In February of this year, many of you received invitations to participate in a survey about Evergreen’s Library and Information Technology resources and services. More than 800 students, faculty, and staff responded to questions about library collections, resources, spaces, and services. Thank you! We are grateful for your responses. Your feedback will help us evaluate our services, prioritize goals for the future, and respond to your needs.
Population |
Response Rate |
Sample size |
Faculty |
49.7% |
173 |
Staff |
55.2% |
431 |
Undergraduate students |
40.3% |
999 |
Graduate students |
57.5% |
174 |
With hundreds of responses and many criteria, it will take time for our team to analyze the data. We will evaluate the responses against our 2016 MISO survey data and in the context of data from peer institutions, and we will identify strategic goals and action items to guide our future work.
If you were not selected to take the survey this year but have thoughts that you’d like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to email libraryhelp@evergreen.edu or fill out an anonymous feedback form: https://libguides.evergreen.edu/how/feedback
Many participants asked questions or shared feedback in the open-ended portions of the survey, and we’re eager to provide responses for some of the frequently asked questions. We can’t respond directly to individuals for confidentiality reasons, so we are addressing the following common themes:
We need more electronic copies of book titles (e-books). Why doesn’t the library buy e-books more consistently?
Selectors are guided by our collection development policy and consider multiple factors when purchasing titles – price, availability in various formats, number of print copies in Summit libraries, license agreements, and more. Some books aren’t available as e-books, and some e-books are prohibitively expensive compared to print copies of the same title.
Why does the library only provide one print copy of popular textbooks in the Course Materials on Open Reserve collection?
According to our collection development policy (2.1), “In general, duplicate copies will not be purchased, but duplication may occur via donations or when missing materials are replaced and the original material is returned.” When we do have additional copies of a book, we leave them in the main circulating collection so that some students are able to check them out for longer periods.
How many libraries are included in our interlibrary loan (ILL) system, and is it possible to expand to include more libraries?
Our library primarily shares resources with 38 libraries in the Pacific Northwest (via the Summit system) so we can get items delivered quickly. If an item is not available from those libraries, we expand to 78 additional libraries outside of our region. We participate in the ILL programs that operate within our library system, and the number of libraries in that system expands as other colleges adopt this same system.
How do I track the status of my interlibrary loan (ILL) requests?
You can review the status of ILL requests in “My Library Account” linked on the library’s homepage. If you see a request’s status remains unchanged for longer than usual, you can cancel and re-submit the request. The process is somewhat automated and sometimes errors occur which keep your request from being filled. For more information, see https://libguides.evergreen.edu/how/account
How do I suggest materials for the library to purchase?
Evergreen students, faculty, and staff are welcome to request purchases for the library’s collection. We are eager to build a collection that is relevant to our users, and we value community input. Learn more about our collection development policies and submit a request: https://libguides.evergreen.edu/how/purchase
How do I know when databases and journal subscriptions will be canceled?
The library’s Resource Selection Committee (RSC) evaluates the use of databases and journal subscriptions and makes decisions about renewals on an annual basis. When the cost-per-use of a database or journal exceeds a threshold cost of $15 per use, the committee communicates with faculty in the relevant curricular area to determine if these resources will be actively used by their students in the coming year. (Side note: the best way to ensure that we keep a resource is to use it.) The library doesn’t currently make announcements about upcoming cancellations, but we appreciate the question and will consider adding this to our regular practice.
Why isn't the library open longer hours and seven days a week?
Simply put, we currently don’t have the staffing to support longer hours or additional days. We periodically review gate counts and other metrics of use to determine the days and hours that have historically seen the greatest use of resources and spaces. That said, we hear you, and we will continue to consider options to better meet the needs of all students with the resources available to us.
I wish the library had areas with less harsh lighting, quiet or soundproof spaces, and more varied and comfortable seating.
All the library’s study rooms are now equipped with lamps that are intended to offer gentler lighting options. We don’t offer any soundproof spaces, but we have a dedicated quiet zone on the southwestern corner of the library’s third floor as well as individual study rooms and noise-cancelling headphones for checkout at the Circulation Desk. We have a number of couches and cushioned seats, but we’re open to hearing what additional seating options you would like to see!
How can I access videos, guides, and other remote access resources that can help me navigate the library?
You can access a variety of Research Guides from the library’s homepage. These guides are created by library faculty and staff to help provide guidance for research and learning on a wide range of topics. Let us know if you have a suggestion for a guide that doesn’t exist yet! Our librarians are currently working to update our guides to meet web accessibility standards.
One of these guides (How Do I...) provides answers to frequently asked questions and includes several captioned videos and video transcripts for common library actions.
Finally, you can contact us via our 24/7 chat service with any of your questions! This chat service is staffed by librarians and student employees during Research Desk hours and staffed by contracted external librarians during all other hours.
Many people don’t know about all the library has to offer. How does the library get the word out and connect with students?
This is a great question, and we are always trying to find new ways to connect with students. Let us know if you have suggestions!
Currently, we visit select courses and programs to talk about research and library resources when invited by faculty. We participate in resource fairs and first-year orientations to reach incoming students. We offer drop-in workshops on a range of topics, and we host events, book displays, and rotating exhibitions in our spaces. Our staff recently (re)created the Library Calendiary, a zine that includes everything you need to know about the library, including a calendar of library hours for the year. Swing by the Circulation Desk to grab a copy!
We share information about open workshops, events, and exhibitions in our Bookends email newsletter that goes to all students, staff, and faculty twice each quarter. We also share information on social media.
The Tacoma campus needs more presence and support from the library.
This is important feedback, and we will seriously consider how to increase library presence and support at the Tacoma campus moving forward. When we receive resource requests that require new or additional staffing we refer those to the Academic Budget Office which in turn provides them to the college for its centralized budget planning.
In the meantime, keep in mind that all students can request items to be mailed to their home or to the Tacoma campus for pick-up; all students can request virtual appointments with librarians; all students can access all of our electronic resources from any location at any time. Students can also ask their faculty to invite a librarian to visit their class once or more per quarter.
How can I scan documents at the library?
The library has five scanners which can be used to scan documents and print copies for free. Three of the scanners are set up with the guest computers near the entrance of the library, and two scanners are located at the computer stations near the Course Materials on Open Reserves collection.
The library doesn’t offer color printing. Where can I print in color on campus?
Photoland and the Greener Bookstore Copy Center both offer options to pay for high quality color printing. The CAL offers free color printing for academic purposes only.
This survey is too long!
Many people shared this feedback, and we will do our best to shorten the survey in future iterations.
The demographic questions on this survey weren't specific to Evergreen, especially when asking about faculty roles.
This survey (called the MISO survey) is administered by a third party and employed by a numerous libraries in the U.S. MISO offers some survey customization, but the more that we choose to keep standard questions, the easier it is to compare our survey results to other institutions.
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