UCC Library has been formally assessing Library Services since 1996. Many surveys have been undertaken and this data helped the Library to spot trends in service quality and to find out where scarce resources needed to be focused.
The survey method we are currently using is the accepted international method called LIBQUAL. The LIBQUAL survey has been used at UCC Library since 2008 and the results are available below in PDF format.
View some of the improvements we made based on this data:
| 2008 Improvements | |
| You asked for | We provided |
| More printers | An additional 5 networked printers. |
| A better Library website | A new Library website. |
| An out-of-hours book drop | A book bin in the Quadrangle Reading Room. |
| Easier access to other Libraries |
|
| Better access to online resources | A new interface to simplify access to online resources. |
| Extended opening hours | Quadrangle Reading Room: open until 2 a.m. most nights & providing extended opening at weekends. |
| 2010 Improvements | |
| An improved collection of print and electronic journals | Access to over 65k electronic journals via the IReL portal. |
| Improved access to electronic materials from home | A step by step guide to creating PINS on the Library website which allows you access from home. |
| A quiet space for individual work that inspires study and learning | A successful NO TO NOISE campaign in cooperation with the Students Union which built awareness and responsibility in students. |
| Improved Library catalogue making it easier to identify resources | New look catalogue incorporating metadata and with more detail and better links to relevant resources. |
| Information accessible for independent use | |
| A library website that allows me to find things on my own | Introduced Searcher finding tool. Searcher is a faster way of searching UCC Library's collections, including the catalogue, a single search box for journal articles, books, newspaper articles and more. |
The survey measures 3 aspects of Library service:
1. Affect of Service: Assessing the attitudes and abilities of employees.
2. Library as Place: Evaluating the Library environment and its facilities.
3. Information Control: Can Library users navigate the Library and its resources on their own terms? ... "I want what I want, when I want it, in the format I want it in".