Library LRC Satisfaction Survey 2016/2017
Report on survey results and evaluation
MOUNTBATTEN LIBRARY
INTRODUCTION
In order to collect student responses regarding satisfaction of the services provided on the Library’s
second floor, the Learning Resource Centre (LRC), an online survey was created. The survey
consisted of 13 questions, 2 of which were answered in an open-ended comment field. The
questions were selected during a series of draft meetings with the Library Management Team and
tailored specifically to target features of the LRC.
The LRC encompasses most of the Mountbatten Library’s 2nd floor and is home to various resources
to be used by students during their studies. These include access to computers and Apple Macs with
specific programs required by certain courses as well as a group study area in which students can
work alone or in groups, provided they don’t disturb others. The LRC is also home to the IT support
staff who are on hand to assist with any issues. Student satisfaction of staff assistance was also
recorded by the survey.
AIM
The survey had a number of key aims, which included:





Gauge student satisfaction of LRC resources/services
Gauge student satisfaction of LRC staff
Determine whether the LRC provides a good service to students or not
Monitor demand and usage of Laptop Rental Service
Find possible improvements/weaknesses outlined by students
SURVEY METHOD
The survey was conducted over the course of two weeks between 21st November and 2nd December.
The total number of responses received was 200, over double that of the previous year’s satisfaction
survey. The respondents were taken from a range of students spanning all years and schools of
study. The survey took place during working hours on Monday to Friday. We aimed to reach 20
responses per day in order to have a total of 200 replies by the end of the survey period. While we
met our end goal, we failed to reach the daily goal in some instances, though the difference was
made up later. The primary method of collecting data was via an iPad displaying the survey that was
carried around and given to willing participants in the LRC. Students were encouraged to take part
with a prize draw to win a £40 voucher redeemable in the Student’s Union.
RESULTS
A total of 200 students were surveyed over the course of two weeks. These students were
approached at random in order not to be biased towards schools or students more adept at using
the equipment in the LRC. Of these 200, 36 were in their first year, 78 in their second and 83 in their
third, while the remaining 3 were Postgraduate students. A clear majority of the students were from
the School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences with 89 response. The second largest group was the
School of Business, Law and Communication with 43 responses, followed by the School of Art,
Design and Fashion as well as the School or Media Arts and Technology with 32 and 32 responses
respectively. A clear minority is seen in the School of Maritime Science & Engineering. These results
suggest that the LRC may be used primarily by students not in their first year and those in the School
or Sport, Health and Social Sciences.
What year are you in?
2%
18%
42%
39%
1st year
2nd year
3rd year
Postgraduate
What is your course's school
School of Art, Design and
Fashion
16%
School of Business, Law and
Communications
45%
22%
School of Maritime Science &
Engineering
School of Media Arts and
Technology
16%
3%
School of Sport, Health and
Social Sciences
The primary aim of the survey was to gauge how satisfied students were with the resources and
services provided in the LRC, and so the survey was quick to cover this area. Students were asked a
multiple choice question on why they chose to work in the LRC on the day they took the survey as
well as how satisfied they were with the resources they were using. Of the 200 students surveyed, a
significant number stated that they used the LRC not only for the group study area, but also because
it is their preferred work space. This suggests that the LRC is appealing to students enough that they
may prefer it to other work spaces. A significant percentage also said they were in the LRC in order
to use a PC/Mac, which is to be expected as the LRC is home to a significant number of computers
specialised to certain IT and design centric courses. In contrast, very few participants said they were
in the LRC to seek IT help or because they had no space elsewhere. This suggests that the equipment
is simple enough that it requires little help and that other work spaces are not overcrowded.
Why did you choose to work in the Library Learning
Resource Centre (LRC) today?
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
In order to determine how satisfied students were with the resources provided, they were asked a
question on a sliding matrix scale ranging from very satisfied to very dissatisfied and were asked to
rate their level of satisfaction towards the services they were using that day. An overwhelming
percentage of the students asked answered very satisfied or satisfied. Of the 200 students surveyed,
only 3 said they were in any way dissatisfied with the LRC.
How satisfied were you with the resource/service
provided today?
