Understanding Library Users via Surveys and Other Methods—Best Practices for Evidence-Based Library Development
Carlsson, Håkan LU
and Torngren, Tore
LU
(2020)
In Journal of Library Administration
60(8).
p.925-944
- Abstract
- A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods—such as UX and process mapping—report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function. Over three-fourths of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather... (More)
- A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods—such as UX and process mapping—report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function. Over three-fourths of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather than discovery of new services. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods - such as UX and process mapping - report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function.
Over 3/4 of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather than... (More) - A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods - such as UX and process mapping - report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function.
Over 3/4 of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather than discovery of new services.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/0382c451-440c-4c24-bed7-5626c3d3b3d6
- author
- Carlsson, Håkan
LU
and Torngren, Tore
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2020-09-22
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Quality assessment, Academic libraries, user surveys, user knowledge, ethnographic methods, library development
- in
- Journal of Library Administration
- volume
- 60
- issue
- 8
- pages
- 20 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85091318645
- ISSN
- 0193-0826
- DOI
- 10.1080/01930826.2020.1820276
- project
- Survey the Surveyors 2017
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 0382c451-440c-4c24-bed7-5626c3d3b3d6
- date added to LUP
- 2020-10-06 21:36:20
- date last changed
- 2022-04-19 01:05:47
@article{0382c451-440c-4c24-bed7-5626c3d3b3d6,
abstract = {{A survey was performed over all university libraries within the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) in order to study how different methods of user input are utilized. Libraries using analysis based on explorative methods—such as UX and process mapping—report significantly increased user knowledge and perceived well-function. Over three-fourths of the respondents reported performing general user surveys. Surveys offer ease of collection, effectively gather researcher user group input and generate data suitable for communicating library value to stakeholders. However, it is resource-demanding to transfer findings into service changes, especially for smaller libraries, and results often support stepwise improvements rather than discovery of new services.}},
author = {{Carlsson, Håkan and Torngren, Tore}},
issn = {{0193-0826}},
keywords = {{Quality assessment; Academic libraries; user surveys; user knowledge; ethnographic methods; library development}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
number = {{8}},
pages = {{925--944}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Journal of Library Administration}},
title = {{Understanding Library Users via Surveys and Other Methods—Best Practices for Evidence-Based Library Development}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1820276}},
doi = {{10.1080/01930826.2020.1820276}},
volume = {{60}},
year = {{2020}},
}