Overview

The Regents Committee on Academic Libraries (RACL) has decided to participate in the 2006 LibQUAL+ Survey. Not all University System of Georgia libraries will participate, but the majority will do so. The LibQUAL+ Survey is sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in conjunction with Texas A & M University.

Colleges, universities of all sizes have administered LibQUAL+ since its inception in 2000. The majority of participants have been U.S. academic libraries; other participants are public libraries, medical, government, and other special libraries, and a few international participants.

Other consortia that have participated include: OhioLINK , Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL), State University Libraries of Florida, NY3Rs (academic and public libraries in New York state); Oberlin Library Group, and University of Wisconsin Library System. Georgia's own AMPALS participated in spring 2005.

The goals of LibQUAL+ are to

Foster a culture of excellence in providing library service
Help libraries better understand user perceptions of library service quality
Collect and interpret library user feedback systematically over time
Provide libraries with comparable assessment information from peer institutions
Identify best practices in library service
Enhance library staff members' analytical skills for interpreting and acting on data

Libraries participate in LibQUAL for some of the following reasons:

They have identified assessment as a priority.
The LibQUAL+ Survey is a tested and revised instrument based on the experiences of many libraries (the instrument has been administered approximately 1000 times by approximately 500 libraries).
Using LibQUAL+ provided a common tool for individual libraries to compare themselves to other consortia-affiliated libraries (as well as comparisons with libraries across the country).
SACS accreditation efforts can benefit from LibQUAL+ Survey data.

In addition, consortia benefit from participating in LibQUAL+ as follows:

Opportunity to compare with peer institutions is valuable and provides a broader measure.
An analysis of group results and a group/aggregate notebook is provided to consortial participants.
The ability to add five additional questions to the survey as a unified group; data from those questions will be included in the group notebook.
The opportunity for a locally hosted, customized results meeting (depending on the number of consortium participants and the availability of the LibQUAL+ team).

The five local questions that USG libraries have chosen are:

Convenience of borrowing books from other colleges
Library orientations / instruction sessions
Ready access to computers / Internet / software
Convenient service hours
Ability to navigate library Web pages easily

The 27 questions that already exist in the survey instrument are:

Employees who instill confidence in users
Making electronic resources accessible from my home or office
Library space that inspires study and learning
Giving users individual attention
A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own
An environment that facilitates group study and problem solving
Employees who are consistently courteous
The printed library materials I need for my work
Quiet space for individual activities
Readiness to respond to users' questions
The electronic information resources I need
Providing help when and where I need it
Employees who have the knowledge to answer user questions
Collections of online full-text articles sufficient to meet my needs
A comfortable and inviting location
Employees who deal with users in a caring fashion
Modern equipment that lets me easily access needed information
Availability of subject specialist assistance
Employees who understand the needs of their users
Easy-to-use access tools that allow me to find things on my own
A getaway for study, learning, or research
Willingness to help users
Making information easily accessible for independent use
Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work
Community space for group learning and group study
Helpfulness in dealing with users' IT problems
Dependability in handling users' service problems

For more information, go to the LibQUAL+ website at: http://www.libqual.org/. There's a detailed LibQUAL+ Procedures Manual (78 pages) available at: http://www.libqual.org/Manual/index.cfm. A free LibQUAL+ Introductory Workshop is held at ALA Midwinter in San Antonio on Monday, January 23, from 9:00 to 12 noon; for details go to: http://www.libqual.org/Events/index.cfm. The specific hotel or convention center location for this workshop is yet to be determined.

USG Libraries participating and when (if this is known) are as follows:

Will administer LibQUAL+ Survey in spring 2006:

Georgia Highlands College
Georgia Southern University
North Georgia College & State University

As far as I know the remaining participants will administer their LibQUAL+ Survey in fall 2006 and they are:

Dalton State College
East Georgia College
South Georgia College
Waycross College
Georgia Tech
University of Georgia
Valdosta State University
Augusta State University
Clayton State University
Columbus State University
Georgia College & State University
Savannah State University
Coastal Georgia Community College
Gwinnett University System Center (or Georgia Gwinnett University)
University of West Georgia
Georgia Perimeter College
Bainbridge College
Gordon College

If you have any questions about this, please consult with your library director/dean or contact me.

Kathy Tomajko
Assistant to the Dean of Libraries
Library & Information Center
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta , GA 30332-0900
p: 404-894-4527
f: 404-894-6084
kathy.tomajko@library.gatech.edu