Quality Improvement

On March 8, 2013 the Libraries introduced a new and streamlined way to report access issues and interruptions while using the Get It tool. Get It provides access to full text articles, and users can now report access issues while using this online tool. Previously, users had to email the Libraries with infomation regarding access issues.

You may have recently noticed some changes to the library catalog -- we've made some improvements! The new design is closer to the look of the library website and we hope that these improvements have made the OPAC more friendly

Some specific features include:

Increased seating and improved utilization of space are the focus of a proposed renovation to W. W. Hagerty Library. After months of planning, library staff, along with campus planners and administrators and the architectural firm Kling Stubbins, have proposed ways to address these objectives.

“Although these are not finalized plans, I am excited by the possibility to add about 300 additional seats to the library – while increasing the flexibility of the space and improving traffic flow and decreasing noise,” said Danuta A. Nitecki, dean of libraries.

The Libraries has simplified the process of submitting Ph.D. and Ed.D. dissertations, reducing student costs by $66, and saving student and staff time. The new process uses ProQuest’s Electronic Theses and Dissertations Administrator [ETD], which provides convenient online submission and reduces steps in the submission process.

The Libraries’ Counting Opinions survey provides staff with feedback, directly from users, on how experiences with the Libraries can be improved. 'Accessing an online database provided by the Libraries," is one priority area respondents to the survey identified as an opportunity for improvement. Staff considered various starting points, number of steps involved and possible errors users may experience to see where people were having the most trouble. While considering the relevant data, staff was surprised to uncover that many users were having trouble simply locating databases on the Libraries’ website and were typing the name of their desired database into one of the search boxes presented on the home page. The usability study showed that 60% of users who visit our website were seeking databases or journal articles and that the Quicklinks list of databases was one of the two most-visited spots on our website.

Beginning this year, a new pilot program that will help the Libraries focus staff time and collections budgets on the resources that Drexel students, faculty and staff need for academics, research and university administration. This new program is commonly referred to as Demand Driven Acquisition, utilizing the needs of the University population to acquire resources.

Through this new pilot, researchers will be able to access to relevant information faster with less need to submit interlibrary loan requests.

"Did you have a good break?" This is one of the questions that we in the Drexel University community will greet each other with when we return to campus or to our virtual classes in January. Whether we've gone back home to spend holiday time with our family members, traveled and toured with old friends or met new ones, or stayed near campus to study and recharge our academic batteries, we're all able to provide a quick assessment of our break time—and hopefully a positive answer to the question. But how do we know so quickly? Typically, because we know what break time is for (our mission), how we hoped to spend our break time (our vision), and what evidence there is of our success (our metrics).

“Access to online databases” is what the Libraries’ users say is in most need of improvement these days.   Users answering the Libraries’ customer satisfaction questionnaire, managed by Counting Opinions, rate both the importance of a number of services, and the level of their satisfaction with Drexel Libraries performance of them.  Managerial leaders compare these important ratings and this fall decided to focus on how to improve access to the online databases that the Libraries licenses for student and faculty use—this service has the largest service quality gap and thereby offers the biggest opportunity for improving customer perceptions of the Libraries service activities.

The Libraries has implemented a new course reserves system this term and we’d like to hear how it is going.  Please take a moment to fill out one of these short surveys to give us your feedback.

• Instructors, click here to take the survey
• Students,
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