| Affect of Service | Comment/Response | Status | Discipline | Gender |
|---|
| The reference personnel is helpful but should be able to leave the desk to provide the best service possible. | We are currently experimenting with double staffing at the reference desk in order to allow personnel to leave the desk and assist users in other parts of Newman Library. | Grad | other | female |
| Ed Lener, in particular, is a great asset to the library staff and to faculty and students | Thanks so much for taking the time to identify Ed by name. He most definitely is an asset to the University Libraries! | Grad | psych | female |
| Should definitely be open later though, Midnight is too early. | The University Libraries tries to maintain similar hours of service as other like-sized research libraries. Within the state, the libraries’ hours of service compare favorably to the other state institutions. With the increase in online resources that are available to users in their homes and offices, access to many of our research resources are available 24/7. A few years ago, we remained open until 2 a.m. for several semesters and recorded use. Use was so minimal after midnight that it was not cost effective to keep the building open those extra hours. The same is true of weekend hours. It is not feasible to keep a main university library open 24-hours daily without adequate staffing. | UGrad | psych | male |
| I have been most impressed with your services. I am a student at the NV campus and feel my survey answers do not reflect the excellent service we get up here from the onsite staff as well as staff in Blacksburg. | Thanks so much for your kind words! We feel most fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team providing a high level of service at the Northern Virginia campus. | Grad | education | female |
| Staff at the vet med library is *excellent* - very knowledgeable, always willing to help users find materials, and very friendly. | Thanks so much for taking the time to specifically comments on the staff at the Vet Med Library. They are most definitely an asset to the University Libraries! | Grad | vet med | female |
| Very friendly employees! | Thanks so much for the comment! We do strive for a high level of user satisfaction. | UGrad | business | male |
| Sometimes people treat me like I SHOULD know what I am doing and be able to do it by myself | Please continue to ask for help! Because of the number of classes we teach we do sometimes assume that our users know more than they do, but we are always very willing to help people learn to navigate the library and its resources. | Grad | arch | female |
| maybe a few more open hours on either Saturday or Sunday. | We base our weekend hours on data that we have collected over the years on use of the library during the weekend. That data shows that few people use the library after 6:00pm on Saturday and not before noon on Sunday. | UGrad | other | female |
| The library staff is very helpful and very professional. | Thanks for you kind words. A high level of customer service is very important to us! | Grad | agriculture | female |
| The people are nice, but the facility is terrible. | We know that our facility needs renovation to meet its user’s current study and research needs. We intend to start renovation, but library building costs are expensive. You will see evidence of our commitment to improve the building as early as January 2005 when we start the renovation of our Special Collections/Digital Archives area. Other projects will be phased in as we get funding and/or monetary gifts designated for renovation and building improvement. | UGrad | arch | female |
| The employees are consistently rude to me and unhelpful. | I'm very sorry that you find our employees rude and unhelpful. This fall we are undertaking a library-wide customer service training program and hope that will eliminate the problems you've encountered. We are seriously committed to a high level of customer service and are hoping to totally eliminate instances of rudeness and unhelpfulness. | Grad | agriculture | female |
| Dave Beagle and Larry Thompson were very helpful. | Thanks so much for taking the time to specifically identify Dave and Larry. We know our staff works hard at providing assistance, but it is nice to have it confirmed by our users! | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| I have many years of library use experience. For these reasons, when I do interact with a library person at this point, it is rare, and I need the a very knowledgeable person for help because if it was an easy question or obstacle, I'd be able to solve it myself. | If you are not familiar with your College Librarian, you probably should get to know that person (http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/clprg.html). In addition, we maintain a list of subject specialists for each discipline. These are the people to contact when you need assistance with the more involved questions that you're trying to answer. And for more efficient use of your time, don't hesitate to contact a librarian and make an appointment -- they may even be able to come to your office and save you a trip to the library! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| library employees are usually very helpful, but it is sometimes hard to find one, especially in Newman. | We have recently started experimenting with double-staffing our reference desk so that one of our librarians is available to accompany a user to resources within the Newman. In addition, librarians in their offices who are available to help have been asked to leave their doors open -- so if you see an open door on one of the floors, please don't hesitate to ask for assistance! | UGrad | arch | female |
