User Survey 2016 : Results

This page provides an overview of the main results, including a comparison with our 2011 and 2014 surveys where possible, and our replies to comments and suggestions.

Please see our full data report and comments report for further details.

• Q1: How often do you use library services?
• Q2: For what purpose(s) do you use library services?
• Q3: How satisfied are you with the services and resources currently offered?
• Q4. Which of the following should the library focus on as a priority?
• Q5 Are there any additional services that you would like to see?
• Q6. How do you rate the library service overall?
• Q7. Please give an example where the library service has had an impact on your work or has helped to improve patient care.
• Q8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the library?

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Question 1. How often do you use library services?

The top 5 most frequently used resources from a pre-defined list were :

1. Online databases - 39% of respondents use them 'more than weekly'
2. Remote access to ejournals - 34% use them 'more than weekly'
3. UCL wifi - 28% use this 'more than weekly'
4. UCL networked PCs - 19% use these 'more than weekly'
5. Study space - 13% use these 'more than weekly'

Online databases and remote access to ejournals were the top two responses in our 2011 and 2014 survey.

Study space was new to the top 5, while accessing Ejournals via Library PCs dropped out - only 8% used these more than weekly, compared to 21% in 2014.

Despite this being a Queen Square Library survey it is possible that respondents were referring to their overall use of these, rather than just in this Library, but it does reflect the increasing use of laptops and mobile devices within the Library, as well as the continued need for fixed computers.

Question 2. For what purpose(s) do you use library services?

The top 5 cited purposes from a pre-defined list were:

1. Research Projects - 70% of respondents
2. Preparing for teaching/training - 34%
3. Career development - 30%
4. Supporting patient care - 28%
5. Exam preparation - 25%

This is similar to 2014, except for career development which has increased from 18% to 30%. It is pleasing to see the range of purposes for which the Library is used, which reflect Queen Square's role in teaching, training, research and clinical practice.

Please see Question 7 for some specific examples of how using the Library has impacted upon work and patient care.

Question 3. How satisfied are you with the services and resources currently offered?

Over half of respondents ranked Helpfulness of staff, Knowledge of staff and Support for information as 'Excellent' (67%, 64% and 55% respectively). These were also rated highly in the 2011 and 2014 survey.

48% of the total rankings overall were Excellent or Good (38% were N/A).

Individual services and resources ranked as either 'Excellent' or 'Good' by 50% or more respondents were:

• Library environment (64%)
• Databases (68%)
• Library website (54%)
• Remote ejournals (69%)
• Books (53%),
• Study space (50%)

This is similar to the 2011 and 2014 survey.

Over half of the services and resources listed had either no or one respondent ranking them as "needing improvement". Only 3% of the total rankings overall were "needs improvement". This is a similar pattern to the 2011 and 2014 surveys.

Services which received most rankings of "Needs improvement" were

• Opening hours - 15 respondents (20%)
• Remote ejournals - 5 respondents (6%)
• Computers - 4 respondents (5%)
• Study space - 4 respondents (5%)

This is a similar pattern to the 2011 and 2014 survey, though opening hours received more "needs improvement" rankings this year compared to 2014.

Suggestions for improvement

Respondents who said that a service needs improvement were prompted for further details. We received 17 responses and have grouped them into similar topics below (which are similar to those raised in previous surveys) including our replies:

1) Range of and access to print and eresources
One respondent mentioned a lack of access to recent editions and one respondent mentioned a lack of clinical psychology books and journals. Another respondent requested remote access to AAN journal Neurology Continuum.

Our replies:

Requests for more, or specific titles - we encourage users to let us know if there is a print, ebook or ejournal that the library does not currently offer, giving details of the specific title(s). Unfortunately, the high cost of online content and our limited library budget mean that it is not always possible for us to purchase access, but we do purchase all items which are on reading lists which we receive. A 'wishlist' is maintained of all requests received and, if additional funds become available, priority is given to wishlist items.

In terms of print resources, registered Library members have access to books across UCL Libraries, including the LASS and Science Libraries, which also hold resources on related subject areas. Many of these can be requested on inter-site loan for collection at Queen Square Library. We can also obtain items on Inter-Library loan from the British Library.

Remote access - It is always possible for users to access content from home if it has been purchased by their own institution - e.g. NHS staff can access NHS-purchased content at home while UCL staff and students can access UCL-purchased content at home. Additionally, NHS users are also able to access most of the UCL-purchased ejournals from within the library.

