Range of books

98.5

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

42

Satisfaction vs importance

Range of books Number of course books and essential texts Range of e-books Opening hours on weekdays Helpfulness of the IT staff Loan periods Helpfulness of the library staff Range of e-journals Availability of computers Cost of photocopying / printing Number of books that can be borrowed Range of print journals Opening hours at the weekend Library environment - noise Quality of photocopying / printing Library environment - heating Time taken to reshelve books and journals Self-issue machines The British Library interlibrary loans service Services for students with disabilities Library induction Availability of group rooms Content and availability of library workshops

Importance

Satisfaction

I-S

98.5

77

21.5

96.5 93.4 92.4 92.2 92 91.9 91.9 91.8 89.2 88.3 88.1 87 86.7 86.5 85.4 77.9 76.8 72.8 72.1 67.2 64.8

57 68 78 87 64 87 70 73 59 85 63 72 67 78 66 68 91 67 55 67 70

39.5 25.4 14.4 5.2 28 4.9 21.9 18.8 30.2 3.3 25.1 15 19.7 8.5 19.4 9.9 -14.2 5.8 17.1 0.2 -5.2

56.3

56

0.3

2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Number of course books Cost of photocopying / printing Loan periods Range of e-books Range of print journals

1.Number of course books Kev Cooper, Oonagh Monaghan, Marie Nicholson, Marishona Ortega and Katie Robertson, Academic Subject Librarians for the faculty responded: We will continue to provide as great a range of course books as is possible within resource constraints. The range in Complementary Medicine will be enhanced when books currently held in the Clinic are moved to the library. 2.Cost of printing and copying Michelle Anderson, Head of Library and Learning Resources and Mike Day, Head of ICT Services responded:

¾ The charges paid by students for printing and photocopying are used to cover the general running costs of providing the service; they are not used as a source of income for the University; ¾ This year, the basic cost of running the service has risen by 20%, due to an increase in the cost of raw materials.

43

¾ We recognise that the cost of printing is an important issue for you, and will: o

o

o o

o

Investigate, with Student Services, the possibility of extending the Hardship Fund to include some provision for supporting printing costs; Seek your views on the idea of changing your printing allowance to £5 for level 1, £10 for level 2 and £15 for level 3, to reflect the increase in your printing requirements over the course of your studies; Allocate available resources more fairly by providing pro-rata printing credits for part-time students; Help you to reduce your need to print, by compiling a list of “Top 10 hints”, and in the medium term, work with academics and Registry to review the printing requirements associated with assignment hand-ins, lecture notes and the student handbook. Along with the cost of printing, one of your major priorities (communicated to us through various channels, including the answers to the open question in this survey), is your wish for 24 hour opening in the University Library. We will ask you to tell us if you prioritise 24 hour opening more highly than the additional £10 printing credit for level 3 students.

3. Loan periods We will continue to monitor loan periods very closely, whilst maintaining a balance between the wish for longer loan periods and the need to ensure the optimum circulation of books in the collection, and what is possible within our funding limits. At Riseholme copies of books in heavy demand are held for reference only. In the University Library a copy of a book held in the core collection can be intercepted at the library desk every four hours. 4. Range of e-books We will seek to extend and promote the range of e-books, bearing in mind that we are dependent on the availability of e-books as determined by publishers. Not every subject has a big range. Range of print journals We will liaise with academic staff in order to promote our e-journals, to ensure that any lack of awareness of their existence is rectified. Common issues identified through respondents’ answers to the question “What one thing could we improve” Responses to the open question from the Faculty included those focussed on books (36), opening hours (22) and journals (15). You said: Comment from a full-time nursing student about placement. We respond: We will work with placement co-ordinators to seek to ensure that students on placement are supported as effectively as possible. The posting out of loans to placement students is something we may consider.

44

You said: Told to leave by 2330 on weekdays. We respond: There is an announcement at 2330 that the desk will close in 15 minutes. Users are not asked to prepare to leave until 2345.

Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? 92% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement.