| It is unfair to force students to copy for 8-10 cent per page with an out-of-date zerox machine compared to copy shop outside for 5-7 cent per page with update machines. | Our copying costs are based on the need to produce enough revenue to operate our photocopy service which is an auxiliary operation. We did have major problems with our copy machines a year ago but that problem has been improved since a new technician is available to respond to machine problems. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| I am student at the Alexandria Architecture center where we have an inadequate library with no librarian so many of these questions take on a different light. The services from Blacksburg have been excellent but the facilities here in Alexandria leave much to be desired and should be addressed. | The trend nationally is to centralize library services. Distributed libraries are more costly because they require more staff and a sizable percentage of duplicated materials. Consequently, we have no future plans to open additional branch libraries. However, we think we can meet the needs of our distance learners through ILLIAD and distributed electronic access. | Grad | arch | male |
| I think our library is doing a decent job, BUT being in a technically advanced university in this era, I expect more from them in terms of service, especially technologies that empower me to do more on my own. | We tend to agree with you! We have revamped the library website and have tried to make access to our resource more intuitive. If you have suggestions regarding specific technologies that would help you with your research, please don't hesitate to contact me ( Vicki Kok, vkok@vt.edu). | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| the library staff has been very helpful when contacted | Thanks for you kind words. A high level of customer service is very important to us! | Grad | business | female |
| The library staff at the Northern Virginia Center are great! They have been patient, understanding, and helpful with my research concerns, without being condescending! I feel comfortable with asking for help from them, and have accessed information I thought was not possible. The Nova staff are assets to the resource center | Thanks for your kind words! We do feel most fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team providing services in the Northern Virginia Center. | Grad | education | female |
| It would be helpful for research librarians to visit Northern Virginia to meet with doctoral students. | We are always available to come to Northern Virginia to meet with doctoral students, though we would prefer to meet with several people rather than just one. Either you or your faculty members can contact your College Librarian and request a site visit. (http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/clprg.html) | Grad | education | female |
| Over all, the contact I have had with librarians in Blacksburg has been very helpful. | Thanks for your kind words! We do take our customer service role very seriously. | Grad | education | female |
| I will commend your engineering librarians, they have been very helpful in the past. | Thanks for your kind words. We know that John Cosgriff and Larry Thompson do an excellent job, but it's nice to have that confirmed by our users. | UGrad | Eng/CS | female |
| I think the personal service provided by the staff is exceptional. | Thanks so much for your kind words! We are serious about providing personalized service to our users. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| I am very pleased with the library services. The individuals that work there are so helpful and customer service oriented. Thank you! | Thanks so much for your kind words! We are serious about providing a high level of customer service to our users. | Grad | education | female |
| I have just received exceptional services from the outstanding Library staff. The staff avail themselves to help in any situation. I was even had the opportunity to receive assistance from the Dean of Libraries and it was no big deal to her. However, I was impressed to know that she was accessible to students and not in an office. I must also take this opportunity to give kudos to Mr. Dave Beagle. He has been an invaluable asset to me. Mr. Beagle goes above and beyond the call of duty. He has worked overtime and even came in on a Saturday to assist me. He is a rare jewel forThe VA TECH Library. | Thanks so much for your kind words. As you've discovered, the Dean is very accessible and when she's sees people in the library who appear to need help, she is always willing to assist. And you're right about Dave Beagle -- he is a rare jewel! | Grad | education | female |
| I am at the NVC center. Debbie is wonderful!!! I have been treated well in my three years here. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team in the Northern Virginia Center! | Grad | education | female |
| The library resources and staff have been extremely helpful in my work as both a student and graduate assistant. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are committed to providing a high level of service to all of our users. | Grad | education | female |
| The people and facilities at Northern Virginia are the best. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team in the Northern Virginia Center! | Grad | military | male |
