InfoBrief

Now for our final post on the Student Satisfaction Survey.  In addition to asking about the facility and website, we questioned students on their use of, and satisfaction with, the library’s Access Services and Research Services.  Access Services include circulation, course reserves, and Interlibrary Loan/Borrow Direct.  Research Services include the reference desk and research consultations.  Overall, 50% of respondents use the Circulation Desk from a few times per month to a few times per week.  An additional one-third uses the desk a few times per semester.  Reference Desk use, of course, is less than that of circulation.  46% of respondents use reference from a few times per semester to a few times per month, while 6% use the desk quite frequently—from a few times per week to daily.  Students are more likely to use reference as they progress through their law school careers with 35% of 1Ls never having used the desk, while only 12% of 3Ls report never using the desk.  As expected, journal staff members use reference service more frequently than other students.  Research consults, which are a more focused and time-intensive service, have been used by 1/3 of respondents.

Student satisfaction with Access Services is noteworthy.  90% of those who have used the Circulation Desk are mostly to very satisfied, 42% of users are very satisfied.  73% of those who have used course reserves, and 73% of those who have used Interlibrary Loan/Borrow direct are mostly to very satisfied.  While more users of course reserve report being “mostly” satisfied as opposed to “very” satisfied, this is likely due to the availability constraints caused by high demand of certain items.

Student satisfaction with Research Services is similarly high.  78% of those who have used the reference desk are mostly to very satisfied with 35% reporting being “very” satisfied.  Research consults are a big hit: 54% of students who have had a research consult are mostly satisfied, while an additional 38% are very satisfied.  Most research consults were for either a class paper or a journal note the student was writing.

Comments on the core services, and the Law Library generally, were plentiful.  The library is appreciative of both the very positive comments and the constructive ones.  Representative responses to the question “What do you like most about the Law Library?” include:

• “The large amount of resources and the helpful staff.”
• “The librarians. Seriously, you guys are great.”
• “I enjoy interacting with the library staff. They have always been able to assist me with my research and to help me track down a source. Thank you.”

We also asked the question “What do you like least about the Law Library?”  This yielded numerous constructive comments, which overwhelmingly focused on the physical plant.  As noted previously, space and temperature issues featured prominently.  Representative comments on service issues include:

• “There should be more transparency in the carrel assignment system.”
• “Not enough copies of core hornbooks on reserve.”
• “You should allow ILL/borrow direct for books which are on course reserve.”

The library really appreciates these comments as they flesh out the numerical ratings and help us to prioritize items that need to be addressed.  The comments regarding course reserve comport with the numerical ratings.  These comments will assist both Access Services and Collection Development personnel in making decisions to improve the student experience.

Finally, to gauge interest in additional research services, we asked students “Would you be interested in attending one-hour research workshops presented by the library on a specific topic?”  Three out of four indicated that they are somewhat to very interested in such workshops.  Related comments were made in response to a question on what else the library should provide.  These include:

• “More research trainings.”
• “I wish the librarians taught more for-credit classes on legal research, especially research for transactional law.”

Overall, the survey confirmed that students are quite pleased with the Law Library and the plethora of services the library provides.  It also helped confirm that students do have facility-related issues with cold temperatures and limited space, especially group study space.  The survey also highlighted areas within the direct control of the library that need to be addressed, specifically the carrel-assignment procedure, availability of course reserve materials, and the policing of noise and food.

The Law Library greatly appreciates all of those who took time to complete the survey.  The feedback, both positive and constructive, is helpful in assessing what works and what does not, and in charting a course for the future.  And congratulations to our prize winners: Joseph Pohlkamp (2L) won the reserved study carrel for next fall, and Lilian Balasanian (3L) won the $25 Cornell Store gift card.  Awesome!

