Remember LibQual? That’s the survey we invited you to take back in October to rate our services. Well, we’ve gotten the results back and, with apologies to Sergio Leone, they’re good, bad, and ugly. Some of the responses surprised us; others, not so much. This is the first in a series of blog posts about the results and changes that we’re making because of them.

So what was good? You liked our customer service, friendly and helpful attitude, and the knowledge we have to answer your questions. We’ll definitely keep up the good work here.

And the bad? A confusing website, difficulty in getting to electronic resources from off-campus, out-dated computer equipment, and a lack of tools to help you find information were things that frustrated you.

Now for the ugly–the building. No light, noisy, inconsistent temperatures, crowded, out-of-date–it’s amazing as many of you come in here to work as you do! You are indeed a hearty, fearless group.

So, what are our plans? And have we done anything yet? Well, we launched Catalyst, a new way to our online catalog, and we’ve held focus groups to get your feedback. So far, we’ve heard that it’s a much easier way to find books that suit your research.

We’ve also reminded you again about the best way to access material from off-campus by combining Google Scholar with the LibX toolbar.

The building is a tougher nut to crack. When the Brody Learning Commons opens in the fall of 2012, you’ll have more space with lots of light. Meanwhile, even as construction goes on, we’re starting look at ways to spiff up MSEL, so stay tuned! And if you missed the survey or would like to provide additional feedback, you can leave us your comments all year ’round!

Future blog posts will have more details about specific projects that we’re doing as a result of your comments, so watch this space.


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