10 SCONUL Newsle e 29 Summe /Au umn 2003
SCONUL Newsle e 29 Summe /Au umn 2003 11
Conduc ing a
lib a y su ey
using he Lib a
package
Helen Fallon
Depu y Lib a ian,
Na ional Uni e si y o I eland,
Maynoo h, I eland
Tel: + 353 1 7083880
E-mail: Helen.b. [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
The lib a y a he Na ional Uni e si y o I eland
Maynoo h ecen ly ca ied ou a use su ey.
While he lib a y had p e iously ca ied ou
su eys, he main impe us behind his pa icula
su ey is he quali y e iew exe cise he lib a y is
cu en ly unde aking. This is pa o he qual-
i y assu ance and quali y imp o emen (QA/QI)
p ocess, implemen ed unde Sec ion 35 o he
Uni e si ies Ac 1997, which aims o de elop
and os e a quali y cul u e ac oss all a eas o he
uni e si y.
The Uni e si y Quali y P omo ion O i ce, a body
wi h o e all esponsibili y wi hin he uni e si y
o he QA/QI p ocess, ecommended a b oad-
based ques ionnai e su ey o bo h academic
s a and s uden s. A s ee ing g oup, led by he
Depu y Lib a ian, was es ablished o manage he
p ocess.
THE SURVEY TOOL
Along wi h a numbe o I ish uni e si y lib a ies
he lib a y pu chased, in 1996, a 5-yea Lib a so -
wa e licence om P io i y Sea ch (subsequen ly
P io i y Resea ch). The license expi ed in 2001.
The cos o enewing he license was conside ably
less han aking ou a new one, especially when
he main enance cos was bo ne in mind.
The decision was made o enew he licence o
Lib a, based on a numbe o ac o s - NUIM had
al eady used he package, hus he e was a le el
o amilia i y and expe ise a ailable; o he uni-
e si y lib a ies in I eland we e using he package
and could p o ide a ne wo k o local suppo ;
om p e ious expe ience i was known ha he
quali y o he ou pu was e y high and he cos
was ha o license enewal a he han a i s - ime
pu chase.
The package is supplied on disc, wi h p in docu-
men a ion. In addi ion he e a e a ange o online
help sc eens and pe sonal assis ance is a ailable
om a London-based help desk. My expe ience
was ha elephone calls and e-mail we e gene ally
answe ed immedia ely, wi h e y clea de ailed
esponses o que ies.
Wi h he ini ial licence pu chase a digi ising able
and a special digi ising s ylus was supplied.
Loading he so wa e and se ing up he digi ise
is a ela i ely s aigh o wa d p ocess. How-
e e , he help desk is a ailable o alk cus ome s
h ough his p ocess should hey expe ience di -
i cul ies.
METHODOLOGY
The Lib a me hodology in ol es deciding on an
open ques ion and ocusing, wi h a sample o he
a ge g oup, on his ques ion o iden i y issues
and conce ns.
The open ques ion mus be ai ly b oad and mus
be a icula ed in posi i e e ms.
Ou open ques ion was
How can we imp o e on he se ice we p o ide o
ou use s
This ques ion was pu o s uden s and academic
s a h ough ocus g oup sessions in he lib a y,
h ough mee ing wi h s uden s a key loca ions
such as he s uden can een and ba , ia an in e -
nal pos al mail sho o academic s a and h ough
a pos ing on ou lib a y websi e.
A ull epo on he ocusing exe cise is a ailable
in he Summe 2003 NUIM Lib a y Newsle e a
h p://www.may.ie/lib a y/publica ions/pd /
2003-summe .pd
The esponses o he open ques ion we e hen
g ouped o clus e ed by b oad ca ego y. These
esponses o med he basis o he ques ionnai e,
which is made up o h ee sec ions:
• Da a i elds
• A i ude scales
• Pai ed compa isons
In he Da a i elds sec ion, in o ma ion we sough
included gende , age, leng h o se ice, yea o
s udy, acul y, equency o use o lib a y – bo h
in pe son and emo ely - and p e e ed me hod o
deli e y o in o ma ion skills aining. This sec-
ion is d awn up in Mic oso Publishe . Sample
12 SCONUL Newsle e 29 Summe /Au umn 2003
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empla es, which can be cus omised, a e p o ided
as pa o he package.