However, only those who work for or study at UCL can gain access from outside the UCL network because the publishers (who own the online content) have licenses in place to prevent wider usage.

The specific journal mentioned should be available remotely to both UCLH and UCL staff and students.

2) Opening hours
11 respondents referred to opening hours. There was no consensus about which extra hours would be of most useful, e.g. earlier, later, weekend opening.

Our reply:
It is good to hear that access to our physical space is still important to our users. Unfortunately, extending library opening hours is not currently feasible due to the absence of a security presence at no.23 Queen Square (the building therefore needs to be locked and secured overnight and at weekends). It would also not be possible to cover extended opening hours with our current library staffing levels (as we are a very small library team).

Nearly 50% of respondents rated the opening hours as Excellent or Good (similar to 2014 survey). However,  more respondents rated this as an area which needs improvement than in the 2014 survey, so we will continue to monitor our usage, and review the situation with Institute management. Registered members of our Library also have access to other UCL Libraries and some of the larger libraries have longer evening and weekend opening - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/opening.shtml

3) Computing facilities
Three respondents commented that the Library needed more computers.

One person commented on printing facilities not being part of the central UCL system so students were unable to use their central printing credit. They also commented on the lack of access to files saved on their student drive.

One person commented on the need for a basic text editor.

Our reply:

We have tried to achieve a balance between provision of PC spaces and study spaces, which is also in demand as indicated in the section below. While this is a difficult balance to achieve, our monitoring of usage shows that it is only occasionally the case that all the PCs are in use at the same time. Our refurbishment allowed us to increase the number of NHS computers available by doubling up each work station.

Each computer has a sign requesting that Library users only use the library PCs to access Library resources, rather than for email or social activities, which helps us to increase the availability of computers. All study spaces have power sockets for laptops, and Eduroam is available in all parts of the Library.

The planned refurbishment of no 7 Queen Square will provide more capacity for computer workstations within the Square

The library PCs are not intended to offer Office facilities in order to increase their availability. In addition, we are not able to offer MS Word on the IoN PCs because UCL's license does not cover use by our non-UCL users, including NHS staff.  However, most database interfaces provide save and export functions which would allow the recording of search results

We investigated the possibility of installing ISD multi-functional devices when they were rolled out in 2013, however, this is not currently possible, as our computers would not be able to print to them. A move to fully UCL networked PCs would also mean that our NHS users would not be able to access them.

However, desktop@UCL anywhere provides access to central filestores from any computer, and IoN students also have access to a Cluster room at no. 7 Queen Square, whose computers have a shortcut to the central UCL filestore. and https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/filestore-sharing-collaboration/central-filestore/n-drive

4) Library environment

3 respondents commented about the need for more quiet study space. Two commented on the air-conditioning being too cold.

Our reply:

It is good to hear that access to our physical space is still important to our users.

Space is at a premium in Queen Square, and as part of our refurbishment in 2010 we maximised the use of space, increasing the number of study spaces by a third, and fitting in as many multi-purpose facilities as possible. However, we monitor usage and know that despite this, the occasions where there are no seats available is becoming more frequent (though still relatively rare). The planned refurbishment of no 7 Queen Square will provide more capacity for study space within the Square.

We encourage our users to let us know if the aircon in a particular area needs to be adjusted.

5) Eduroam access within the Library
One person commented on the speed/strength of Eduroam.

Our reply: We were aware of this issue in 2014, and it was reported by users in our 2014 survey, which resulted in installation of new Eduroam equipment, which extended Eduroam throughout the Library. We have not received general reports of problems recently, but we are investigating with IT, as we are aware that our ever increasing number of visitors can put pressure on the system at busy times. We encourage our users to let us know if they do experience difficulties with our wifi connection.

See also Question 4 below.

6) Other suggestions

It would be fantastic if electronic access to a [UCL] journal could be directly implemented to Pubmed

Our reply - please see instructions in our user guide on how to set up an SFX@UCL filter https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/library/documents/Guide_to_Pubmed.pdf

Library catalogue search; location of books should show in the first page of search, rather than click in for details.

Our reply: Please let us know if you have suggestions for improvement to the Library catalogue and we can discuss these with the Explore (Library catalogue) user group.

Question 4. Which of the following should the library focus on as a priority?

Respondents were asked to select priorities from a list, choosing at least one and up to three priority areas. The three most popular choices were:

1. Ejournals - 37% of respondents
2. Wireless access - 30%
3. Quiet study space - 28%

These are the same top 3 as the 2014 (ejournals was also in the top 3 in 2011). Opening hours is now joint 4th, along with computers, which is also the same as in 2014.

