News from the Mardigian Library

The Mardigian Library is committed to supporting the academic, research and curriculum needs of the university. To accomplish this goal, we need to hear from library users. Surveys have become an integral tool used by academic libraries. They provide evidence that not only assists the library in selecting appropriate resources, but also help to demonstrate the value and impact of library services. This year, the library will be focusing on feedback from students. The library wants to have a positive impact on students’ work/life/studies, so we need to know more about how they DO work/live/study. In just a few weeks, the library will be sending out a campus-wide survey to gather input from students about our collections, services and facilities.

Library staff is working in partnership with Formative Evaluation Research Associates (FERA) to build on previous surveys. The information gathered will help the library in four ways:

·   learn what is important to students

·   gather deeper insight into where we are doing well and where we need to make changes

·   ensure that we focus on addressing important issues rather than wasting time on those of little importance

·   determine whether student opinions of the library are getting better or worse over time

Data from the survey will be analyzed over the Spring/Summer semester using the process called “What? So What? Now What?” This process enables us to assess the current situation (What) and identify changes that would enhance learning outcomes and services (So what). This analysis will be utilized to determine priority projects for the Mardigian Library for the next two years (Now what).

Knowing what students want is essential for the library. Gathering this information is not easy. We also know that students are busy and have a lot on their minds in April as the end of the semester approaches. But we want to hear from undergraduate and graduate students, and from students from each of the schools and colleges. So, we will e-mail students a survey invitation and we will schedule computer labs across campus for drop-in sessions to facilitate survey completion. Pizza and soda will be provided and students will be able to enter a prize drawing for an iPad, four Kindles (one per college), and eight $20 gas cards.

Responding to the survey really does make a difference. Some of the changes that resulted from our last student survey include:

·   initiation of 24-hour study for final exams

·   investment in new technologies to help users find library resources in a simple “Google-like” search (Summon)

·   creation of comfortable seating areas

·   addition of 70 electrical outlets

·   adding the ability to pay library fines by credit card

We are looking forward to getting this update from students, and we promise to make changes based on the data.

Trial Database

The Mardigian Library has received a trial offer for the following item:

Statesman’s Yearbook Online
Dates available: through March 15, 2012

The Statesman’s Yearbook is now available online, providing speedy access to accurate and regularly updated information on every country in the world. It is a reference guide that includes a wide array of facts and historical reference data including key political, demographic, and social information.

If you are interested in this resource, please go to the library’s website, click on the “Faculty Services” link, click on the “Trial Databases” link at the bottom of the left-hand column, and sign in with your User name and UM-Dearborn password.

We encourage you to try this resource and give us some feedback. A positive review does not guarantee that we will have funds to acquire the database, but it could help us determine whether we should pursue it when funds are available. You may send your feedback to: [email protected].