Presentation Date

2024

Download

Download Full Text (338 KB)

Description

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to obtain reliable data about satisfaction with and value of services and resources to users at a health sciences library using the Measuring Information Service Outcomes (MISO) Survey.

METHODS: The study team evaluated multiple survey options including MISO, LibQual, LibStat, and creating an in-house survey. The ITHAKA survey was not considered due to its length and complexity. We selected MISO based on its flexibility/customizability, professional administration, ease of use, previous use of the tool, and historically high response rates. The team significantly customized the survey tool, adding 40 customized or local questions. The survey was distributed in February 2023 and sent to a sample of 4,223 faculty, staff, and students.

RESULTS: The survey received a 43% response rate, with a 38% completion rate. Custom questions that had been used before, thus providing longitudinal data, and custom questions with free text responses provided the most useful data. Data from the survey is being used to inform instructional offerings and plan furniture for a large remodeling project. However, some custom quantitative questions and several of the questions used from MISO’s question bank provided incomplete or uninterpretable data. Some respondents expressed dismay at MISO’s mandatory race/ethnicity and gender questions, data the study team did not need for our intended use. As with previous administrations, the amount of email sent to the campus survey administrator by respondents was unmanageable due to the highly personable nature of the survey invitation templates. Additionally, each administration of the MISO survey has been progressively more difficult to run though a biomedical IRB, showing gaps between IRB’s at the undergraduate institutions MISO predominantly serves and the IRB this library uses.

CONCLUSION: Despite the obstacles, health sciences libraries should seriously consider using general library customer satisfaction surveys. The professional vetting and administration that goes into a fee-for-use survey like MISO provides significant value in terms of its usability, both for the survey team and potential survey respondents. The tools provided to help administer and monitor the survey, as well as the rigor of participating in a cohort minimize distractions and keep the survey project on track. The data can also be used as a baseline for more targeted in-house assessments that dig deeper into specific areas.

Document Type

Presentation

Conference/Presentation Location

Medical Library Association Annual Meeting, May 2024

Language

English

Keywords

MISO, customer satisfaction survey, HSLIC survey, library survey

Using A General Survey To Determine Value: One Health Sciences Library's Experience Customizing the MISO Survey

Share

COinS