45

Media, Humanities and Technology 89 respondents Q6: How satisfied are you with the following? This chart shows the percentages of the respondents who answered that they were

either fairly or very satisfied with the items listed.

Services for students w ith disabilities

40.7

Availabilty of group rooms

44.1

Cost of photocopying / printing

44.8

The British Library interlibrary loans service

49.3

Library induction

51.3

Content and availability of library w orkshops

51.6

Number of course books

54

Loan periods

56.3

Library environment - heating

57.3

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

58.8

Range of print journals

59

Library environment - noise

59.1

Range of e-journals

66.3

Range of e-books

66.3

Availability of computers

66.7

Quality of photocopying / printing

69

Opening hours at the w eekend

69.4

Opening hours on w eekdays

70.5

Number of books that can be borrow ed

74.2

Range of books

76.4

Helpfulness of the IT staff

80.8

Self issue machines

82.1

Helpfulness of the library staff

86.5 0

20

40

60

80

100

46

Q 7: How important is the following? This chart shows the percentage of respondents who answered that the items listed were either fairly important or very important.

Content and availability of library w orkshops Introduction you received to library services(eg. a library tour) Availabilty of group rooms

48.1 58.8 62.3

Services for students w ith disabilities

66.2

The British Library interlibrary loans service

70.9

Time taken to reshelve books and journals

77.5

Library environment - heating

78.7

Self-issue machines

80

Library environment - noise

82

Availability of computers

83

Number of books that can be borrow ed

83.1

Quality of photocopying / printing

83.9

Helpfulness of the IT staff

84.1

Range of e-books

84.9

Opening hours at the w eekend

84.9

Range of e-journals

86

Cost of photocopying / printing

86.4

Range of print journals

87.1

Opening hours on w eekdays

88.6

Number of course books and essential texts

90.8

Loan periods

90.9

Helpfulness of the library staff

91

Range of books

97.7 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

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Satisfaction vs importance

Range of books Helpfulness of the library staff Loan periods Number of course books and essential texts Opening hours on weekdays Range of print journals Cost of photocopying / printing Range of e-journals Opening hours at the weekend Range of e-books Helpfulness of the IT staff Quality of photocopying / printing Number of books that can be borrowed Availability of computers Library environment - noise Self-issue machines Library environment - heating Time taken to reshelve books and journals The British Library interlibrary loans service Services for students with disabilities Availability of group rooms Library induction Content and availability of library workshops

Importance 97.7 91 90.9 90.8 88.6 87.1 86.4 86 84.9 84.9 84.1 83.9 83.1 83 82 80 78.7 77.5 70.9 66.2 62.3 58.8 48.1

Satisfaction 76.4 86.5 56.3 54 70.5 59 44.8 66.3 69.4 66.3 80.8 44.8 74.2 66.7 59.1 82.1 57.3 58.8 49.3 40.7 44.1 51.3 51.6

I-S 21.3 4.5 34.6 36.8 18.1 28.1 41.6 19.7 15.5 18.6 3.3 39.1 8.9 16.3 22.9 -2.1 21.4 18.7 21.6 25.5 18.2 7.5 -3.5

2008/9: Items identified as high importance and low satisfaction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Cost of photocopying / printing Quality of photocopying / printing Number of course books Loan periods Range of print journals

We welcome your feedback and the opportunity to respond to the issues that you have identified: 1. Cost of photocopying / printing Michelle Anderson, Head of Library and Learning Resources and Mike Day, Head of ICT Services responded:

¾ The charges paid by students for printing and photocopying are used to cover the general running costs of providing the service; they are not used as a source of income for the University; ¾ This year, the basic cost of running the service has risen by 20%, due to an increase in the cost of raw materials. ¾ We recognise that the cost of printing is an important issue for you, and will: o

o

Investigate, with Student Services, the possibility of extending the Hardship Fund to include some provision for supporting printing costs; Seek your views on the idea of changing your printing allowance to £5 for level 1, £10 for level 2 and £15 for level 3, to reflect the

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o o

o

increase in your printing requirements over the course of your studies; Allocate available resources more fairly by providing pro-rata printing credits for part-time students; Help you to reduce your need to print, by compiling a list of “Top 10 hints”, and in the medium term, work with academics and Registry to review the printing requirements associated with assignment hand-ins, lecture notes and the student handbook. Along with the cost of printing, one of your major priorities (communicated to us through various channels, including the answers to the open question in this survey), is your wish for 24 hour opening in the University Library. We will ask you to tell us if you prioritise 24 hour opening more highly than the additional £10 printing credit for level 3 students.