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Disatisfied
Very disatisfied
Another of the primary aims of the survey was also to find out how satisfied students were with the
staff in the LRC. Unlike the previous questions, experience with the staff did not apply to every
participant, as not every student will have gone to the staff for assistance. In order to get accurate
results, participants were asked whether or not they had ever asked staff for assistance.
Approximately half of the participants answered yes and were then asked a separate set of
questions focusing on this, while those who answered no were asked to skip ahead.
Have you ever asked Staff for help?
52%
52%
51%
51%
50%
50%
49%
49%
48%
48%
47%
Yes
No
Of the 103 participants who had answered yes, there was a varied mix of responses regarding what
their help had been regarding. The primary concerns people have appear to be regarding printing
and equipment loans, with 43 and 29 answers respectively. There were far fewer participants asking
about software related issues, with only a collective 23 asking staff about programs such as
Microsoft Word, Adobe and others. A collective 32 participants mentioned getting help with Internet
related problems, which are also mentioned among responses in the ‘Other’ category. Other
responses that appeared multiple times included those about book loans (“taking books”, “finding
books”, etc) and lost and found items (“lost memory stick”, etc.)
What did you ask staff for help with?
Other
Scanning
Printing
Equipment loan
Connecting to Wi-fi on mobile device
Internet - Other
Internet - Library E-resources
Software - Other
Software - Adobe Creative Suite
Software - Microsoft Office
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
As with the first question, a sliding matrix scale was then provided to gauge the participant’s level of
satisfaction with the service they got from the staff. 100% of the 103 students who were able to
answer this question said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the level of service from
the staff. This shows that the staff in the LRC are not only able to help students with any problems,
but have done so with satisfaction from students themselves.
How satisfied were you with the help you received
from staff?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
It was important to clearly establish whether students found the LRC satisfactory or not, beyond the
result of a series of survey questions, the answers of which may be misinterpreted. To combat this,
another matrix scale question was added, asking students how strongly they agreed with the phrase:
“Overall, the Library LRC provides a good service to students.” This question mirrors the one used in
the annual National Students Survey. Again, the response to the question was overwhelmingly
positive, with only 2 participants disagreeing with the statement.
Overall the Library LRC provides a good service to
students Overall the Library LRC provides a good
service to students
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
As a secondary aim of the survey, we wanted to find out how many students regularly use the
library’s Laptop Loan Service. Again, as this did not apply to all participants, a question was asked to
narrow down those who would be relevant to ask. A simple yes or no question regarding whether
the participant had used the Laptop Loan Service before resulted in a split of little over half of the
200 surveyed to say no at 111 responses while the remaining 89 answered yes. It can be assumed
that those who do not use the service likely either find that there are usually computers available in
the LRC, or simply bring their own devices.
Have you ever used the Mountbatten Library's Laptop
Loan Service?
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Yes
No
The primary concern regarding usage of the Laptop Loan Service was that supply could meet
demand and that those who planned to loan a laptop could get one quickly. When asked, many
those who answered yes to the previous question also found themselves able to borrow a laptop
quickly, with 82 responses. Only 6 people answered that they were not able to get a laptop
immediately. As this question was not compulsory for all participants, a third option reiterating that
they had never used the service was added, in the event that it wasn’t clear that this question was
not necessary for those who answered no previously. As the numbers add up (barring one anomaly),
the addition of this third option helped avoid any errors in the data.
If yes, were you able to borrow a laptop right away?
41%
56%
3%
Yes
No
I have never used the Laptop Loan Service
In order to gain a clear understanding of what is already effective in the LRC, as well as what aspects
need to be improved, participants were asked to provide one thing they liked and one thing they
disliked about the LRC. The majority of responses regarding what students liked praised the wealth
of resources available in the LRC, including the availability of computers and Macs as well as the
facilities available. Others commented on the environment, with focus on the spaciousness of the
group study area that makes it ideal for working in groups. Others mentioned the ambience of the
LRC, including things like the view and friendly atmosphere, which was also directed towards the
staff and the service they provide. Unfortunately, several participants did not provide an answer,
though this number is lower than those who chose not to answer the following question. The full
details of these responses can be found in Appendix 1.
