Users have their say about library services
The NWU’s Library Services are continually looking at ways to enhance their already excellent services to staff, students and researchers. They recently sent out a survey to library users to determine their expectations and perceptions.
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Louise Vos and Corrie Breitenbach of the Potchefstroom Campus’s Library Services were part of a group of five staff members who coordinated the 2016 LibQUAL+ survey. They say the next phase of the survey entails further feedback to students to address their requests and comments.
This is what the NWU’s Library
Services users say
Potchefstroom Campus
“Thank you for outstanding staff; they are caring and professional.” – Associate professor
“Overall I am happy with the service and love the space the library has provided for postgraduate students. It is a safe haven where I can pursue my studies without any disturbances.” – Postgraduate student
“The library is a good place to be in order to pursue my studies. Because I don’t have a laptop I use library computers to complete my assignments and study for exams and tests.” – First-year student
Vaal Triangle Campus
“I find the library staff on top of their game. They are most helpful and do go out of their way to be of assistance.” – Academic staff member
“The library is the best I have seen.” – Support staff member
“The library resources assist me towards achieving a dream of being a chartered accountant in a few years. They provide useful information that enhances my knowledge about my field of study.” – First-year student
Librarian is the best in North West
Benford Rabatseta is a cataloguing and social media librarian at the Mafikeng Campus’s Library Services.
Benford Rabatseta of the Library Services on the Mafikeng Campus was recently named Librarian of the Year for 2016 by the North West branch of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA).
“It was a big surprise for me to be honoured by LIASA. I feel truly humbled and grateful,” he says. Benford believes this career highlight could not have been achieved without the support of his colleagues and says he owes them his gratitude.
As the provincial winner, Benford was a finalist at the National Librarian of the Year award ceremony in October.
The Librarian of the Year is a sought-after title for LIASA members. It is regarded as a role model for library and information services practitioners, and is awarded to a person whose contributions make a lasting impact on the sector. The award is granted in recognition of the achievements and accomplishments of public, academic, school and special librarians.
Louise Vos, manager for marketing, liaison and quality at the Potchefstroom Campus’s Library Services, says the LibQUAL+ survey is an excellent measuring tool to assess if they still meet the expectations of their users.
LibQUAL+ is a survey of the Association of Research Libraries and is used by libraries internationally. The survey was conducted on the Potchefstroom and the Vaal Triangle campuses.
“Although the original plan was to involve all three campus libraries, the Mafikeng Campus Library did not participate due to essential renovation projects which were scheduled to start on 25 August, days before the commencement of the survey,” says Dr Mathew Moyo, director of Library Services on the Mafikeng Campus. “We hope that with the next LibQUAL+ survey, which could be in two or three years, all three of the NWU’s libraries will be able to participate.”
This was the fourth LibQUAL+ survey that the NWU has undertaken in a bid to provide consistently excellent and relevant services. A vigorous marketing campaign was used to motivate staff and students to take part in the survey. Two participants could win external hard drives and respondents could win many other prizes too.
Hendra Pretorius, manager at the Vaal Triangle Campus’s library, says the shift from the traditional library to a networked environment is a technological evolution that changes the way people access and interact with information.
“Excellent service quality and high customer satisfaction have become extremely important. Assessment activities such as LibQUAL+ are imperative in academic libraries in order to deliver a quality service. Library management has to be able to evaluate the level of service delivery from a user’s perspective for strategic planning.”
Hundreds praise NWU’s library services
Corrie Breitenbach, manager for information systems at the Potchefstroom Campus’s Library Services, says a total of 1 493 respondents participated in the survey. These include academic staff, support staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers.
Of the 900 comments that respondents left, more than 500 were compliments.
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Areas of concern
The survey also provided valuable information about areas where library users feel improvements could be made.
These include a shortage of computers, a need for longer library hours and problems using the Library Services webpage.
One of the biggest concerns is the level of noise in the library. “An increasing number of students work in groups in the library and engage in discussions which are sometimes worrying to other students who want to study.”
Corrie says based on the concerns of the students, one of the more immediate improvements will be the implementation of a quick-print facility to address the shortage of computers.
According to Hendra, the majority of requests from Vaal Triangle Campus users were for longer library hours. The level of noise in the library is another concern.
The way forward...
“Our message to our users is that they have spoken and we have listened. We are in the process of giving feedback on all the concerns and recommendations, and where possible, will put action plans in place,” says Louise.
“We are grateful to each and every participant. The survey has given us a lot of valuable data that will now be used to take the NWU’s Library Services to even greater heights.”
For more information about the LibQUAL+ survey visit the website at http://library.nwu.ac.za/libqual-survey-2016
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