The majority of the respondents selecting “wireless access” as a priority are UCLH users, so we will investigate the potential for full UCLH wifi access with UCLH IT. UCLH staff who are registered Library users can also request UCL Guest accounts for UCL wifi access (NB this doesn’t provide access to UCL eresources)

Please see Question 3 for suggestions for improvement to eresources, Eduroam and quiet study space.

Question 5. Are there any additional services that you would like to see?

This was an optional question. We received 2 suggestions and have included below the additional ones which have not already been mentioned above:

One respondent suggested librarians visiting departments for research guidance workshops Our reply: We can visit departments to provide group training on topics covered by our onsite training https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/library/training Please contact us for further details or to request a session.

Another respondent mentioned enforcing our quiet study policy, especially with external visitors

Our reply: We are aware that our recent exhibition, curated by external collaborators, has resulted in more external visitors than usual, and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. The exhibition space was an integral part of our refurbishment, but we need to ensure that for future exhibitions, and indeed all external visitors, we emphasise that this is a working library and enforce our quiet study policy accordingly.

Question 6. How do you rate the Library overall?

Respondents were asked to choose a rating from 1 ('needs improvement') to 6 ('excellent'). We were very pleased that no survey respondents gave the library service an overall rating of 1. Most people rated the library service within the positive end of the scale (95% of respondents), with 38% giving an overall rating of 6 (‘excellent’).

This is a similar pattern to 2014.

4 people (or 5%) gave negative ratings of either 2 (n=1) or 3 (n=3). These respondents are dissatisfied with the areas which were generally rated as needing improvement, e.g. opening hours, which have been discussed above.

Question 7. Please give an example where the library service has had an impact on your work or has helped to improve patient care.

This was an optional question. We received 37 examples of impact which included:

• I have used the library to complete an MSc in MS practice, to research for a book chapter I co-wrote, to write a journal article for publication, to improve clinical care. NHNN AHP
  

• The personal advice on book loans and referencing saved me more than once in essays and library projects. IoN PGT
  

• I would never have finished a recent book chapter on quality assurance for clinical imaging services without the quiet workspace and reference materials in the library. NHNN S&T
  

• The Library is always hugely helpful providing, in my case, access to the archives and permission to use this in awareness raising exercises for the National Brain Appeal. This helps us ultimately to raise money for Queen Square and the hospital. NHNN other
  

• One session with a librarian last year has allowed me to save hours in learning how to do an exhaustive research for a Review as part of my MRes thesis. UCL PGR
  
• I used several resources and attended the introduction to pubmed and ovid workshops to support my development of a new patient pathway in our service. NHNN AHP
  

• I was doing a research project and was running out of time due to clinical commitments, the library staff were excellent in helping me source my materials and arranged for a literature search which helped enormously. NHNN Nurse
  

• Helping with the resources I needed for my audit project. NHNN Nurse
  
• An excellent resource for papers and journals documents evidence of best treatments which helps guide management of patients. NHNN junior doctor
  
• I constantly use the e-journal service and could not write publications or grant applications without them. IoN academic staff
  
• The library is essential to provide up to date access for my clinical work. NHNN Consultant
  

Question 8. Are there any other comments you would like to make about the Library?

This was an optional question and not everyone gave a response. However, we did receive comments from 25 people.

The comments included one further suggestion as below:

One person suggested having a "staff only" area

Our reply:

As part of our refurbishment, we tried to fit in as many multi-purpose facilities as possible. As a joint library supporting both UCL and NHNN, we do not have the space to accommodate designated areas for specific groups of users, however, we operate a quiet study policy throughout the Library.

Examples of other comments received:

• The library is a true asset to Queen Square. NHNN consultant.
  
• Thank you for having such willing staff, it very refreshing to have helpful staff. UCL PGT
  
• Thank you, great job and really nice people! IoN PGT
  
• It is a very nice place to study, everyone from the staff is very helpful and very kind. IoN PGR
  
• the staff have a brilliant, can-do attitude! Many thanks for your help and support. NHNN other
  
• I would like to thank the staff which is always trying hard to allow us to get the best output from our time at the library. UCL PGR
• .. a wonderful library with even more wonderful staff. Lovely and helpful, always smiling and willing to help. IoN PGT
  
• Absolutely wonderful staff. Always helpful and smiling. IoN PGT
  
• The staff are very helpful. The historical displays are excellent an should be continued. IoN academic staff