In 2013-14, both in the fall and spring semesters, the librarians took four of what they consider students' busiest weeks to conduct a survey of everyone who used our research assistance service. This included walk-ins, phone calls, live virtual reference, and email. The survey was designed to glean valuable feedback about what users think they learned from encounters with the librarians.

The survey found that patrons who seek research assistance come away extremely satisfied with the service in general. 92% of survey respondents said that they received excellent service from the librarians.

In addition, over 80% felt better able to use library resources after their session with a librarian. Specifically, users said they learned “how to search the library catalog more effectively” and “how to find appropriate research databases and/or how to search them more effectively” as the most common skills gained.

The survey also gathered data about who uses the research assistance service. Apparently, wisdom comes with age, because the number of upperclassmen students taking advantage of research help was double the number of freshman and sophomores!

See the next blog post for the outpouring of gratitude from the survey's comment section!