Please tell us one thing about the Library LRC that you
like
12%
32%
10%
Resources
Services/Staff
1%
Environment
Amenities
Ambience
7%
N/A
38%
When asked to identify one thing they did not like about the LRC, 28% of participants chose to either
state that they had no grievances with the LRC, or skipped the question entirely. A large number of
participants claimed that the group study area can become too cramped on busy days, though this
was a far lower percentage than those who praised the environment of the LRC in the previous
question. Unique criticisms of the LRC included the fluctuating temperature, with seemingly equal
numbers of participants saying it was either too hot or too cold. Complaints were also made
regarding the noise in the group study area, as well as the lack of variety and high cost of the
vending machine. Constant maintenance of the bathrooms resulting in frequent periods in which
they are out of order were also mentioned. The full details of these responses can be found in
Appendix 2
Please tell us one thing about the Library LRC that you do
not like?
15%
3%
28%
Resources
Services/Staff
5%
IT
Environment
Amenities
23%
16%
Ambience
N/A
10%
CONCLUSION:







The majority of students who took part in the survey are satisfied with the LRC and believe
that it provides a good service.
52% of students surveyed had asked for IT help and were very satisfied or satisfied with the
service they received. This would indicate that the level of IT support is effective.
Students ask for IT support in relation to the use of the MFDs (printing/scanning). We have
put notices in place beside the machines to help:
o don’t pull paper from tray
o warning notices regarding low paper
o messages about 100gsm paper
We will highlight the use of MFDs more comprehensively in future LRC induction
programmes
The laptop loans are popular and the vast majority of students are able to access a machine
when they want one
Temperature and noise complaints continue to be a problem. Staff will continue to monitor
and respond to such complaints in effective and prompt manner.
Vending machine feedback – students complain about the lack of chocolate. More variety
required. This feedback will be passed to the catering manager responsible
APPENDIX 1 - Please tell us one thing about the Library LRC that you like
Comments not edited
Response Count
178
Responses - 178
Skipped - 22
Response Text
1)
amount of computers availabe
2)
It's a clean, nice and usually quiet place to work and complete assignments
3)
alot of space to work with to get on with work.
4)
book content
5)
good resources
6)
books
7)
nice work enviroment
8)
Range of reseources easy to find
9)
atmosphere and the people around it.
10) the facilities offered
11) having the help there if you need it
12) the books being available at short hand
13) the atmosphere
14) enough room to work in groups on one table
15) lots of space and different places to work
16) the recources it provides and area to study and do work
17) good amount of space to work in
18) its a nice atmosphere to work
19) good working space, good resources, nice staff, good book loan service (long loan times)
20) Good resources
21) Different areas of study available. group study or a quiet area.
22) Its a good learning environment with resources avalable
23) its spacious and quiet to learn effectively
24) organisation of space , plugs in the tables, good wifi
25) a lot of space and a broad selection of books
26) lots of resources
27) common area
28) I am able to concentrate more here
29) i like that the second floor isnt too quiet so you can talk amd help each other if you want.
also there are lots of charger points which is good
30) the facilities are extremely useful and the amount of space is brilliant
31) easy to do work with groups
32) the equipment
33) space and books
34) accesability to the books
35) multiple different areas for studying
36) the basement
37) gives more motivation to do uni work here with all the resources here
38) always computers avaliabe
39) friendly staff
40) The Pods
41) plenty of areas to work in
42) the resources
43) there is a lot of space
44) good group study area and a lot of resources available
45) lots of work space
46) accessible charging ports
47) friendly area which id slways motivating
48) table space, and easy plug sockets for laptops
49) great resources
50) the space
51) mintel
52) plent of space
53) there is loads of space for different areas of work e.g quiet room for self study group work
areas for group work
54) lots of different study zones e.g group/silent/macs available and in the silent areas
everyone sticks to the rules
55) cheap coffee
56) the study space
57) calm environment
58) its a quiet environment with fewer distractions to complete work.
59) friendly
60) books and study areas
61) lots of macs
62) its a place to come without distractions and its always open
63) It's a very nice area to study for your assignments
64) the amount of space available and the resources being close by
65) the wide range of resources available.
66) the wide range of resources available.
67) the wide range of resources available.
68) the wide range of resources available.