2. Quality of photocopying / printing Tony Broome, IT Services Manager responded: We are committed to providing you with a high quality service. If you are not completely satisfied with the quality of your printing, please go to the 1st floor desk of the University Library and we will do our best to help you. 3 and 4. Number of course books / loan periods: please see individual comments listed below from the Academic Subject Librarians. 5. Range of print journals: please see individual comments listed below from the Academic Subject Librarians. Issues identified through respondents answers to the question “what one thing could we do to improve Library and Learning Resources for you?” You said: “The access to online sources is extremely difficult, you should redevelop the entire website of the catalogue and electronic sources. It is very frustrating that such an amount of sources are in fact unavailable because the website is so confuse and poorly organised. You should organised the sources by topic in the catalogue, not only in portal. The catalogue is misleading, it says ejournals and it is not very clear that it is possible to access databases from there. Then you have a confusing link called packages that is 'slightly' cryptic. No clear how to access ebook from the catalogue as well.” Paul Stainthorp, Electronic Resources Librarian responded: Over the last year, we have been working to improve the quality of the information on our Electronic Journals A-to-Z site, so that you're less likely to find inaccurate information about e-journals. We have also added the details of more than 40,000 e-books to our catalogue, so that they're much easier to find. We will be running workshops on using e-books and journals, at all campuses, from September 2009, and we have just updated our e-book help guides. We have begun a review and redesign of all of our web pages – including the Library Portal, Blackboard, and Electronic Journals A-to-Z – to improve the way we present information about our electronic resources. This will include more subject-specific information, clearer instructions on using the resources, along with text and video help guides and tutorials. We will include a period of testing

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the new pages with students and staff, to get your advice on the best way of presenting the databases, e-journals and e-books. In the last year, we have added upwards of 10,000 new e-journal titles to the Ato-Z, including the important JSTOR package. We are now launching a "New ejournals" current-awareness service to help you keep up-to-date with what's available, and will continue to develop "Find it @ Lincoln" as the easiest way of locating and accessing full-text articles online. While we are pursuing a strategy of growing our e-book collections as a natural successor for the kinds of "just-in-time" copies that we currently provide via e.g. the library Core Collection, we don't believe that they will ever replace a printed book collection entirely. Lesley Church, Academic Subject Librarian for Humanities responded to your comments: Ensure that e-books…are not allowed to replace physical books… We understand that physical books still need to be available alongside e-books. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. E-books have the advantage of always being available for any number of students at any one time from any computer with access to the internet. We are aware that some students prefer to read from a book rather than from a computer screen, and that students may not have easy access to a computer everywhere they might like to read. If a book is on a reading list there should be at least one copy of the physical book available in the library even if the electronic version is available. If a book is not on a reading list, in some cases only the electronic version may be held: this is likely to happen when an e-book is available as part of a package such as Ebrary. Our subscription to Ebrary has given us access to a huge package of e-books, a large proportion of which are books not held on our shelves and which we would not otherwise have bought but which greatly increase the breadth and depth of the collection. More books relating to American Studies American Studies is still a relatively new degree subject at the university and the library collection is in its early stages. The numbers of students on the course are small, and as library book funds are based on a combination of student numbers and average cost of books in that subject, the annual book budget for the subject is small. Where units overlap with History and English, books are bought from the book funds for these subjects. However, American Studies covers all subject areas, and books will be found in a variety of different areas of the library. Finding these books depends on good use of the library catalogue – which will also provide access to the many e-books available. Library needs far more books, especially in History department History, along with all the other humanities subjects – American Studies, Drama, English – is a course which requires students to read a wide variety of books. They are not subjects where multiple copies of a small number of titles can be bought. At a basic level, there should always be copies of books which are on reading lists held on the library shelves and electronically if available, and beyond this, the librarian buys books to build up the breadth and depth of the collection relevant to units studied, through, for example, recommendations from tutors.

