May 13, 2009

In the recent LibQual+ survey, a number of you commented on the need for better defined or supervised quiet spaces in the Library. Among the comments:

I often am frustrated with the library because there are so many people that I find it hard to find a non-distracting place to study in such a big building.

APPLAUD the move to Quiet Study zones. TIRED of group study/talking in quiet study areas.

I would like to see an increase in the “Q” campaign for quietness. It is a great idea, and I would appreciate more emphasis on the reading rooms being just that, for silent reading. Overall a great campaign, thank you!

In recent years, we have made a number of changes to space in Dimond Library, such as adding the Dimond Academic Commons, Zeke’s Café, and group study spaces in order to promote group work and collaboration. While these changes are very positive and have been well-received, they don’t come without a price – additional noise.

Library faculty and staff share your concerns about noise, particularly as we enter busy times of the semester, such as finals. Towards that end, we have developed the “Respect the Q” campaign and are monitoring noise levels in the reading rooms. These efforts should heighten awareness of and help resolve the problem. In the future, we will be working to more clearly define and separate quiet study areas from collaborative work spaces. We hope you will continue to recognize our efforts in the future; so please stay tuned!

April 6, 2009

We’re listening… please take our LibQUAL+ survey before May 1st and tell us how we can improve our services. It takes about 12-15 minutes to complete.

As an incentive, you may enter a drawing for prizes including:

• an IPod Touch
• two $25 gift certificates to the Campus Bookstore
• five $10 Dining Services gift cards and
• five $5 gift certificates to the UNH Manchester Cafe.

To be eligible for these prizes, just enter your e-mail address at the end of the survey.

In 2004, the UNH Libraries participated in LibQUAL+, a national survey of library user satisfaction conducted by the Association of Research Libraries. Your responses resulted in important changes for library services including:

• Dimond Library extended its operating schedule to include earlier open and later closing times
• UNH Manchester Library added Sunday hours, and
• all the University Libraries substantially increased access to electronic full-text journals.

Now, we’d like to hear how we measure up five years later.

We will be conducting the LibQUAL+ survey again this year from April 6 – May 1. We need to understand your perceptions, expectations, and experiences so we can provide the best possible service.

The data from this survey will:

• help us understand how the UNH community rates library resources and services
• allow us to benchmark UNH results against other libraries to determine best practices and
• indicate areas of library service in need of improvement.

At the end of the survey, you will be asked to indicate the library you use the most often. Please respond to the questions in the survey with that library (Dimond, Bio-Sci, Chemistry, Math/Engineering or Physics on the Durham campus or, UNH-Manchester) in mind.

Your participation is voluntary, and you may simply check not applicable (NA) to any question you do not wish to answer. All responses are held in complete confidence and there are no links identifying responses with individuals. Only combined data will be reported.

If you have any questions, please visit our FAQ page.

If you have problems accessing or taking the survey, please contact Bill Ross, Professor and Head, Milne Special Collections and Archives at bill.unhlib@gmail.com or call 862-0346.

If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact Julie Simpson at the UNH Office of Sponsored Research at 603-862-2003 or via e-mail at julie.simpson@unh.edu.

Thank you for your participation in this important project!

March 13, 2009

We’re listening! And, you can too! (With the iPod we’re giving away.)

LibQUAL+ is a web-based survey coming this April. The library is participating to help evaluate and improve our services.

When the time comes, we hope you’ll take the survey, offer your feedback, and have a chance to win some fabulous prizes, including an Apple iPod. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

LibQUAL+ has been used by over 1000 libraries, generating over 1,000,000 responses from library users. The UNH Library last participated in this nationwide survey in 2004.