Student Experience Interviews, Fall 2020

Questions

Our interviews aimed to gather additional user feedback about experiences with the Libraries in Fall 2020. We asked six participants questions related to their:

• Perceptions of the Libraries’ pandemic response.
• Use of the Libraries spaces, services, and collections (both in-person and virtual). 
• Experiences with and utilization of the Libraries website.

Additional customized questions were asked based on participants’ survey responses and to gather comparisons of their behaviors and perceptions to library offerings before and after the pandemic began.

An eboard at the Libraries with information about what to expect when visiting during Fall 2020.

Two physical signs at the Libraries with information about safety requirements and what to expect when visiting during Fall 2020.

Findings

• The Libraries’ pandemic response was seen as positive. In Fall 2020, some participants were still hesitant to enter the Libraries buildings due to health concerns and their perception of other users’ behavior (e.g., pushing tables together for groups). Note: In Spring 2021, the Libraries has updated its face covering requirements and enforcement.
• Some participants did not realize the Libraries were open during the Fall 2020 semester, or that certain services like technology lending were available despite the pandemic response.
• Some participants, but not all, specifically remembered on-site messaging about masks and social distancing on signs and eboards. For some users, the efficacy of physical signage in the Libraries buildings is related to the location of signs (e.g., signs placed outside of study rooms and on doors may be more likely to be noticed than signs in walkways).
• Most participants have visited a library during the Fall 2020 semester and tend to choose a library location to visit based on proximity to housing or academic and research spaces.
• Participants mostly use the library website to find resources for their research.
• Access to recorded Libraries workshop content would be valuable, even in non-pandemic times.
• The layout of information and amount of text on the library website is decreasing usability for some participants.

Recommendations & Changes

• Consider additional ways of messaging about the Libraries services and pandemic response. Note: See our updated pandemic response page, What to know about the Libraries: Spring 2021.
• Record workshops and make them available on-demand via the Libraries website.
• Consider new approaches to information organization & readability on the website, such as reducing the amount of text in menus.