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As with American Studies, history books will be found in many areas of the library and at a variety of class numbers shelved on different floors of the library, so thorough searching of the library catalogue is vital to find out where to look, and also to access the wide range of electronic books available. There may well be more resources available than you thought. Journal articles are as essential as books and a very valuable source of information for history. The library holds a wide range of history journals both in print and electronically. The best database for British history, the Royal Historical Society Bibliography, not only provides references to journal articles, but to books and chapters in books – many of which will be available in the library, either in print or electronically. …more contemporary material for drama and more of them please We are aware that some contemporary playwrights are underrepresented in the library’s collection, and that numbers of copies of contemporary play texts are limited. It is not usually possible to provide enough copies of play texts to enable all members of a seminar group to have a copy at the same time. If a play is being studied over several weeks, students would be expected to buy their own copy – play texts are relatively inexpensive. The library will continue to build up the collection of contemporary material, both play texts and critical works, but Drama requires such a wide variety of titles and critical material that it is not possible to provide large numbers of multiple copies without seriously restricting the coverage of the collection. For older plays, full text can often be found online, particularly on Literature Online. Though Drama books are concentrated in two main areas of the library – 800s and 792 – it is still vital to use the library catalogue to find out exactly what is available and where it is on the shelves, and to access the e-books available via MyiLibrary and Ebrary – many of these are not held on the library shelves. In addition for Drama but not yet linked to the library catalogue, full text books are available via The International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance, and Cambridge Collections Online (Portal>Library and Learning Resources>eLibrary) More copies of popular books. Sometimes a certain book can be hard to get hold of if all the English students want it If you are having difficulty getting hold of a book you need, email or speak to your subject librarian who can adjust the loan periods of the copies held in the library, and/or buy additional copies. Check the library catalogue to see whether an electronic version of the book is available. Novels, poems and plays are available full text on Literature Online (though not twentieth century works which are still in copyright) via the Portal>Library and Learning Resources>eLibrary. Don’t forget to check Lincolnshire Libraries’ catalogue – a novel, poem or play you need may well be available there. If you just need to read one chapter of a critical work, ask your tutor to ask the Subject Librarian to digitise it and make it available on Blackboard.

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Daren Mansfield, Academic subject Librarian for Journalism and Technology responded to your comments: Buy more XNA books Although there are only three XNA books on the library catalogue, including one e-book, there are more available on the ebrary database located within the elibrary section of the Portal. By conducting a keyword search on the ebrary database for XNA thirty-five results appear. These can be viewed on or off campus. I intend to purchase more books specifically about XNA when the new book budget arrives in August 2009. Buy more C# programming books The library did purchase a number of 2008 latest edition print titles. In addition, on a search on ebrary there were several books available on C#. Buy more up-to-date books The 2008/09 budget has been predominantly spent on e-books, so it appears that the hard copy section is out of date. Check ebrary for details, although it is worth searching the database because the title keyword (C# or XNA) collects many more results than the library catalogue. I intend to promote the e-books more heavily using video tutorials. I've recently produced a help guide on e-books for Computing too. Faye Cleminson, Academic Subject Librarian for Media Production and Media, Culture and Communications responded to your comments: Buy more copies of Lister “New media” I have purchased the electronic copy of Lister, New Media. Provide a tutorial for using e-journals on each computer. I will arrange drop in sessions in MHAC, on using e-journals and databases. Printing too expensive I will offer training on reading and notetaking (thereby reducing the need to print. Q8: How far would you agree with the statement “Overall, Library and Learning Resources provides me with a good service”? 93.3% respondents tended to, or strongly agreed with this statement. Riseholme College

For information on the priorities of these students, please see the analysis for Holbeach and Riseholme campuses.

Lys Ann Reiners, May 2009 52