The Urbana Free Library Patrn Survey Final Reprt CIRSS Center fr Infrmatics Research in Science and Schlarship Graduate Schl f Library and Infrmatin Science University f Illinis at Urbana-Champaign 501 East Daniel Street Champaign, IL 61820 February 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY General findings frm a survey f Urbana Free Library patrns are summarized belw. A ttal f 367 patrns cmpleted the survey yielding a respnse rate f 31.6%. Please nte that * dentes a statistically significant finding that is discussed in greater detail in the bdy f the reprt. Overall Library Evaluatin The majrity f patrns rated the Urbana Free Library as excellent verall. Over tw-thirds (68.4%) rated the Urbana Free Library as a 1 (excellent) n a scale f 1 t 5 when asked t prvide an verall evaluatin. Written cmments included: The Free Library is a huge asset t the Urbana cmmunity. The fact that it is always busy may be the best part. Keep up the great wrk. Thank yu We have access t s many bks, mvies, and magazines: Smething we culdn't affrd. And the staff in the library is extrardinarily nice. The library has a very welcming, warm atmsphere. It's just great The quality f custmer service was als cnsidered excellent. Nearly nine ut f ten (87.7%) rated the custmer service at the adult desk as 1 (excellent) r 2. Almst tw-thirds (65.9%) f respndents felt the custmer service at circulatin was either a 1 r 2. N ne rated the quality f custmer service received at the archives, circulatin, r service by phne as pr (rating f 5). The library s adult bk cllectin was als cnsidered especially strng. Over three-quarters (76.0%) rated the adult bk cllectins as either a 1 r a 2 n a scale f 1 (excellent) t 5 (pr). The mvie cllectin is als rated highly, with nearly half (49.3%) f respndents wh rated the library s cllectin f mvies as 1 r 2. Library Publicity Tw ut f five patrns want t be ntified by email f library prgrams r services. The mst ppular ways patrns wanted t be ntified included email (40.7%), flyers and psters (19.5%), and library mailings (14.9%). Library Visits Three ut f ten patrns wanted n change t library hurs while anther three ut f ten patrns preferred having the library remain pen lnger n Friday evenings. Mre peple wh speak a language ther than English at hme preferred having the library remain pen n Friday evenings, cmpared t thse wh spke nly English in their husehld (45.1% versus 26.4%).* Preference fr lnger hurs n Friday evenings was als mentined in the pen-ended cmments: One small change wuld be t remain pen until 7pm instead f 6pm n Friday ne mre hur t make it a bit mre cnvenient t stp by after wrk. Mst patrns came t the library by car. Fur ut f five patrns (82.1%) ften r smetimes drive t the library, 40.8% ften r smetimes walk t the library, 31.3% ften r smetimes 2
ride their bike, and 14.7% ften r smetimes take the bus t the library. Mre respndents frm census tracts lcated nearest t the library walk r ride their bike t the library than thse frm ther census tracts.* Patrns ability t find library parking was a cncern. Tw-fifths (42.2%) f thse arriving by car said they smetimes had truble finding parking, while 11.7% said they ften d. Cmments included: Mre parking wuld be nice. Additinal parking (preferably free). Have mre space in the parking lt. Get rid f parking meters. Imprve parking layut. Mst patrns tlerated parking limitatins, but it was a deterrent fr ne in five patrns. Nearly tw-thirds (63.2%) f respndents reprted parking smeplace else nearby when they drive t the library and cannt find a parking space. Almst ne-third (28.1%) said they circle the lt until a space pens up. 21.6% f respndents said they decided nt t visit the library and left when they culd nt find parking. Respndents in husehlds with at least ne African American r black member were less likely t park nearby when n parking was available than respndents wh did nt have African American members in their husehld, (65.4% versus 33.8%, respectively).