Libraries to survey undergraduate students in April

Barbara Dewey, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, sent out this email announcement last week:

From April 4 to 24, the University Libraries will be conducting an online survey of our undergraduate students across Penn State. Ithaka S+R, an organization that has conducted numerous national faculty surveys and related strategic assessment activities, will administer the survey. It will examine students’ work habits; their use of library resources, services, and spaces; and the role of the library in their academic life. It differs from past surveys such as LibQual in that it will focus on work practices rather than perceptions of service. We hope to gain valuable insight into how our undergraduates use the Libraries, and the results will be used to inform our strategic planning process.

The sample for this survey will include students from all Penn State campuses with undergraduate populations, including World Campus. At some campuses with smaller student populations, the entire undergraduate population will be invited to participate. I encourage you to support our effort in getting students to respond by creating awareness among students, and their instructors and professors at your location. Their views are important, and will help us improve our services. As an incentive to participate, students who complete the survey will have the chance to enter a drawing for Penn State Bookstore gift cards.

I am excited to see the results of this survey and I hope it will provide valuable information for our Strategic Plan as it relates to Penn State’s undergraduate student population.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Joe Salem, jas1218@psu.edu.