This is the second post on the Law Library’s Student Satisfaction Survey.  Today, we’ll look at the responses to questions about the Library’s Web site.  While the frequency of use runs the gamut, 3 out of 4 respondents indicated that they use the site from a few times a semester to a few times per week.  The site itself received good marks: 61% of respondents are mostly to very satisfied with the site.  Only 4% indicated dissatisfaction.  In addition to satisfaction ratings, we asked students which features they are using.  The site is mostly commonly used for the Library Catalog, the Online Legal Resources, checking library hours, and linking to Westlaw and Lexis.  Other often-used features include Interlibrary Loan/Borrow Direct, research guides, and the Legal Research Engine.

There were numerous positive comments made about the Web site, and these focused on the ease of use and navigation of the site, and the depth and breadth of content and resources.  There were several constructive comments made about the Web site and these, interestingly, generally said that the site is not intuitive and difficult to navigate.  The old adage that you can’t please all of the people all of the time holds especially true for web sites.  That said, we are always looking for improvements that can be made to the site.  As we update the site’s content this summer, we will look for changes that can be made to improve the organization and navigation of the site making it more intuitive and accessible.

If you have additional feedback on the web site, do let us know in the Law Library.  The next post on the Satisfaction Survey will consider library core services.

In February, the Law Library conducted a Student Library Satisfaction Survey.  More than 160 students responded to the survey for which we are most grateful.  Respondents included JD students from all three classes, LLMs, and JSDs.  A significant number of students indicated that they are currently active with journals, moot court, clinics, or as research assistants.  Four out of five respondents visit the library, not including walking through, from a few times a week to daily.  Not surprisingly, 90% said they visit the library to study.  Other common reasons to visit the library include using the Internet and printers, copying and scanning, checking out books, and researching for assignments.

The survey gleaned both quantitative and qualitative information on the use of, and satisfaction with, Law Library facilities, web presence, and core services.  We’ll address each of these on the Competitive Edge blog.  Today’s post looks at library facilities.

To gauge student satisfaction with the library facilities, we asked respondents to rate the floor/space they use most often on five criteria: noise level, lighting, study space, group study room availability, and temperature.  Students rated primarily the Reading Room, the second-floor, and the new ground floor.  The mean numerical ratings of noise, lighting, study space, and temperature balanced at the “neutral” rating, but leaned toward satisfaction.  On group study space availability, ratings leaned toward dissatisfaction.  This is an ongoing issue in the Law Library, of which we are keenly aware.  This is an item that we will address to the architects who are planning the law school renovation.

Temperature is also an issue, as reflected in the many comments we received.  Typical of these:  “It’s too cold in the Reading Room,” and the very expressive, “COLD! The reading room is freezing.”  We are also aware of the cold temperatures in the Reading Room and on other floors.  The Reading Room in particular, with its high ceiling and tall windows, is very difficult to heat.  However, we have informed the facilities staff that students have expressed dissatisfaction with the cold.

While both the cold and lack of group study rooms are ongoing issues, there were many positive statements on the physical plant, too.  Representative comments include:  “The Reading Room is beautiful” and “It is a great place to study and be productive.”

The survey also inquired about equipment in the Law Library, including copiers/scanners, public computers, office supplies, and wireless Internet connection.  Students are quite satisfied with the wireless connection, and generally satisfied with copiers/scanners, public computers, and office supplies.

The survey did elicit numerous comments on equipment and supplies in the Computer Lab, which is administratively separate from the Library and is under the purview of Law IT.  Comments noted that computer mice and keyboards are often missing, printers often do not work, and that staplers and other supplies are either damaged or missing.  We have discussed these matters with Law IT.  IT regularly replaces missing or damaged items and that the printers are regularly maintained (and replaced) through a contract with the Computing Center.  It is to the benefit of all students to use the equipment with care and to replace any item you may have borrowed.  As the Lab cannot be staffed 24/7, students can help by keeping an eye out for problems and reporting them to the Lab managers as soon as possible.

If you have other feedback regarding the Law Library facilities, do let us know.  Our next post on the survey will cover the Library’s Web site.