The national user survey of UAS libraries 19.9.–14.10.2022 surveyed customers’ opinions of library services. A total of 512 responses were received from Savonia. The number of responses grew from previous years. Thank you for answering!
Nearly 86% of the respondents rated Kuopio Campus Library Opus (Iisalmi 12.3% and Varkaus 2.2%). Almost all respondents were Finnish-speaking and first- or second-year students.
The use of the library has not fully moved online, as the majority (82%) use the library both on-site and online. 38% use the library’s services daily or at least once a week.
The majority of respondents had borrowed, returned or reserved material (78%), used Finna (75%), and studied or worked independently in a library (61%). E-books and e-journals are used more than printed.
The importance of the services and their success (scale 1 to 5)
The most important services (4.70 – 4.62):
- library services as a whole work well
- the location of the library is good
- Self-service library access is easy
- I can access the material I need easily
- the library has functional facilities
- library materials meet my needs
The most successful services of the library (4.65 – 4.50):
- Self-service library access is easy
- the location of the library is good
- I get professional service from the library
- I can easily get help from library staff
- library services as a whole work well
- library service hours are sufficient
Biggest gaps between importance and success are related to the material, the search service Finna and the premises. The gaps are small (–0.35 and +0.11), so we succeeded well.
The biggest gap between importance and successes was related to the smooth use of the materials. The open-ended responses criticized the too short loan period of e-books, the difficulty of downloading, the limitations of licenses in concurrent users, and usability and clarity. According to the experience of library staff, the use of e-books by foreign service providers is smooth contrary to some Finnish providers.
In individual open-ended responses, finding a book on a shelf was difficult. A slight improvement is on the way; a student of building architecture drew up a floor plan of Campus Library Opus. The floor plan helps building a library map to Savonia-Finna that shows where the book is placed.
Books are transferred between campus libraries for free, but there are differences in waiting times. For example, the Varkaus library has customer service once a week.
The second largest gap between importance and success was in the responsiveness of the material to the user’s needs. There were comments in the open-ended responses that respondents wanted more books or journals (both printed and e-books).
The third biggest gap between importance and success was in the usability of the Finna search service. A closer look at the responses showed that a significant number of those who found it difficult to use Finna had not participated in the trainings organized by the library. There was no explanation in the open-ended responses what is difficult in using Savonia-Finna.
The fourth largest gap was in the functionality of the library’s facilities. There were differences in library-specific responses between campuses. 59% have done group work in Campus Library Opus, and only 15% in Iisalmi. The renewal of the Iisalmi Campus Library has already begun. The campus is being developed into a nature campus. Nature experiences – for example, in the form of natural materials, colours, plants, lights and photographs – are brought indoors.
Opus’ respondents hoped for more peaceful study spaces for both group work and independent work. Next to the Opus there is a quiet space Aatos for working alone.
The influence of Library: Library promotes studies and helps to find the necessary information
Based on the answers to question “How library services have impacted your studies”, the materials in the library are valued: they make a significant contribution to studies, and the library helps to find the necessary information. In the opinion of the respondents, the most significant are:
- the library has promoted my studies/work by providing me with materials
- the library has helped me find the information I need
- the library’s e-materials have made it easier for me to access information.
Most of the respondents said that the lack of a library would make it difficult to access the materials. This would result in additional costs when books had to be bought.
It would become more difficult to obtain information because “it would be much more difficult to find reliable information.” Other libraries in the area may not have the same materials available. Several of the responses mentioned the library as a study space, which would make it more difficult to work and do group work without the library’s facilities.
It seems that there is a need for services, collections and meeting places provided by the library. The average of the answers to the question how likely you would recommend library services to your fellow student (on a scale of 0-10) was 8.93. The NPS of customer loyalty (those who gave a rating of 9 or 10 minus those who gave a rating of 0-6) was 62 (average of UAS libraries was 60). More than 50 NPS points are excellent as a result.