LIBQUAL+ and Library Summit: The Clemson Experience

1. LIBQUAL+ and Library Summit:The Clemson Experience

2. Clemson University In Context: • Land-grant university for South Carolina • 17,000 students (13,500 undergrad and 3,500 graduate) • 900 faculty • Majority of doctoral programs in sciences and engineering • One main library and branch for architecture

3. The Clemson Summit Concept • Concept initiated by President • Summits are organized around a university function • Bring university constituents together to focus on • one area

4. The Clemson Summit Concept continued: • Library Summit I was the second university summit • and was designed to identify major themes for • the Libraries in the future. • Attendees included: faculty, students, staff, trustees, • former president, administrators including • President and Provost. • We followed Library Summit I with Library Summit II • which consisted of the entire library staff.

5. Themes from Library Summit I: • “Declaration of Independence” • Move to electronic formats as quickly • as possible. • Change the nature of the place – make the • library facilities more of an academic meeting • place rather than a warehouse. • Staff Libraries appropriately for new mission. • Increase funding for Libraries from all sources.

6. Results from Library Summits I and II: • Strategic Plan for 2000-2004 • Business Plan for 2000-2004 • Included detail tasks and dollar amounts • Resulted in the Library being included in the • Academic Affairs “Road Map Funds” for the • next four years. Received $1 Million the first • Year and $500K each of the next 3 years

7. Services added based on Business Plan: • Improved overall cleanliness of building • Dramatically increased Library hours to 24/5 • with increased weekend hours • Provided 2 scanners for public use, then increased • number to 4 • Added staffing to improve printing in campus computer lab located in Library

8. Services added based on Business Plan: • Improved group study space • Reconfigured furniture to help support quiet floors • Improved access to electronic journal holdings • Improved popular reading collection of books

9. Services added based on Business Plan: • Relocated book drops and added drive up drops • Addition of proxy server to increase access to electronic resources • Improvements to the Libraries’ web page • Added staffing to improve printing capabilities in campus computer lab located in Library • Increased number of laptops available for checkout

10. LIBQUAL+ and Clemson University Libraries • First LIBQUAL+ followed Library Summits I and II • Used LIBQUAL+ results to determine if the choices we made from the summits were correct. • We determined that the LIBQUAL+ results validated the themes and detailed objectives resulting from the summits.

11. 2003 LIBQUAL+ Results • Received our 3rd LIBQUAL+ Results • Paid close attention to those that had a • negative adequacy gap

12. “Disconfirming Expectancy” • Increased credibility by providing negative • information. • We wanted help from faculty and students to • understand the 2003 LIBQUAL+ results. • Because of success of Library Summit I and II • decided to have Library Summit III.

13. Summit Planning: • Planning Committee • Determined date and location (university conference • center) • Determined schedule (3:00PM – 7:00PM) • Determined meal • Set Agenda • Recommended participants (by group) 60 total • Organized discussion topics • Prepared and sent formal invitations

14. Summit Goals: • Verify improvements since 2000 summits • Use ideas to extend existing Strategic and Business • Plans • Use ideas to allocate 2003-2004 Road Map Funding

15. Summit Process: • Organized around three LIBQUAL+ areas: • Information control, affect of service, Library as • Place • Had two tables of 10 participants per topic • At half way point had participants change tables. • Table leaders where library staff who also recorded • ideas. • Each table was asked to come up with 9 ideas plus • one “off the wall” suggestion.

16. Adequacy Gap Faculty 2001 2002 2003 Change Print and/or electronic journals -1.74 -0.74 -0.83 -0.09 Printed materials I need -1.46 -0.65 -0.71 -0.06 Electronic resources accessible 0.15 0.02 -0.22 -0.24 Employees who are caring 1.17 0.99 1.19 0.20 Employees who are courteous 1.25 0.83 1.14 0.31 Employees who instill confidence 1.12 1.08 1.03 -0.05

17. Adequacy Gap Grad Students 2001 2002 2003 Change Electronic resources accessible -0.17-0.08-0.14 -0.06 Print and/or electronic journals -1.18 -1.18 -0.13 1.05 Printed materials I need -0.91 -0.54 00.54 Employees who are caring 0.58 0.91 1.30 0.39 Giving users individual attention 0.45 0.91 1.26 0.35 Employees who are courteous 0.34 1.13 1.12-0.01 Convenient Service Hours -0.38 0.52 1.08 0.56

18. Adequacy Gap Undergrad Students 2001 2002 2003 Change A quiet place for ind. activities 0.51 0.501.06 0.56 Convenient Service Hours-0.02 0.61 1.05 0.44 A comfortable and inviting… 0.64 0.62 1.040.42 Electronic resources accessible… -0.15 0.58 0.29 -0.29 Willingness to help users 0.48 1.12 0.96-0.16 Print and/or electronic journals -0.03 1.02 0.88-0.14

19. What Happened: • Providing “negative” information from LIBQUAL+ • results was very positive. • University supports and rewards honest examination • of opportunities to improve. • A real “assessment culture” at Clemson which looks • to “close the loop.”

20. What Happened: • Seeing “problem patron become actively interested • in helping to solve problems rather than • complaining. • While there were several expensive suggestions, • many of the ideas were very feasible to • accomplish with available funds.

22. Library Town Meetings: • Critical to success of Summit • Had 3 Town Meeting with Library Staff • Staff added ideas and enhanced many of those • suggested at the Summit.

23. What we learned: • Have less library staff, more users • Shorten second session somewhat • Provide more training to table leaders • Schedule so President and Provost can • participate.