Odum Library Blog

Boy were we pleased at the results of our Reference Services survey!

For two weeks this semester, we asked Reference Services users to rate us on a scale from 1-5 (1 being “strongly disagree, 5 being “strongly agree”) for each of the following statements:

1. I got the information I needed.
2. I have a better understanding of how to find information.
3. I have a better understanding of how to evaluate information.
4. I am satisfied with the service I received.

Based on those results, it looks like we got high scores for all four areas!

But that’s not all — we also evaluated ourselves, rating our service for each of the following statements:

1. The user got the information he or she needed.
2. The user has a better understanding of how to find information.
3. The user has a better understanding of how to evaluate information.
4. Overall, I was satisfied with this reference transaction.

Based on these results, it looks like we think we’re doing a pretty good job, but we think we can do better at teaching users how to evaluate information!

We got a pretty good response for the survey as well:

User Responses:
Status	Number	Percentage
Undergraduate:	27	90.00
Graduate:	2	6.67
Staff:	0	0.00
Faculty:	0	0.00
Other:	1	3.33
Total	30	100.00
Surveys:	Number	Percentage
Complete	29	72.50
Incomplete*:	11	27.50
Total	40	100.00
*Incomplete surveys were not used for measuring statistics.

This was the first of two Reference Services Satisfaction surveys we’ll be doing this year.  We have a strong commitment to customer service, and are always looking for new ways to improve!  Look for our next survey in the Spring!  But you don’t have to wait to tell us what you think about Reference Services — just leave a comment below!

The survey was taken from:  Miller, J. (2008). Quick and easy reference evaluation: Gathering users’ and providers’ perspectives. Reference & User Services Quarterly 47(3), 218-222.

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