* Library Cllectins Mre patrns used the Urbana Free Library t get bks and audi bks than ther surces. Nearly tw-thirds (63.8%) f patrns reprted getting bks frm the Urbana Free Library ften while 23.7% said they ften get bks at anther library. One-third (33.5%) f respndents said they get bks frm anther, nn-library surce smetimes. Amazn.cm, Barnes and Nble, Brders, and the lcal Pages fr all Ages received frequent mentins in the write-in respnses. Mre respndents gt audi bks frm the Urbana Free Library ften r smetimes than anther library r ther surce. One-fifth (21.0%) f patrns said they ften get music frm the Urbana Free Library, while 6.3% ften used anther library and 15.8% ften used sme ther surce t get music. Bth itunes and Amazn.cm were frequently mentined in the write-in respnses fr this questin. Apprximately ne-third f respndents used the Urbana Free Library ften (31.3%) r smetimes (33.2%) t get mvies. Rughly ne-fifth f respndents said they ften (23.4%) r smetimes (20.7%) use a surce ther than libraries t get mvies. Mst patrns were nt interested in brrwing vide games frm the library. Nearly threequarters (72.0%) said they did nt want t brrw vide games. Wii was mentined frequently in the pen-ended cmments alng with mst majr gaming platfrms. 3
Library Spaces / Services At least ne ut f fur patrns use the library s inside seating, cmputers, cffee shp, r wireless Internet. Mst ppular was the library s inside seating, with nearly three-fifths (58.3%) f respndents using it ften r smetimes, fllwed by library cmputers (38.4%), the cffee shp (35.9%), wireless Internet (28.4%), children s play areas (22.3%), utside seating (15.3%), study rms (15.0%), and meeting rms (10.9%). Nearly half (46.4%) f respndents with an African American r black member in their husehld said they ften use the library cmputers cmpared t 11.6% f thse withut African American members in their husehld.* Mre patrns asked fr help frm library staff in lcating items than fr suggesting pssible titles, researching infrmatin, r using the nline catalg. Tw-thirds (68.4%) f respndents said they ften r smetimes ask fr help in lcating items, while nly 32.4% ften r smetimes need help researching infrmatin, 25.9% need help using the nline catalg, and 17.5% ften r smetimes ask fr suggestins. Mre respndents with an African-American r black member in their husehld said they ften r smetimes ask fr assistance in researching infrmatin cmpared t thse in husehlds withut African American members (22.7% versus 6.4%; 45.5% versus 28.2%, respectively).* Over tw-fifths f respndents with a 4-year cllege degree r less said they never ask fr help researching infrmatin (45.5% f thse with sme cllege r less and 41.5% f thse with a 4- year cllege degree) cmpared t 27.3% f thse with pstgraduate educatin.* Patrns wuld like t see changes made t the library s checkut and drp-ff prcedures. At checkut, 77.5% f respndents wuld like t have the due date stamped n each item, 58.7% f respndents want t receive a reminder befre items are due, 40.4% wuld like t have self-checkut statins, and 35.4% wuld prefer t have a receipt listing all items checked-ut. Library Prgrams The majrity f patrns were interested in attending library prgrams. Nearly tw-thirds f respndents (63.9%) said they were interested in prgrams, while 36.1% were nt. Over half f thse interested in library prgrams (base = 221) wanted t see mre music prgrams (53.7%) and mre authr and artist visits (51.9%) at the library. Mre than tw-fifths f respndents interested in library prgrams wished there were mre prgrams dealing with internatinal cultures (44.9%) and scial issues (42.1%), prgrams fr adults (42.1%), and bk discussins (42.1%). Only ne-fifth (19.4%) f respndents with white r Caucasian members in their husehld wanted the library t have additinal prgramming fr schl-age children, cmpared t twfifths (41.2%) f thse with n white members in their husehld.* Almst three-quarters (72.5%) f thse wh speak a language ther than English wanted the library t have mre prgramming n internatinal culture, cmpared t 39.1% f thse wh speak nly English.* 4