| The library at Tech was difficult to navigate without assistance initially. I would have appreciated a pre-visit orientation before arriving at Tech last summer. It would have saved time. | We are aware of how confusing Newman Library can be, particularly for a new user, and are working on improving our signage and maps. We also offer weekly tours for anyone who is interested; details are on our webpage at http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/toursked.html. | Grad | education | female |
| The copy machines are unforgivably useless. I have utterly given up on them and only go to Kinko's anymore. I fine the machines to be old, unreliable, frequently out-of-service, and wish they would accept pay-cards AND change/cash. Newer, more flexible machines are needed, and in greater quantity. | We did have major problems with our copy machines a year ago but that problem has been improved since a new technician is available to respond to machine problems. The machines we currently have are three years old. Replacement of machines these days is difficult. Major manufacturers of copy machines are no longer producing machines intended for high volume public use and particularly for photocopying books and journals. Thus the market is limited on our choice of machines. The consolidation of all the copiers on the 4th floor should prove to be effective for users. | UGrad | performing arts | male |
| It would be nice if some type of electronic introduction to the library and its resources could be made available to graduate students - esp those who do not live on campus or spend a lot of time on campus. I would like to know more about what's available to students for use online. | We do not have an electronic introduction to the library but would like to suggest that you contact your College Librarian (http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/clprg.html) and arrange a one-on-one introduction session. In addition, with our newly redesigned home page, we hope that you'll be able to more quickly find the resources you need. | Grad | education | female |
| The poor rating that I give to the employees does not apply to all employee. Actually, the majority is helpful, but fex employees at the check out are "un professional'. | We are quite serious about customer service and I'm sorry that you've had a bad experience with some of our staff. We are doing some additional service training this fall and I hope that will eliminate the problems that you've encountered. | Grad | other | female |
| Occasionally I am frustrated with employees who aren't familiar with the reference books that are checked out daily. Many of our reference books have very similar names but some are checked out AT LEAST once a day and some are checked out at most weekly. Hence, I feel I should not have to say the whole name, plus authors, binder color and point to it, tell them to go left, but not that far left ... (all while trying to be quiet and not disturb the people studying behind me). | I think you are referring to reserve materials. In order for the staff to retrieve reserve materials that a user request, full information about the item is needed. If you have difficulty locating reserve materials, please ask the staff at the Circulation Desk or the lobby Reference Desk for assistance. | Grad | vet med | female |
| The service is good. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are serious about providing a high level of service. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| I think we need increase the service provided to help students more. | Please don't hesitate to ask the people at the service desks on the 1st and 4th floors to help you. In addition, librarians on other floors who leave their doors open are indicating their willingness to help you, so please feel free to stick your head in a door and ask for help. | UGrad | undecided | male |
| Staff is very courteous and helpful. Online help is good. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We have tried to provide help in as many formats as we can. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| The staff are very helpful and the resources I have been able to obtain through ILLIAD have been essential to my research | ILLiad services are vital because it takes more than 1,000 libraries to supply the research materials needed each year by Tech students. Thanks so much for your kind words; we appreciate hearing that you're getting the help you need. | Grad | education | female |
| Id don't use the library that much but I have been extremely pleased with the staff when I have. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We have tried to provide help in as many formats as we can. | Grad | education | female |
| The services are fine but the I am concerned about the safety of the staircases , esp. when the library is in low occupancy | I would suggest using the elevators during these times or avoid those stairways furthest from public areas. Please report any suspicious behavior or anything out of the ordinary to the staff at the Circulation Desk or Reference Desk both located on the first floor. The staff there will notify campus security immediately. | Grad | arch | female |
| Library staff came to the Richmond Center and provided a very helpful introduction to library services. | We try to be particularly responsive to the needs of our non-Blacksburg users and each year make a number of trips to locations where there are cohorts of our students. Please let us know if and when you need a refresher! | Grad | other | female |
My library experience would be much better if printing was not $0.10 per page. When I was at UVa, printing was free. If that is not possible, would it be possible to lower the price to the actual cost? $0.10 seems exorbitant given that on my costly inkjet at home I spend around $0.01 per copy, and I can't buy products (toner, paper) in bulk.
