Results: Research Guides

Though we regularly examine usage statistics for individual Research Guides, this was our first collective assessment of them, and our first assessment examining how their use supports student learning in courses with library/librarian developed Course Guides. 

Our initial comparison of enrollment data and page views for Fall 2024 courses with Course Guides indicates that we exceeded our goal of Course Guides usage by 50% of students. 

We examined the numbers of Course Guides for each course level, 1000 – 9000, to establish context. They are distributed across all levels but have a larger representation for 1000 and 3000 level courses. 

Next, we examined enrollment and Course Guide pageviews at the course level to measure performance more granularly. We learned that of the 53 pairings of courses with Course Guides, 36 of them met or exceeded our goal for student use, while 17 fell short. Our analysis compares page views to student enrollment across all sections of courses. Due to reporting limitations, we are unable to confirm that Course Guide page views are the result of enrolled student activity.  

A handful of Course Guides, including those developed for an online program and those developed with significant faculty input or collaboration, were particularly heavily used.  (A chart and table of high use Course Guides follows the report.)

This analysis was a learning experience to identify and establish assessment methods that can be used for future inquiries to measure use and identify opportunities for improvements. Overall, we are encouraged that our findings indicate that Course Guides are generally useful to students to support learning and faculty to support teaching. 

Program Action Plan: Research Guides

The results of this initial assessment will be presented to the Subject Librarians who develop and maintain LibGuides so they may provide insight into individual and overall Research Guide effectiveness. The usage and enrollment data, as proxy for student and faculty need, will help inform development of a development and maintenance strategy that will improve availability, quality, and efficiencies for these Library resources and services. The results will also be provided to the Research Guides software administrators to inform infrastructural updates that will improve the data accuracy for future assessments, e.g., assigned categories and Canvas links. In consultation with the Subject Librarians, we will revise our initial goal of Course Guides usage by 50% of students to a higher percentage. 

Timeline for Action Plan Implementation: 

We will begin the action plan in June 2025 so that further analyses and strategies may be formulated over the summer months in preparation for the next academic year, AY 2025/2026.  

Results: Technology Equipment Circulation

As this was our first assessment of this service, we set a cautiously optimistic goal of 65% for technology equipment circulation initiated by WSU students. A report was generated from the library catalog that reflects circulation activity by item and patron type for the Fall 2024 semester, September 1 – December 31. Analysis indicates that there were 3,595 technology equipment items circulated and that 3,552 checkouts (98.8%) were initiated by graduate and undergraduate students. Most of the student checkouts were initiated by undergraduate students – 3,212 (97.7%). Only 1.2% of circulation was initiated by faculty, librarians, and library staff. The findings confirmed that this library service, implemented to support student success, is almost exclusively used by students.  

The working group gained a better understanding of the aggregated circulation activity and inventory levels for types of equipment by library location using an item record report. We learned that multi-use chargers, Chromebooks, and calculators are the most frequently borrowed items from the library equipment collections. The WSU Libraries also facilitate and report circulation activity for C&IT’s laptops accessed via lockers within the Undergraduate Library, STEM Innovation Center, and State Hall. The report used for this analysis cannot be limited to a date range, so the findings will provide a benchmark for a point in time by which future activity can be measured. 

Program Action Plan: Technology Equipment Circulation

During our analysis, members of the working group discovered opportunities to improve equipment type identifiers in the catalog that will improve our ability to generate more granular data for future assessment. Future circulation reports will provide greater insight into patron needs and inform investments in equipment by library location. 

We will continue to monitor circulation activity by patron and equipment type. We anticipate patron needs and technology equipmentwill evolve over time as does technology equipment. We anticipate adjusting equipment type and availability by library locations in response to the current and future data analyses. We will immediately increase our target goal for technology equipment circulation initiated by students from 65% to 95%. 

Timeline for Action Plan Implementation: 

The action plan was initiated during the assessment period and will continue through, at minimum, the next academic year, AY 2025/2026. 

Results : Faculty Satisfaction with Library Services & Resources

The survey was administered for four sets of Faculty from the School of Social Work, the Department of Biological Sciences, and the College of Education. The survey was sent to 111 faculty; 36 responses were received, though just 28 were usable for a 26.7% response rate.  

For faculty that utilize library resources and services in the classroom, satisfaction ratings for 6 of 11 were scored above the 90% goal and 5 were scored below it. There were a significant number of “not applicable” responses for each category. These merit further examination, though may be due to differences in resources needs by discipline. 

Faculty were asked to rate the level of ease in locating library materials for teaching and requesting librarian support for teaching. Responses were positive but fell below our 90% goal. 

(A table and graph of response analyses follows)

Approximately half of the respondents answered the open text questions asking for feedback on how the libraries can better support their teaching and research. Responses were received from across all the departments surveyed.  

One member of the Libraries Assessment Committee analyzed these by type, function, potential responses or actions, and by library staff most able to respond. While a variety of actionable needs and suggestions (eTextbooks, permalinks, etc.) were received, many responses centered on the need for better communication from librarians about available services. The textual results will be conveyed to library individuals and departments, so they may consider taking immediate action. 

Program Action Plan: Faculty Satisfaction with Library Services & Resources Survey

Members of the Libraries’ Assessment Committee will present aggregated findings to the Subject Librarians and other key stakeholders for feedback. Subject specific results will be shared directly with the appropriate subject specialist or library unit.   

During analysis, opportunities for further investigation were noted. Many respondents indicated that library resources and/or services were not applicable to their teaching or research. Further, a larger than expected number of respondents reported satisfaction with less commonly used resources and services such as archival and digital collections. We will consult the Subject Librarians for additional insights. Also, we will further evaluate the survey instrument to identify opportunities to clarify language, include definitions and/or examples, and revise or remove questions accordingly.  

Timeline for Action Plan Implementation: 

The action plan was initiated during the assessment period and will continue through, at minimum, the next academic year, AY 2025/2026. We will continue to refine the survey questions in preparation for launch to the full faculty at a future date to be determined, but likely during the AY 2026/2027.