The A i ude scales sec ion is also c ea ed in
Mic oso Publishe . Again, sample empla es a e
p o ided. These scales gi e in o ma ion abou
how s ongly people eel abou a speci ic issue
- om s ongly ag ee o s ongly disag ee.
The hi d pa o he ques ionnai e – he Pai ed
Compa isons – is cen al o how Lib a ope a es.
Based on he esponses o he ocusing ques ion,
om 10 o 42 i ems a e chosen. We selec ed 30
a eas o conce n iden i ied h ough he ocus-
ing exe cise. These included eques s o mo e
ex books, longe hou s o opening, mo e PCs
wi h in e ne access and mo e in o ma ion skills
aining. Each sugges ion is pai ed h ee imes
and he choice o which sugges ion is pai ed wi h
which is made by he compu e on a nume ical
basis. Pai ed compa isons allow people o assess
he ela i e impo ance o i ems wo a a ime. I
is hen possible o he compu e o calcula e he
ela i e impo ance o all he i ems, and ank
hem in o de o impo ance.
While he e is a e y s uc u ed p ocess in ol ed
in d awing up a Lib a ques ionnai e, i is up o he
indi idual lib a y o decide wha o include. In
addi ion o using he eedback om he ocusing
exe cise, he su ey eam included a eas/se ices
ha a e ela i ely new o de eloping he e, such
as in o ma ion skills aining and amilia i y wi h
subjec lib a ians.
Lib a allows o one o mo e open ques ion.
Howe e , hese mus be analysed manually.
We added wo open ques ions. Wi h o e 800
esponses, he manual analysis was ime consum-
ing. Also one o ou wo ques ions I you could
change one hing abou he lib a y wha would you
change? ended o gene a e in o ma ion ha came
ou o he o he sec ions o he su ey, pa icula ly
he pai ed compa isons. Howe e , i was use ul
in ha i h ew ligh on an ambigui y in he inal
analysis o he esul s. A signi ican numbe o
esea ch pos g adua es highligh ed he need o
mo e ex books. On i s glance his was puz-
zling, howe e om he esponse o he i s open
ques ion i became ob ious ha hey we e de in-
ing ex books as he co e books o hei esea ch
opic. The second ques ion Wha one new se ice
would you like o see he Lib a y in oduce? gene -
a ed a numbe o in e es ing sugges ions includ-
ing eques s o in e ne connec i i y o pe sonal
lap ops.
Wi h he open ques ion included, ou su ey
an o eigh pages, in ou sec ions - da a ields,
a i ude scales, pai ed compa isons and wo
open ques ions. Apa om he open ques ions,
which equi ed ee ex esponses, all o he a eas
in ol ed icking a esponse box.
CONDUCTING THE SURVEY
Planning
The su ey s ee ing g oup d ew up a p ojec
plan o include imescale, s a ing esou ces and
inance. The ime ame was in luenced by a
numbe o ac o s he mos signi ican o hese
being examina ion schedules. When examina-
ions loom la ge on he ho izon, s uden s do no
wish o ake e en a sho ime ou o comple e a
ques ionnai e. The ques ionnai e had, he e o e, o
be dis ibu ed and e u ned by he main body o
he a ge popula ion, by 11 o Ap il – he conclu-
sion o he second semes e . Because he exe cise
was pa o he quali y e iew p ocess, some und-
ing was a ailable om he uni e si y owa ds
he su ey. Howe e , he majo i y o s a ime
owa ds he su ey had o be me wi hin he
no mal s a ing budge .
