by Chad Kahl & Lindsey Skaggs, Milner Library
Milner Library has always been interested in what library users think about our services, resources, spaces, and how they experience the library. Over the years, we have distributed surveys, convened advisory groups, and facilitated usability testing, focus groups, and interviews.
In recent years, the library has participated in the campus MISO Survey. While we appreciated the opportunity to have library-related questions answered through this tool, we were interested in gathering more in-depth information about our users’ experiences. To accomplish this, the library’s Data Services team developed a survey that can be used every two to three years to gauge user satisfaction with Milner Library.
The survey was distributed in October 2023, and asked about general satisfaction, user confidence completing library-related tasks, amenities, services, library instruction, and collections. We received 1,001 full and partial responses.
Our key findings
View the Milner Library Satisfaction Survey dashboard
High Satisfaction
Of the respondents, 93.5% indicated they were either very satisfied or satisfied with Milner Library overall. When asked to rate the following statements, the majority strongly agreed or agreed:
• I feel welcome at Milner Library: 95.8% strongly agree or agree.
• I enjoy spending time at Milner Library: 82.7% strongly agree or agree.
• I feel safe at Milner Library: 94.1% strongly agree or agree.
User Confidence
Users feel confident accessing books, journal articles, databases, and library guides, asking for help, and using the Milner Library website—more than 70% strongly agreed or agreed in their abilities to do so.
Milner Amenities
Nearly three-quarters of the survey respondents were students. Milner Library is often recognized as one of the best places to study on campus. When asked about Milner Library amenities, students expressed satisfaction with the following:
• study spaces: 93% responded they completely or somewhat met their needs.
• study rooms/pods: 76.8% responded they completely or somewhat met their needs.
• printing: 81.5% responded they completely or somewhat met their needs.
We were not only interested in satisfaction with Milner’s amenities, but also those they do not use due to lack of awareness. Two amenities were not known by more than a quarter of our respondents. We will be using these responses to help information our library marketing and outreach.
Services
The most used service—nearly double the next response—is checking out materials, like books or loanable technologies.
Similar to above, we were not only interested in what is essential to user’s learning, teaching, and/or research, but also services they do not use due to lack of awareness. Two of our services which allow library users to get materials from other libraries free of charge—I-Share and Interlibrary Loan—were unknown by more than a third of the respondents.
Library Instruction
Students were asked if a librarian had visited one or more of their classes. Of the students who responded that they had received library instruction, 80% strongly agreed or agreed that they were useful.
Of the faculty who have invited librarians to their classes, 93% strongly agreed or agreed that the sessions were useful to their students.
Collections
Respondents showed the greatest satisfaction in Milner Library having the databases they needed, followed by (e-)books, journals, and media. Those four questions had combined strongly agree or agree responses from over 65% to nearly 80% of the respondents.
Praise for Milner Library staff
Data Services had the pleasure of sharing positive comments with more than a dozen of our colleagues who were specifically mentioned by survey respondents.
If you are interested in seeing more of what we discovered, the Milner Library Satisfaction Survey dashboard is available and allows for more in-depth examination including sorting by ISU classification, College, and by Major/Department.