| Our pricing structure is based on the need to maintain revenues to operate our Photocopy Services. Given the volume of printing, we simply cannot afford to cover this cost for all our users. While UVA may provide it at no cost, most research libraries our size do charge for printing. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| I think our Library is great! The librarians are wonderful and I can tell they love what they do. | Thanks for your kind words. And you're right -- we do love what we do, particularly when we are able to help someone find the information they need to be successful in their research or their classes! | UGrad | psych | female |
| Library staff and facilities have consistently met my expectations. | Thank you for your very positive comment. | Grad | education | female |
| My experience with the library is generally autonomous, and I am capable of escaping with zero human contact. The availability of library staff is adequate, yet most often the buck is passed. | We realize that many library users prefer to work independently and have tried to design our services so that is possible. However, I regret that you haven't felt that you've received appropriate assistance and that the buck has often been passed. We are doing some customer service training this fall and hope that situation will improve. | UGrad | performing arts | male |
| I am a distance education student; therefore, many questions did not necessarily apply. | Even though the questions didn't apply to you, I hope you are aware of our services for distance education students and that you know to contact either Dave Beagle (beagle@vt.edu) or your College Librarian (http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/instruct/clprg.html) if you need assistance. | Grad | education | female |
| Also, the staff has always been exceptionally friendly, helpful and courteous. What more could anyone ask?? Thanks, for exceptional service - something that is very hard to come by in this world! | Thanks so much for you kind words! We're delighted that your experiences have been positive. | Grad | psych | female |
| I was very satisfied with the help that I received. I was also very impressed with the employees knowledge of the layout of the library, it greatly helped me since I was under a huge time crunch. | Thanks for you kind words. A high level of customer service is very important to us, so we're delighted that you got the help you needed, when you needed it! | UGrad | humanities | female |
| I think that overall the library is very user friendly, and I have been able to find everything I've ever needed there. However, at first, the website can be very confusing, so maybe there could be a way to make it a little more user friendly. | We hope you find our redesigned website more user friendly. We used focus groups and usability studies to come up with what we hope is a more usable site. And thanks for you kind words about the library in general! | UGrad | comm/journ | female |
| Provide a wonderful service. I have requested books that were purchased and also gotten archived items out of storage. I have never had a bad experience dealing with the staff or through the services provided. Keep up the good work. I just hope other students realize how much the library has to offer. | Thank you for your positive comment about retrieval of items from storage. | UGrad | sci/math | male |
| In general, I'm really pleased with the service at the library, both in person and via e-mail and phone. | Thanks so much for you kind words. We're particularly pleased that you've gotten good service in a variety of ways! | Grad | sci/math | female |
| Staff is very helpful and willing to refer me to others who have information they do not have | Thanks so much for you kind words. We're glad that the staff and the referrals have gotten you the information you need. | Grad | arch | female |
| Overall, I have a great experience at the library. I do find it hard sometimes to work with Addison and the obscureness of the names of the articles. | We are glad that your experience at the library is positive overall. If you are having trouble with Addison search results, you might try emailing for help, using the email address at the bottom of the search screens. We also offer classes on Addison that might help with specific search strategies. | Grad | sci/math | male |
| The library staff has always been very friendly and professional. The staff in Special Collections was extremely helpful when my daughter was researching a school project. When I go into the ILLiad office, I'm always greeted promptly and with a smile. | Thanks so much for your kind words; we're glad you've found the staff to be professional and friendly. It is comments like yours that keeps the ILLiad staff smiling. Thanks for letting us know. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| The only major flaw I would have to mention is the informational session for freshman English. I'm an instructor for 1105 and 1106 and every time I've taken my students there, and also in talking to other instructors who have e the same, the person in charge of the session has been really rude to students. I understand that there are a lot of these sessions and it can get tedious or frustrating, but that's no reason to take it out on my students. I know people who have opted to teach their students this information separately from the session because of their experiences in this session. | I'm very sorry that you've found the person in charge to be rude to the students. This fall we are undertaking a library-wide customer service training program and hope that will eliminate the problems you've encountered. We are seriously committed to a high level of customer service. | Grad | humanities | male |
| I love the library. I really appreciate how much information we have available, and how nice everybody is. thanks so much. | Thanks so much for your kind words; we're delighted that you're finding the information you need and that you're getting it in a friendly environment! | UGrad | other | female |