Pilo ing
A e he su ey was d awn up i was pilo ed
on a small g oup o he a ge popula ion. This
helped es ablish how long i ook o comple e – 12
minu es – and also assis ed in i oning ou any
ambigui ies in e minology.
Iden i ying he sample
As wi h any su ey, he idea wi h Lib a is no o
su ey all you a ge popula ion, a he a sample
o he popula ion. We wished o ha e a ep e-
sen a i e sample o ou use popula ion and hus
used a s a i ied andom sample. A s a i ied
sample is ob ained by aking samples om each
s a um o sub-g oup o a popula ion. Wi hin ou
a ge popula ion we ook a sample numbe o
people in each o he ollowing ca ego ies – aca-
demics, esea ch pos g adua e, augh pos g adu-
a e, highe diploma, unde g adua e – and u he
s a i ied hem by subjec a ea – a s, science,
heology. We ecei ed assis ance om a s a is i-
cian on d awing up he sample.
P io i y Resea ch Limi ed ecommends ha o
gene al use su eys a minimum o 500 co ec ly
comple ed ques ionnai es should be he goal. Fo
s a su eys i is sugges ed ha he ques ionnai e
be dis ibu ed o all s a and he aim should be o
ge a 70% esponse. Bea ing hese igu es in mind
and aking in o accoun ecommenda ions om a
12 SCONUL Newsle e 29 Summe /Au umn 2003
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s a is ician, he lib a y p oduced 1,200 ques ion-
nai es. This ook some ime and in ol ed inan-
cial cos s o pho ocopying.
Dis ibu ing he ques ionnai e
The majo i y o unde g adua es, augh pos -
g adua es and highe diploma s uden s, we e
su eyed du ing lec u e ime. I was hus e y
necessa y ha academics be ully in o med and
suppo i e o he p ocess. Resea ch pos g adu-
a es we e su eyed h ough he ex e nal pos al
sys em, academic s a hough he in e nal sys em.
Responden s we e in i ed o gi e hei name
and con ac de ails – on a sepa a e o m - i hey
wished o be included in a a le o a one hun-
d ed eu o book oken.
Dis ibu ing he ques ionnai e du ing lec u e ime
mean ha i was possible o ge a la ge amoun
o esponses in a ai ly sho ime. I also allowed
he su ey eam o deal, on he spo , wi h any
ques ions esponden s had. This and he ac
ha e y clea ins uc ions we e sen ou o hose
answe ing by pos , helped o con ibu e o he ac
ha 842 su eys we e co ec ly comple ed ou o
1,159 dis ibu ed – a 72.6% esponse a e - and less
han a dozen su eys had o be disca ded because
o inco ec comple ion. Wi h a ull ime academic
s a popula ion o 260 and o e 5,000 s uden s we
el his was a good ep esen a i e sample o ou
popula ion.
Digi ising and p ocessing he esul s
Each comple ed su ey had o be digi ised, using
he digi ising able and s ylus. This p o ides o
a high deg ee o accu acy. We ound ha app oxi-
ma ely 25 ques ionnai es could be digi ised pe
hou . Thus, wi h a esponse a e o o e 800 ques-
ionnai es, digi ising ook app oxima ely 32 hou s,
a no inconside able leng h o ime. Because o he
epe i i e na u e o he digi ising i is no easible
o one pe son o spend a leng hy ime digi ising,
a he he ask has o be sha ed.
Once digi ising is comple ed, he sys em p oc-
esses – in a ma e o minu es - he in o ma ion
ha has been inpu .
Analysis and p oduc ion o he epo
P io i y Resea ch Limi ed o e s a acili y whe eby
hey will ake he da a a his s age and p oduce
he inal epo o he clien . On a e age a ull
su ey epo cos s in he egion o £2,500.
This was no an op ion we explo ed. Ins ead we
used he Mic oso Publishe su ey epo em-
pla e which comes as pa o he package. Wi hin
he empla e, pages o con en s, in oduc ion,
me hodology, explana ion o cha s and g aphs
and o e all esul s –in g aphic o m wi h com-
men a y - a e p o ided. These mus be cus om-
ised.
