Full Text (PDF) - Mississippi Library Association

Mississippi Libraries Vol. 68, No. 1, Spring 2004 Page 10by the cost of electronic resources. Whileelectronic resources provide a greaternumber of access points, these resourcesare expensive.New funding resources need to be substantial,sustained, and incrementallyincreased for the library to meet the needsof its faculty and students. Funding sourcesmay include state funded support throughthe University E&G budget or externalfunding through endowments and grants.Another consideration is more complex.Close scrutiny of the existingresource use must be addressed as well.Simply put, are we buying the rightthings? Are the resources currently availableno longer appropriate for the collection?Is there a need to discontinue someresources and use funds to purchaseitems more germane to the teaching,learning and research needs of the faculty?Analysis of current expenditures is animportant aspect to maximizingresources. Such analysis includes thestudy of database use, journal use, collectiondevelopment policy revision for academicdepartments, increased awarenessof and redirected support for documentdelivery, and careful assessment of theUniversity’s mission relative to the informationsupport offered via the library.Other areas for evaluating existingresources may also include continuedinnovation, decisions to delay purchases,cooperative collection development, andtaking advantage of publishers’ resourcebundling for greater purchasing power.SUMMARYThe summary information above onlyscratches the surface of the eighty-threepage LibQUAL+ survey report for TheUniversity of Southern Mississippi. Participatingin the ARL LibQUAL+ surveyprovided an excellent opportunity for TheUniversity of Southern MississippiLibraries to utilize a Web-based instrumentdesigned to assess library services andresources for our faculty, staff, and students.In addition, a file of more than 125open-ended responses was providedthrough the Web survey that addressedmore specific Southern Miss libraryresources. Data provided in the full reportincludes analysis for each question byother demographic information, includingthe respondent’s discipline.Even with the abundance of data providedby the LibQUAL+ survey, the local dataindicates that The University of SouthernMississippi Libraries’ greatest deficit is in thearea of library materials support. In particular,print, non-print and electronic resourcesprovided by the University Libraries are notadequately meeting the needs of those whoresponded to the survey.On the national level, aggregate datafor the survey is provided to each participatinginstitution. Assessment of our servicemarks relative to all other participantsis possible and yields some interestinginsights. The summary data indicates thatother colleges and universities are facingsimilar situations in the aspect of access toinformation, while demands for increasedinformation continue to be a major issuefor academic libraries. Information gatheringand analysis of data from those weserve provides leverage for increasedfunding. Reports to university administratorsfrom surveys such as LibQUAL+ areevidence of our constituencies’ beliefs,and serve as useful benchmarks regardinglibrary service. Meaningful improvementof library services is not easily gained withoutgathering feedback from library users.The best way to gain this knowledge is tolisten, analyze what is said, and then createa strategy based on this information.Whether it be surveys, focus groups, electronicsuggestion boxes, or public forums,new ways of listening give new perspectiveson the library and its mission.