In May 2006, the JCU Library conducted its biennial client satisfaction survey. The survey was conducted online and survey respondents were eligible for entry in a draw to win two ipods. We would like to thank all respondents for participating in the survey.
The Client Survey is coordinated by the Rodksi Behavioural Research Group and includes 40 questions or variables with clients asked to rank both their importance and the performance. From this, the perceived difference or gap between the importance and performance score for each variable is identified. Gaps with a means score of 2 and above represent potential improvement opportunities. Respondents were also given the opportunity to provide comments and more than 5,000 comments were received.
Response rate
There is a huge increase in responses to the 2006 survey, from 646 responses in 2004 to 3,267 in 2006; with 76% of the 2006 responses from undergraduates, 14% from postgraduates, and 5% from academic staff.
903 responses are from Cairns , 2,366 are from Douglas and there is a large increase in responses from off campus (275). Arts, Education and Social Sciences (1,157) is the academic area with the highest response rate, closely followed by Science, Engineering and Information Technology (848) and Medicine, Health and Molecular Science (843), and Law , Business and Creative Arts (691). 1,484 respondents (41%) visit the Library 2 - 4 days a week, and 1,326 respondents (37%) visit the Library online 2-4 days a week.
For the 2006 survey, respondents appear to be regular users of library services and have a comprehensive view of the services provided. Statistically the high response rate provides a high degree of confidence in the survey results.
Overall results
The overall score is 665 points, placing the JCU Library in the second quartile or top 50% when compared to the other 34 Australian university libraries in the Rodski database. The overall score increased significantly from 2004, which had a total score of 619 and placed the JCU Library in the bottom or 4th quartile. In 2006, JCU also scored in the top 50% for overall quality and overall satisfaction, and 31 variables (78%) have scores greater than 5.00 out of 7.00 (7 being excellent).
Since 2004, the JCU Library has improved its performance in all of the five main categories as outlined in the chart below. However, based on the survey results we need to improve on our communication with clients, finding ways to keep clients informed about new services, resources and collections; and on service delivery so that clients feel that the library collection is adequate for all needs.
James Cook University Results
Communication |
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Service Quality |
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Service Delivery |
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Facilities & Equipment |
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Library Staff |
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Virtual Library |
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Performance Mean (1 to 7) |
Most important areas for Library users
Top performing areas
Our greatest asset continues to be our friendly and professional staff. Library staff performed highest with a score of 86%. Seven of the ten variables ranked highest in performance relate to library staff. Four variables ranked as performing well are also among the most important issues to library clients.
The top 10 performing areas include:
- Library staff treat me fairly and without discrimination *
- Library staff display professionalism
- Library staff are friendly and helpful *
- Library staff provide quality service
- Library staff provide clear and accurate feedback to my queries *
- Library staff are readily available to assist me
- Service desk staff respond in a timely manner
- Library web pages provide clear and useful information
- Library's web site is easy to use *
- Emails enquiries are answered in a timely manner
* These variables are also listed in the top 10 importance issues.
Most important areas identified for improvement
The 2006 results show that there are no significant gaps between performance and importance scores for any of the 40 variables, whereas in 2004, there were five significant gap scores. For example, in 2004 clients perceived that there were not enough computer workstations in the Library and the mean gap score was 3.07. In 2006, the mean gap score for computer workstations decreased significantly to 1.64. While clients would still like to see improvements to increase the number of computer workstations; provide more/better information resources (books and electronic); and have longer opening hours, the mean gap scores for each are well below 2 and performance has improved greatly since the last two surveys. As a result, improvements in these areas may be incremental and harder to achieve.The six gap variables listed as most important to improve include:
• Information resources (books, electronic etc) are adequate for my needs - (this is an issue primarily for academic staff with a gap score of 2.04 for this group only)
• The library collection is adequate for my needs
• Databases and electronic resources are adequate for my needs
• Access to electronic resources is easily available
• Opening hours meet my needs - undergraduates ranked this 4.99 out of 7 for overall performance
• Information resources (books, electronic, etc) are easily accessed,
Individual comments
The comments provide an opportunity for respondents to explain the scoring of the variables, to add further information, and to comment on issues not covered by the variables.
