The Dana Medical Library cares about what you think. We want your voice to be at the heart of our planning and assessment efforts as we evaluate library services, including such things as electronic journal access, library employees’ ability to solve problems, the new library web page, and the quality of the physical facilities.
On Monday, April 6th, Dana will launch an electronic survey, LibQUAL+ ™, to evaluate the library, and to benchmark our collection, services and facilities with other libraries.
LibQual is a nationally-normed survey developed by the Texas A&M University Libraries in partnership with the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The survey gauges library users’ opinions of the resources and services provided by the library. The survey includes three general areas: Affect of Service, or how patrons felt their needs were met by staff; Information Control, or how easily patrons are able to find what they are looking for; and Library as Place, or how well the location works for study and research.
The Dana Medical Library participated in the LibQUAL+ ™ survey in April 2005. At that time, the Library’s highest ratings were in the area of Affect of Service. The area of Information Control presented a different picture. Three out of 9 questions reflected inadequate performance. For example, in answer to the question of whether journal collections were sufficient for one’s work, respondents, particularly faculty and graduate students, rated the collection as inadequate. The physical Library was also identified as below standard. Since that time, the Dana Medical Library has made several changes. Most obviously, the Library moved to a new facility. Another important change has been the significant increase in the number of electronic journals available. How important are these changes? What additional changes should be considered? What should not be changed? We want to know!
Please consider participating in this survey at http://library.uvm.edu/surveys/. Sample responses indicate it takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Your investment of time now will be greatly appreciated, and will help to shape the future of the Dana Medical Library.
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“It’s a great service to pick up the phone and get what you need,” says Elaine Coon, coordinator of education services at Porter Medical Center, a small hospital that serves the health care needs of Middlebury, VT and surrounding communities.
A handful of brave souls came out on a stormy day in January to attend a reception held by Dana Library Liaisons for administrative personnel across the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Fletcher Allen. This was the second year Dana librarians hosted such an event in the hopes of educating more staff about the services available to them through the Liaison Program. Last year’s event was a success with many attendees becoming regular library service users.
With the new semester starting, it’s great to see so many students in the Dana Library getting a jump on research papers, board exams, and study.