69) its warm, and staff are aleays helpful
70) the atmosphere and the facilities
71) there are alot of recourses
72) the staff are very helpful and even if they personally dont know the answer they always find
a solution
73) Lots of friendly faces here to help
74) Lots of friendly faces here to help
75) helpful staff
76) The amount of study tables available
77) the group study area is an excellent place to work, wether alone or with friends. the
atmosphere is great for study yet not so quiet as to be stifling,
78) I like the different areas, and the staff are really friendly
79) its a good enviroment
80) wide variety of books
81) view
82) range of books
83) friendly staff
84) thr book borrowing system is very efficient and well managed
85) have differents each floor e.g quiet floor, group floor
86) Great Space to meet a group and work together
87) Cosy
88) Cosy
89) all the services are easy to use
90) the environment
91) its a good place to work
92) more laptops
93) easy to find
94) Amount of reading sources and more then one copy
95) quiet and griup area,
96) use of laptops
97) the computers
98) a lot of spaces to work
99) enough resources to get work done
100) How there is a number of laptops available - unless its near april where it becomes difficult
due to deadlines
101) computers
102) good space to work, well equiped and helpfull staff
103) good facilities
104) nice relaxed place to study
105) nice relaxed place to study
106) friendly
107) lots of space
108) the quiet area in the book areas
109) always room to work individually or with a group
110) how easy it is to get books and how many e-references that are available
111) ease of accessibility
112) quiet study areas
113) good range of books
114) clean toilets
115) the resources, fashion magazine archives
116) the services is good
117) the different places available to work
118) induvidual study rooms
119) i like that you are able to get on with work in a social area
120) Generally it is very nicely designed so that students can concentrate on their assignments.
121) the group study spaces on the second floor. the group pods on first.
122) availabillity
123) the amount of computers always available
124) lots of space
125) availability of laptops/pcs
126) the resources
127) friemdly environment
128) 24 hour opening, overall good vibes
129) a good workspace for groups and individuals
130) range of resources
131) loaning a bookl
132) ideal for completing group work such as presentations
133) the selection and quantity of texts.
134) organised place
135) working environment options. eg quiet spaces
136) use of photoshop etc
137) i like the fact that there is an option for a quiet area and a group study area
138) staff are very on hand and happy to help
139) plenty of space and resources
140) individual study rooms
141) Availability of space and closeness of books
142) unique space renting service with use of the pods
143) I like the wide range of journals available. i like that there are plug sockets on all of the
tables
144) books and laptops easily accessible
145) the group working area
146) Allocated areas for different types of studying
147) plenty of study areas
148) open 24 hours
149) different quiet areas
150) group area
151) its easy to access with a laptop as there are not always pcs free
152) the areas to work
153) the group study space
154) facilities and working environment
155) the space provided
156) the books available
157) easy to do my studying
158) the macs
159) wide range of books and resources. computer suite
160) can loan laptop
161) its very comfortable
162) all the books are orginized in different areas
163) the amount of books
164) laptops available
165) plenty of acces to resources
166) good working environment.
167) lots of space to work
168) environment
169) its close to the facilities that we need and the enviroment is good
170) Group study areas are very well designed areas that can help students concentrate and
work on their assignments.
171) the different spaces available
172) study space
173) vending
174) always manage to find space...access to book stock
175) size is good ...aware that there are zones
176) i can get a pc when i want
177) opening hours
178) availability of pcs never waited for one
APPENDIX 2 - Please tell us one thing about the Library LRC that you do not like
Comments not edited
Response Count
162
Responses - 162
Skipped - 38
Response Text
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)
31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
40)
more plugs in quiet study area
it can be noisy at times
I honestly cannot think of one
needs more group study rooms
not enough room
not enough pods
cold air conditioning
nothing really
the noise
gets very hot
there often isnt computers free, not enough for the amount of students
someties to noisey or cramped
Nothing
the heating is sometimes to hot or cold
very busy at times
can sometimes be quite warm.
not open 24/7 all the time, no facility to refill waterbottles
not always 24/7
Toilets out of order
can often be too busy and not enough computers
internet connection
i would like some place where i can reheat my food if i bring
its often cold in floor 2
the noise
Sometime's there's no macs
sometimes its too loud and crowded somnot enough space
N/A
n/a
lack of space/tables
too load sometimes
vending machine options
lack of normal vending machines
not much space
gets over crowded that its hard to concentrate
too crowded
How crowded is does get
noisy twats
lack of chargers in the basemeant
sometimes too hot
always busy so it could do with more space
41) not enough computer access
42) its sometimes quite loud
43) sometimes can be really cramped
44) n/a
45) can get noisy
46) the scanners
47) not enough group pods?