Th ough a a ie y o ou pu op ions, including a
ange o g aphs, his og ams and pie cha s, he
Lib a so wa e p oduces wo ypes o analysis.
Quan i a i e analysis p o ides igu es o how
many people all in o a pa icula ick-box ca -
ego y. Using his ype o analysis, we we e able o
see a a glance he b eakdown be ween ull- ime
and pa - ime s uden s, among ou esponden s.
The quali a i e da a, which is gene a ed om he
pai ed compa isons sec ion, hen allowed us o
examine he di e en p io i ies o ull- ime and
pa - ime s uden s. C oss- abula ion and il e ing
ea u es allow u he le els o analysis.
F om he da a gene a ed he lib a y was able o
analyse a wide ange o in o ma ion ha will
be used in he u u e planning o ou se ice.
Ve y speci ic in o ma ion, such as wha ypes o
use a e accessing he lib a y emo ely and how
equen ly, will ha e implica ions o collec ion
managemen decisions. In he same way s uden
awa eness o he subjec lib a ian and hei ole,
can be add essed wi h he speci ic g oups, whe e
a lack o awa eness was eco ded.
C ea ing, sa ing and impo ing g aphs and
cha s om he Lib a package in o he Mic oso
Publishe empla e is a ela i ely s aigh o wa d
p ocess. While cha s ha e o be esized o i
he empla e, a de ailed knowledge o Mic oso
Publishe is no equi ed. Fo a p esen a ion o
lib a y s a , i was possible o inse g aphs as
pic u es in o Powe Poin . The same can be done
wi h Mic oso Wo d. Demog aphic (quan i a i e
da a) can also be expo ed in o Excel and Access
should u he analysis be equi ed.
The shee ange o in o ma ion Lib a is capable
o gene a ing, and he ex ensi e ange o il e -
ing op ions a ailable, o e endless possibili ies
o analysis and commen a y. Howe e , hough
should be gi en o he le el o analysis ha is
needed and wha ype o in o ma ion he lib a y
is mos likely o be able o ac upon. The com-
men a y o accompany he analysis should illumi-
na e he analysis u he and possibly elabo a e on
he ac ion he lib a y hopes o ake on in o ma ion
gained om he su ey.
CONCLUSION
Using he Lib a package, he lib a y p oduced a
e y comp ehensi e and a ac i ely p esen ed
su ey epo , which was based on he issues
14 SCONUL Newsle e 29 Summe /Au umn 2003
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iden i ied as conce ns by s uden s, academic
s a and membe s o he su ey eam. While
he ocusing exe cise ook ime, i was a use ul
oppo uni y o mee ace- o- ace wi h s uden s
and o make hem mo e awa e o he lib a y and
ou conce n o con inue o de elop and imp o e
he se ice we p o ide.
A su ey encompassing all ou use g oups ook
some ime o se up, adminis e , digi ise, analyse
and epo on. The lib a y would no be in a
posi ion o ca y ou a su ey on such a scale each
yea . Howe e , smalle su eys wi h speci ic
use g oups could be ca ied ou annually using
he ques ionnai e, wi h some modi ica ions,
c ea ed o his su ey. Cus ome s o P io i y
Resea ch Limi ed now ha e he op ion o u ilising
hei annual main enance paymen o pu chase a
ee single web based su ey each yea . The web
ques ionnai e is limi ed o 2-3 pages o demo-
g aphics, 4-5 pages o a ing s a emen s and 18
pai ed compa ison i ems.
O ganisa ions can also commission P io i y
Resea ch o ca y ou a web-based su ey on hei
behal . The cos o his depends on he size o he
su ey and he ime in ol ed.
All in all his was a e y use ul exe cise. The
challenge now acing he lib a y is o ac on he
esul s in such a way as o u he de elop lib a y
se ices.