Your voice matters: 2018 library client survey results
In September 2018, we invited a selection of Deakin students and staff to tell us what they thought of our library service. Using a standardised survey format, administered by a professional survey team, we had 2618 responses and more than 2000 comments. Thank you for taking the time to tell us what you think!
From this survey, we learned that:
- Generally, Deakin students and staff are satisfied with the library service. We are in the top 25% of Australian and New Zealand libraries in terms of user satisfaction.
- There are some aspects that you told us we can improve upon. These include:
- More study space – both quiet study and group spaces
- An improved search facility
- Improved computer availability
- Better mobile interfaces for the electronic resources you need
Here’s what we are doing in response:
1. Adding and improving study spaces
Working with Deakin’s Facilities Services Division, we will be taking a long-term view of study space across all campuses. In the shorter term, we are:
- Increasing the seating capacity of Burwood Library by 15%
- Building new toilet facilities at Burwood Library along with an area for students to warm up food and buy food after the café is closed
- Exploring the possibility of a coffee cart at Burwood Library when the café is closed
- Upgrading and replacing furniture at all campuses to meet student needs
- Exploring the possibility of moving a ‘closed’ low-use collection from Waterfront Library to free up 200 square metres of space
- Considering opening more of the Waurn Ponds Library 24 hours
2. Improving search functionality and search on mobile devices
In 2019 we will be exploring the possibility of replacing or upgrading our existing IT systems to better support mobile devices and provide an improved search experience.
We currently have a number of people working on the metadata which support searches – with about 175,000 journals and over a million books (digital and print). This is never quick or easy, but we are already making positive inroads to the problem.
3. Increasing computer availability
As most incoming students bring their own device to uni, we want to make sure the majority of space in our libraries is dedicated to desks and seats where they can use their own laptops and tablets.
However, to support both students who want to bring their own device to study and those who need a computer to use, we plan to:
- Upgrade the wireless network to support more, faster connections
- Extend the existing PC booking system to support more equitable use of the PCs we have
- Ensure that all existing power points are working and investigate the installation of more power points to support the use of your device
No matter how you use the library, we look forward to improving your experience. Thank you again to those of you who took the time to let us know your thoughts.
If you have any other ideas for improvements or comments on the service, please email the University Librarian, Craig Anderson, at [email protected].