One-quarter (24.6%) f thse wh expressed interest in library prgrams (base = 221) wuld like children s prgramming n Mnday thrugh Friday between 9am and 1pm. Saturday afternns between 1pm and 6pm were the secnd-mst ppular time (15.5%). One-third (33.2%) f thse wh expressed interest in library prgrams (base = 221) said Mnday thrugh Thursday evenings between 6pm and 9pm wuld be a gd time fr adult prgrams, while ne-fifth (20.1%) preferred Sunday afternns between 1pm and 5pm. Library Website The majrity f patrns expected the library website t have a variety f features. The mre ppular features patrns expected t find n the library website included being able t search the nline catalg (88.6%), renew library materials (86.8%), place hld requests n library materials (84.6%), find library hurs and phne numbers (82.8%), find infrmatin n library prgrams and events (70.8%), view lists f library purchases (60.6%), and request hlds fr items n rder (50.8%). Nine ut f ten patrns with pstgraduate educatin expected t be able t use the library website t search the catalg and renew library materials, cmpared t smaller percentages f peple with a 4- year cllege educatin r less.* Frequency f website use varied by educatin level. Mre than ne-third (34.9%) f thse with sme cllege r less have never used the library website, cmpared t 15.3% f thse wh are cllege graduates, and 11.7% f thse with pstgraduate educatin.* Many features f the library website were easy fr patrns t perfrm. Reading the screen was easiest, with 59.6% f patrns wh said it was easy, fllwed by returning t the hme page (51.7%), navigating website pages (40.1%), finding cntact infrmatin (38.7%), and searching the nline catalg (37.3%). Smaller percentages f respndents said it was easy t find library prgrams (22.6%) r find nline articles (11.3%) thrugh the library website. Slightly mre than ne-half (50.5%) f respndents in English-speaking husehlds felt it was easy t search the library catalg, cmpared t less than ne-third (30.2%) f thse wh speak a language ther than English.* Library Technlgy The majrity f patrns used email n a rutine basis. Nearly all (98.8%) f respndents reprted using email n a regular basis when asked abut their technlgy habits. Over ne-third f respndents als used text messaging n their cell phnes (38.6%) and instant messenger services (34.6%). Mre respndents in husehlds with African American r black members rutinely used instant messaging services and cell phne text messaging features, cmpared t ther husehlds.* Prtable media device wnership was cmmn amng patrns. Nearly tw-thirds (65.4%) said they wned a prtable media player while 34.6% said they did nt. 5
Over fur-fifths (84.1%) f thse in Asian r Pacific Islander husehlds wn a player cmpared t 62.5% in nn-asian husehlds.* Over 70% f thse living in census tracts 51, 52, 59, and 60 (76.7%), tract 58 (76.7%), and tracts 53 and 54 (71.9%) wned a media player. Percentages fr ther census tracts were lwer but still greater than 50%.* Mst patrns wanted t be able t dwnlad music at the library (87.9%), fllwed by audi bks (64.4%), e-bks (51.7%), and mvies (48.9%). Patrns expected t be able t d a variety f activities in the library cmputer lab. Mst wanted t be able t use a scanner (58.8%), save files t CD r DVD frm library cmputers (44.6%), attend technlgy classes (41.2%), get technlgy assistance frm staff (36.7%), submit nline frms r applicatins (35.0%), and edit and save digital images (33.3%). Nearly half (48.9%) f respndents wh spke a language ther than English wanted t be able t submit frms and applicatins at the library, cmpared t 30.8% f English-nly speaking husehlds.* Almst half (46.9%) f English-nly husehlds said they were interested in receiving technlgy assistance frm library staff, cmpared t ne-quarter (24.4%) f thse wh spke anther language.* CONCLUSIONS Overall, patrns f the Urbana Free Library are pleased with the library, its cllectins and especially the quality f service. It was clear frm the written cmments that peple value the library and see it as a place where all members f the family can g t find materials f interest t them. Respndents generally rated the library cllectins they had used highly, and fr many types f items, including bks and audi bks, the Urbana Free Library was a majr surce fr thse materials. Suggestins fr imprving cllectins tended t emphasize the particular interests f a respndent. Having a greater selectin fr the audi bk, music, and mvie cllectins was eched by a number f patrns in the written cmments, and