The comments are most useful when assessing areas for improvement. As an example, Douglas respondents provided approximately 1,004 comments about information resources. The top five subject areas for more resources include:
Medicine
Law
Fiction
Health
Nursing
The top five areas reporting out-of-date collections include:
Education/curriculum
Nursing
Law
Medicine
Science
A sampling of positive and negative comments about information resources include:
- Always easy to find books
- Excellent collection of electronic resources and journals
- As a medical student for assignments I often use the electronic data bases, which are fantastic.
- Most of the preferred resources are not in the Douglas library or are in Cairns and it takes usually about 3 or 4 days to get them, and it's not useful to have to wait that long for books.
- The most frustrating aspect of the Cairns library is that most of the texts needed for essay research are in Townsville and are either on loan in Townsville or do not arrive in time.
- There is an enormous amount of old irrelevant items that would be better in a museum or antique shop.
- The monograph collection is a bit dated, but that is because we academics are not requesting new books I suspect.
- There are generally not enough resources for an assignment, if a whole class is doing one particular assignment, all the books are usually checked out in the first couple of days so the rest of the students are left with no resources
- Be proactive in buying books for new degrees being offered. New Physio, Speech Therapy & Vet science courses were announced in 2003. Yet at start of 2005 when Physio & Speech Therapy started next to no books were available directly relating to those degrees. Has only slightly improved to this point in time.
- The provision of online electronic books might be useful, especially [from my experience] in teaching.
- There could be a larger section devoted to fiction (i.e. crime thrillers, popular literature) for those students who live on campus.
- Electronic access to journals has greatly improved recently - more journals, plus the JSTOR archive is a big step forward.
With the University Village plans, it is useful to note that 642 comments were made about the Douglas Library Building .
The top issues include:
- Study spaces - request for more group study, more comfortable furniture
- Noise - too noisy, police the silent zones
- Wireless & Laptop areas - need more wireless areas, more data points
- Signs/maps - more specific, or just right
- Building Appearance - adequate, or needs renovation
- Air conditioning - too cold, or just right
Sampling of positive and negative comments about the Douglas Library Building :
- More areas need to be assigned for group work with a variety of facilities such as electronic whiteboards, etc
- The computer workstation layout is very useful and accommodates for you to spread out work
- The library is a great learning environment
- I would like some renovations to the library. It would be nice to work in a modern environment with better facilities. I would come to the library more often if the decor was nicer and there was more lighting.
- Need a new Library building - Cairns is a good blueprint - airy and more natural light.
- Initial impression of the library is that it is run down and dirty. When compared to a capital city University library that I frequented last year, this library rates very low in my estimation
- Artwork in library is old and faded. Maybe replacing it would make the atmosphere nicer.
Improvements made since the survey
Information Services staff need to assess the results, including the comments that accompany the statistical results, compare against other feedback tools, and then strategically target improvements to be made and allocate resources to implement these improvements. We are working on developing an action plan for this purpose.
However, since receiving the survey results we have attempted to address some of the issues including:
- To address noise issues, a new silent zone has been created on the top floor of Douglas Library Building, away from group study rooms, computers and wireless areas.
- To address communication issues, new powerpoint displays featuring services are running at service desks.
- To address information resource issues, Liaison Librarians have advised academic staff in the Schools of any comments identifying specific resource gaps; and to consider appropriate purchases.
- To address equipment issues, new security detection gates and a new microform printer were installed in the Douglas Library, and during the mid-year break the collections in Cairns and Douglas were shelf-read and items were re-shelved and damaged spine labels were replaced.
This Summary Report is also available in Word format.
For the full statistical results see the 2006 JCU Library Client Survey Report (pdf 3 MB).
If this information is inadequate, incorrect, or can be improved in any way, please let us know