2006 Survey Georgetown University Library

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. What is the LibQUAL+™ survey?
2. What does the survey measure?
3. How will this survey benefit the Georgetown community?
4. How and when is the Georgetown libraries’ survey being conducted?
5. Are responses confidential?
6. Do all libraries use the same questions?
7. How can I get more information about LibQUAL+™?

Completing the Survey

1. How long will the survey take?
2. Can I skip questions that don't apply to me?
3. Will there be any special incentives for participating?
4. What if I cannot open the URL from my email?
5. Why does the survey seem to repeat the same question(s)?
6. Why are reminders sent to respondents who have completed the survey?

Results

1. What will be done with the survey results?
2. What information is shared with other institutions?
3. What do the survey results look like?

________________________________________

General Questions

1. What is the LibQUAL+™ survey?

LibQUAL+™ is a suite of services that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users’ opinions of service quality. These services are offered to the library community by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The program’s centerpiece is a rigorously tested Web-based survey that, paired with intense, tailored training helps participating libraries improve their services and examine their organizational culture.

2. What does the survey measure?

The survey addresses three service quality dimensions found to be valid in previous assessments of library services:

• Affect of Service,
• Library as Place
• Information Control

Each question has three parts that ask respondents to indicate

1. the minimum service level they will accept,
2. their desired service level and
3. the level of service they perceive as being currently provided.
   

This design permits analysis of gaps between expectations, perception, and minimum acceptance level of service.

3. How will this survey benefit the Georgetown community?

This project allows libraries to compare their service quality with other peer institutions, and in turn,to develop benchmarks and identify best practices across institutions. By taking action based on the results of this survey, the libraries can be more responsive to users’ needs and provide services that are better aligned to users’ expectations.

We are also interested in comparing the 2004 survey results to the current year, and in comparing ourselves to other Jesuit colleges and universities.

4. How and when is the survey being conducted?

On Monday, March 20, all randomly selected participants received an email with an embedded URL for the actual survey. Before April 7, when the survey closes, at least one automatic reminder notice will be sent out.
The data for all participating institutions will be collected on secure servers located in the Texas A&M University Library. Each response will be stored separately as it reaches the server, and survey results will ultimately be reported back to the participating institutions as aggregate mean score data.
Georgetown will receive raw results in late spring, and interpreted results at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June 2006. As they are reviewed and compiled, these results will be posted on http://www.library.georgetown.edu/libqual/, the library’s LibQual site.

5. Are responses confidential?

Yes. The information that the survey captures is very difficult to trace back to an individual. Also, everything possible is done to separate personal information from survey responses. Email addresses are not saved with responses, and therefore cannot be linked back to them.
Confidentiality is also ensured for participants who enter the incentive drawing since, in addition to the above precautions, their email addresses are discarded after the draw.

6. Do all libraries use the same questions?

All libraries participating in the 2006 LibQUAL+™ survey will use the same 22 core questions and demographic questions. In addition, each Library may select 5 questions from a list of 122 optional questions. The Georgetown Libraries, along with the other libraries of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, have chosen the five questions at the end of the survey.

7. How can I get more information about LibQUAL+™?

For more information, see the LibQUAL+™ homepage at http://www.libqual.org.

[TOP OF PAGE]

________________________________________

Completing the Survey

1. How long will the survey take?

About 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Can I skip questions that don't apply to me?

Please do not skip any questions in the LibQUAL+™ survey. If you do not wish to answer a question or feel a question does not apply to you, check the N/A (not applicable) box. Surveys whose core questions are not completely filled out will not be counted in the aggregate scores.

3. Will there be any special incentives for participating?

There will be a drawing for 10 prizes of $50.00 gift certificates to the Georgetown University Bookstore. To enter, simply check the appropriate box at the end of the survey. Award winners will be contacted towards the end of April.

4. What if I cannot open the URL from my email?

If you have trouble opening the URL from within your email message, you can copy the URL and paste it into your Web browser. If that does not work, please notify mailto:libqualhelp@georgetown.edu

5. Why does the survey seem to repeat the same question(s)?

The survey examines a variety of dimensions of library services, each represented by a number of questions. Repetition or redundancy in questions allows the survey designers to analyze the validity of each service quality dimension through statistical methods.

6. Why are reminders sent to respondents who have already completed the survey?

Due to initial security and confidentiality features, everyone surveyed will receive reminders, even those who have already responded. When submitted, survey responses and identifying information are immediately separated, so we have no way of knowing who has already responded. Reminders, therefore, are distributed to everyone in the survey group.

[TOP OF PAGE]

________________________________________

Results

1. What will be done with the survey results?

Survey data is transmitted directly from the LibQUAL+™ server to a local database. The data is analyzed and reports are generated for individual libraries, providing information on how users perceive the quality of their service. Participating institutions will have access to summary results for each institution, and in our case, to AJCU and ARL libraries.

2. What information is shared with other institutions?

Only summary statistics are shared with other institutions. The survey summary results will be made available to participants on a password-protected Web site. Users' comments (from the comments section) will be made available exclusively to the users' institution.

3. Where and when will results be posted?

Preliminary results are available on the main LibQUAL+™ page. The full analysis of results will be posted in early July.

Back to Top