these cllectins als had higher percentages f respndents rating them as a 3, 4, r 5 (n a scale f 1 t 5, with 5 being pr ). Sme cmmented that it culd be difficult t lcate materials, and the cncern is crrbrated by the number f patrns wh reprted asking fr help in finding items relative t ther types f staff assistance. Parking was a cncern fr many respndents. It featured prminently in the written cmments, with cmplaints abut the number f spaces available, the layut f the lt, and the fact that meters are enfrced during the day. Mst patrns ften r smetimes cme t the library by car, and ver half reprted having difficulty finding parking ften r smetimes. Respndents with an African American r black member in their husehld are mre likely t leave and d nt visit the library if there is n parking available than thse frm husehlds with n African American members. Given the Urbana Free Library s urban lcatin, it may be difficult carve ut 6
additinal rm fr parking spaces. Attempts t increase awareness f additinal parking ptins will cntinue t be imprtant in the future. The analysis by sciecnmic factrs like ethnicity, language, and educatin indicated sme f the differences in library use by different subppulatins. Respndents wh spke a language ther than English in their husehld nt nly preferred having the library pen later n Friday evenings, but als wanted the library t have mre prgramming n internatinal cultures and be able t submit frms and applicatins in the library cmputer lab. Mre respndents with African American r black members in their husehld used the library cmputer lab and reprted asking fr assistance in researching infrmatin than thse in husehlds withut African American members. Educatin level was als assciated with library website use and whether r nt peple asked fr help when researching infrmatin. These variatins suggest ways in which library services can be tailred t meet the needs f these subppulatins. Nearly all respndents said they used email n a rutine basis, and perhaps nt s surprisingly, email was the mst ppular way peple wanted t be ntified f library services and prgrams. But email cmmunicatins shuld nt just be limited t this, as many patrns were als interested in receiving email reminders fr when checked-ut items were due. Althugh apprximately ne in ten library patrns used RSS n a regular basis, it was nt a ppular means fr library annuncements. Since RSS technlgy is relatively simple and inexpensive t implement, the library may want t cnsider incrprating it int their website at sme pint; hwever, there is a clear demand fr library cmmunicatins via email currently. Nevertheless, print ptins shuld still be available fr thse wh wish it, since flyers and psters and library mailings were the secnd and third mst ppular chices fr library annuncements. Ownership f prtable media devices like ipds and ther types f digital players was very high, with at least 50% f respndents frm every census tract reprting wning ne. Respndents shwed mderate levels f interest in being able t dwnlad media frm the library, particularly music, and the library may want t cnsider making this type f cntent available t patrns. Whether the library shuld have a vide game cllectin was a plarizing issue. Althugh the majrity f respndents did nt feel it was necessary, thers were interested in being able t brrw games. A number f respndents said the library shuld nt d this in the pen ended cmments, suggesting that sme may view it t be ut f scpe fr a library traditinally fcused n bks. And this tensin prbably prtends f mre t cme as Urbana takes steps t psitin itself t address changes in media and technlgy. Sme patrns expressed cncern that the library wuld change t many things, presumably as a result f this survey, with cmments ranging frm We lve the Urbana Free! As it is, t Dn't change t much! t Quit trying t please everybdy and be everything. These views suggest that new strategies r plicies fr the Urbana Free Library need nt be implemented quickly and they als shwed that diminishing existing services culd prve t be cntrversial. Ultimately, the Urbana Free Library is in the best psitin t interpret the results frm this survey and address the needs f their patrns. 7