48) sometimes the wifi is slow
49) easier ways to book pods
50) not enough study space and it gets too hot in here
51) there are often loud and annoying people, even in quiet areas.
52) Busy
53) healthy food in vending machines and dirty toilets
54) there isnt always enough room to work in groups/with my own laptop
55) The toilets could be cleaned more often
56) 57) more group study rooms.
58) more group study rooms.
59) more macs would always be useful.
60) more macs would always be useful.
61) sometimes there isnt enough computers, the price of the items in the vending machine is
too high, they should bring back chocolate,
62) veggie food in the vending machines
63) there is not enough places to study alone
64) the night bus isnt consistent
65) Vending machines are too expensive for the items that are availible, and a lack physical
resources for sports
66) Vending machines are too expensive for the items that are availible, and a lack physical
resources for sports
67) not enoughh resources for sport
68) healthy snacks in the vending machines
69) Just one minor gripe: the vending machines are bloody expensive.
70) when people are on computers using facebook
71) only one group study section
72) heating
73) limited space
74) not always 24h
75) sometimes there are not enough of one type of book
76) not enough computers provided
77) always busy, not enough space for amount of students
78) Cold in the group study area
79) Cold in the group study area
80) needs bigger group area
81) wifi can be poor
82) its always very busy
83) Busy
84) Lack of seating during busy periods.
85) /
86) not enough pc
87) stairs scare me
88) it gets cold
89) difficult to find books
90) N/A
91) Cold
92) sometimes cant get access to a computer
93) lack of plugs in places
94) lack of plugs in places
95) not enough macs
96) its always very busy
97) Nothing
98) Nothing
99) the turnstiles to let us in!
100) a/c units are always on even when its really cold limited PCs with the requisite software for
my course more so, the PCs in the andrews building have the siftwares in the lecture area and
we have limited accessibility when there is a lecture going on
101) can get very busy
102) food in machines is gross
103) connection can sometimes lag a lot
104) expensive snacks
105) none
106) the internet connection
107) not enough laptops
108) not enough space in busier times
109) it could be cleaned more often.
110) only one computer floor
111) can get quite hot when busy lack of access to journals, sport discus
112) can be noisy
113) sometimes there is not enough space for everyone
114) lack of food for overnight stays
115) gets very busy
116) lack of space when it gets busy
117) not enough study areas
118) sometimes difficult to find enough space to work in
119) the selection in the vending machines.
120) Too much noise and distraction
121) sometimes busy very rare
122) too warm/cold
123) Nothing
124) sometimes its newr impossible to find what you need
125) bit busy
126) noise
127) general group work space can be quite loud
128) somtimes there is no space in the group study and we have no where else to go to work as
a team. sometimes it gets too loud when we're doing third year work when people are talking on
the phone for a long period of time
129) not enough stationed conputures
130) space is limited
131) bring back the old vending machine
132) limited amount of some books
133) n/a
134) nothing
135) internet is bad
136) the wifi can be slow and it is akways over crowded
137) lack of plugs
138) lack of quiet study space
139) lack of plug sockets
140) more water fountains
141) amount of research articles available
142) email outlook not working
143) needs more computers in the basement
144)
145)
146)
147)
148)
149)
150)
151)
152)
153)
154)
155)
too many peoples
can be really crowded at some points
there isn't anything i dislike
there is not enough space for all students
can be very busy
group area can become a bit too crowded at times
n/a
noise levels
can be quite disruptive at times
Macs and PCs could be a bit cleaner(especially the keyboards)
the wifi connection
156)
157)
158)
159)
160)
161)
162)
sometimes too busy
vending machines could have more choice. having some chocolate...energy boost food
no comment
access to printers...more help with them
sometimes the group study area can get noisy
can get noisy... always working with someone
noise...specifically from the group study area