Odum Library Staff Development Committee
Needs Assessment Survey - 1997
Questionnaire
1. What is your current position? (check one)
____faculty
____paraprofessional
____clerical
2. In what area of the Library do you work?
____Technical services
____Public services
3. In your current position, do you supervise others? (check all that apply)
____faculty
____paraprofessionals
____clerical staff
____graduate assistants
____student assistants
____I do not supervise others
4. What is your educational background? (check highest level that applies)
____high school
____some college
____undergraduate degree
____graduate degree
5. How long have you been associated with library work?
____1-2 years
____2-5 years
____5-7 years
____7-10 years
____more than 10 years
6. How long have you worked in Odum Library?
____1-2 years
____2-5 years
____5-7 years
____7-10 years
____more than 10 years
7. Are you employed on a full-time or part-time basis?
____full-time
____part-time
8. How available is information about continuing education or training for Odum library employees?
____readily available to me
____somewhat available to me
____mostly unavailable to me
9. How do you usually find out about continuing education or training opportunities that would help you improve your job skills? (check as many as apply)
____from professional publications
____from co-workers and friends
____from listserv announcements
____from mailings and brochures
____from your supervisor(s)
____from other sources (describe)
10. Which of the following do you feel would be appropriate activities of the Professional Development Committee? (check as many as apply)
____identifying professional development needs
____providing information to library employees about professional development needs
____providing information to library employees about continuing education/training opportunities
____developing continuing education/training activities and programs
____coordinating or hosting continuing education/training activities and programs
____ other (describe )
11. In what types of continuing education programs have you participated within the last 2 years? (check all that apply)
____workshop
____seminar
____class
____conference
____video presentation
____teleconference
____independent reading (of articles, books, manuals)
____independent study (reading and/or hands-on practice)
____individual instruction (one-on-one)
12. Please list (briefly) the topics covered in the activities indicated in Question 11.
13. Were most of the programs in which you participated held (check one)
____on-campus
____off-campus
14. What effect did these activities or programs have on your present job performance?
____greatly improved performance
____improved performance
____somewhat improved performance
____had little effect on performance
____had no effect on performance
15. How important are ongoing training opportunities to you?
____very important
____important
____somewhat important
____not important
16. Why are such opportunities important to you (or why not)?
17. Please rank the following reasons for pursuing continuing education opportunities in their order of importance to you (1 being most important):
____to obtain college credit
____to work towards job advancement
____for consideration on annual evaluations
____for personal growth/greater job satisfaction
____other (describe)
18. How well is your need for ongoing training and skills development being met?
___very well
___adequately
___less than adequately
19. If you are not satisfied with the training opportunities currently available to you, please indicate why not?
____topics that would help me are not offered
____times offered are not convenient
____locations offered are not convenient
____too expensive
____quality of instruction is poor
____other (describe)
20. At what times would you prefer to participate in professional development activities?
___during the day (between 8 AM and 5 PM)
___ in the evening (after 5 PM)
___ on weekends
___during breaks/vacations
21. Which of the following do you consider convenient locations for professional development activities:
___on VSU campus
___off VSU campus, but in Valdosta
___Macon
___Tifton
___Albany
___other (list)
22. Is transportation to off-campus locations a concern for you when deciding whether to participate in continuing education activities?
___transportation is not a problem for me
___transportation is a minor concern to me
___lack of transportation could determine whether or not I would participate
23. How do you most prefer to learn about something new? (check as many as apply)
___attend a live lecture or demonstration (workshop, seminar, conference)
___listen to a lecture on audiotape or radio
___watch a lecture or demonstration on TV, video, or film
___participate in a teleconference (also interactive via phone and/or fax)
___discuss topics in small groups
___read on my own (articles, books, manuals, reports, etc.)
___read on my own, then practice new skills
___learn from another individual (one-on-one instruction)
___practice new skills on my own
___other (describe)
24. How do you most like to learn new computer-related skills?
___attend a live lecture or demonstration (workshop, seminar, conference)
___listen to a lecture on audiotape or radio
___watch a lecture or demonstration on TV, video, or film
___participate in a teleconference (also interactive via phone and/or fax)
___discuss topics in small groups
___read on my own (articles, books, manuals, reports, etc.)
___read on my own, then practice new skills
___learn from another individual (one-on-one instruction)
___practice new skills on my own
25. Are you aware of the types of support your employer currently provides for professional development activities?
____yes
____no
26. Please rank the following types of employer-provided support in order of their importance to you (1 being most important):
___reimbursement for expenses (for travel, meals, conference registration, etc.)
___time off without pay
___time off with pay
___consideration for merit raises
___consideration for promotion or job advancement
___other recognition (not involving merit raises or job advancement)
___other (describe)
27. Please indicate your level of interest in learning more about the following topics.
1 = very interested
2 = somewhat interested
3 = not interested
____Book selection/collection development
____Reference interviewing/Question negotiation
____Reference resources (print)
____Reference resources (electronic and/or automated)
____Cataloging policies and procedures
____Rare books/Preservation of books
____Preservation of non-print materials
____Training new employees
____Bibliographic instruction
____Interlibrary loan policies and procedures
____Serials and periodicals in DRAGON
____Bibliographic records in DRAGON
____Book mending and repair
____Record keeping/Statistics
____Services for special groups (ethnic groups, the disabled, students in specific academic programs, etc.)
____Customer service (commonly asked questions, how to deal with unfamiliar questions, how to deal with angry patrons, telephone skills, etc.)
____Time management
____Alternative administrative styles
____Managing by objectives
____Team management
____Supervising employees
____Managing diversity in the workplace
____Conflict resolution
____Coping with change in the workplace
____Evaluating employee performance
____Psychology of management
____Documenting procedures/policies
____Setting goals/Planning (to meet University requirements)
____Grant writing
____Intellectual freedom issues/Censorship
____Copyright issues
____Stress management
____Interviewing prospective employees
____Effective oral communication
____Speaking before groups
____Working in groups or teams
____Teaching and giving demonstrations
____Effective written communication
____Computer literacy (the basics)
____Internet literacy (general searching, Telnet, FTP, World Wide Web, etc.)
____Desktop publishing
____Microsoft Office
____Netscape
____GALILEO/other online databases
____Email on the VAX (within the Library)
____Email on grits (to people outside the Library)
____Library-related discussion lists (listservs)
____Word processing
____Windows 95
____Internet/grits/VAX access from home
____Creating documents for the World Wide Web
28. Do you have any additional comments regarding your staff development needs?
29. Do you have any suggestions for improving this survey document?
Thank you for participating in this survey!
Needs Assessment Summary Report
--Maureen J. Puffer-Rothenberg 10/97
Send comments to:
| Dr. Mark Winston Chair, Staff Development Committee Odum Library, Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Office: (229) 333-7185 FAX: (229) 333-5862 Email: mwinston@valdosta.edu | Maureen J. Puffer-Rothenberg Staff Development Committee, 1996-97 Odum Library, Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Office: (229) 249-4857 FAX: (229) 333-5862 Email: mpuffer@valdosta.edu |
Last updated April 29, 1998.
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