Starting March 18th, Greenwood Library will be conducting the LibQUAL survey of library service quality. Longwood students, faculty, and staff will receive emails with a link to participate in this nationally recognized survey. Participants may choose to enter a drawing to win an iPad with Retina display or Solo headphones by Beats by Dre. The survey will close on April 5th.
By participating in this five-minute survey, you will:
• Let us know what services work best, and where to target improvements
• Help us better understand how the Longwood community rates library services
• Allow us to benchmark results against other libraries to determine best practices
If you participate, your responses will be kept confidential. No identifying links between responses and the individual responding will be retained. Only combined data will be reported.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Mark Lenker, Librarian for Instruction and Research Services, at lenkermn@longwood.edu or 395-2257.
We look forward to your feedback!
I am a senior graduating this May and have been a faithful user of the library and most of its resources. The one resource I have been using excessively this past year is the dell/mac 3 day rental program. I think its fabulous and the school should consider even longer term rentals for a minimal fee, and adding a broader selection of electronics availible to rent. With that beng said I also feel I need to express the dissapointment and resentment have carried for the past 4 years concerning the library’s hours of operation. To open at 7:30 on weekdays and 1pm on Sundays is absolutely absurd. 1 pm is a ridiculous to open on a sunday when students are far more apt to even go to the library, would be interested to know how many students actually c ome at 11 am on saturdays compared to how many would like to be in the library before noon on a sunday. Also the upstairs talking side has long wooden tables that I would have loved to utilize had there been a single plug availible. Plus the seating section in the back on the balcony is a waste o space and should be rearranged to look more appealing and less like a frat house living room. The biggest problem I have experience these past four years is the fact the library is not 24 hours. It is just ridiculous. If we the students want to be here, the educational institution should make that a priority and make it happen. Why is Longwood standing firm against student looking for a conducive enviornment for learning regardless of the hour. Thank you, its been great!
Thanks for your post, Alexandra. I’m glad you’ve had some good experiences at the Library, but I want to address your concerns as well. Meeting our students’ and the faculty’s needs is very important to me and all of my staff. I came as Dean in June of 2011, and the Library has increased the number of MacBooks available for student loan. Because demand is so high, we can’t extend the loan period – and we aren’t meant to be a replacement for owning your own computer. This spring, we added the Dells to the mix of laptops available for checkout, and that has been very popular. We’ve also added other equipment to the Multimedia Lab that is available for checkout (e.g., cameras, projectors, etc.), all of which are very popular. Looking at the space on the second floor: we are working on modifying the doors that face the atrium so that they can remain closed, thereby reducing (or eliminating) the noise from the atrium; we also recently added additional hard-wire ethernet lines to 20+ study carrels on the quiet side; and I’ve been in discussions to increase the number of electrical outlets throughout the second floor. As for the Library hours: we open at 7:30 am on weekdays to accommodate those who have early morning classes (this is also a convenient time for staff across campus who start their work day at 8:00 am and may want to check out something from the Library). Honestly, we do not have data on how many students might use the Library before 1:00 pm on Sundays, and we can certainly look at opening earlier. Saturdays are not among the busiest times, but we feel it is important to be available to those who are on campus. I want to assure you that the issue of a 24-hour study space is not being ignored; there are no plans in place at this time, but the university is looking at ways to address this. It sounds as though you find some of the space on the second floor less appealing to your needs. What we have tried to do throughout the Library is create a variety of spaces, some for individual quiet study, some for collaborative group work, some for “socializing” – in an effort to meet a broad range of preferences for what students find conducive not only to studying but for a sense of community on campus. I’d be happy to meet with you to discuss your concerns. All the best as you finish your last semester at Longwood! — Suzy Szasz Palmer, Dean of the Library