| Ellen Krupar has been an invaluable resource. In my opinion, she goes above and beyond in servicing the College of Business needs. Without her, the effectiveness of the library would be greatly diminished. | Thanks so much for taking the time to mention Ellen by name. We agree that she IS an invaluable resource for the College of Business! | Grad | business | male |
| Copy machines often broken | We did have major problems with our copy machines a year ago but that problem has been improved since a new technician is available to respond to machine problems. If you have any problems using a machine, please tell the staff at the Photocopy Service Desk. | Grad | agriculture | male |
| The Library Hours are not convenient especially over breaks when I am able to get most of my research e and have the most free time to visit the library. I think that this is a major problem especially for graduate students. | Over the past few years we have experimented with differential hours during breaks. Data we have collected does not support keeping the library open in the evenings and extended hours on break weekends. Since break time is also a convenient time for staff to choose to take their annual leave, staffing is also an issue for extended hours in the evening. Keep in mind that many of our resources are now available electronically and accessible 24/7. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| he librarians on the Northern Virginia campus are exceedingly helpful. | We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team providing services on the Northern Virginia campus. Thanks for your kind words! | Grad | business | male |
| I find that the employees are very helpful. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are committed to providing a high level of service to all of our users. | Grad | education | female |
| In dealing with the library, some staff have questioned me, while others have been superb in recognizing my additional needs as a doctoral student. | We try to be attuned to the differing needs of our multiple user groups -- I'm sorry that sometimes we don't do that as well as we might! | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| I have had good experiences with all the people I have interacted with at the library. I only wish there was someone around later in the evening. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We have been experimenting with additional training for the staff that works our service desks until midnight and hope that will improve services. | UGrad | humanities | female |
| the tour was good. | Thanks. We review the script for our tour every semester in an attempt to keep it as relevant as possible. | UGrad | sci/math | female |
| Photo-copiers should be available in each floor. | Maintaining copy machines on every floor is difficult. Last year, we consolidated the copiers on 4th floor to improve this situation. We think the trade off has worked based on other feedback we have gotten. For your convenience, books trucks are available at the Photocopy Service area if you are planning to pull a large number of items from the stacks to copy. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| In the last year I've noticed a significant change in library services that I correlate to the significant drop in the library budget. Some of this can be ameliorated by increased customer service skills by the student workers especially and full-time library staff to a lesser degree. In general, though, I think the library is doing well with the financial resources available. | We are providing customer service training this fall and hope that will result in a positive change in the way that library services are offered. | Grad | arch | female |
| The photocopying service is expensive, hope that there are some subsidies to help students who need to photocopy articles. Current location of photocopying machine is not ideal, previous arrangement of every floor with at least one machine is more convenient. | Maintaining copy machines on every floor is difficult from a maintenance point of view. Last year, we consolidated the copiers on 4th floor to improve this situation. We think the trade off has worked based on other feedback we have gotten. For your convenience, books trucks are available at the Photocopy Service area if you are planning to pull a large number of items from the stacks to copy. Our pricing structure is based on the need to fully recovery monies to run the photocopy services and compares favorably to commercial costs in the Blacksburg area. | Grad | psych | male |
| Great job on photocopy machines. | Thank you and it is great to get positive feedback on what has been a problem service in the past. | Grad | psych | female |
| And on most floors of the library, employees are not readily available to help when trying to find a book. | We are experimenting with an open door policy: If you seen an open office door it means that the library staff is available to help you. We hope that will help when our users are having trouble finding things. | UGrad | sci/math | female |
| The service is usually pretty good, though | Thanks for your kind words. We are committed to providing a high level of service to our users. | Grad | sci/math | female |
| Our libraries really seem to have made it difficult for us to do our research with their antiquated approaches to library science and complacent staff attitudes in Blacksburg (much better in Falls Church). | Without specifics, it's difficult to know what you find problematic about our approaches to library science. If you'd like to talk with me about this please contact me ( Vicki Kok, vkok@vt.edu). This fall we are trying to address complacent staff attitudes with customer service training -- and are pleased that you find this to be less of a problem in Falls Church. | Grad | other | female |
| I am very pleased with the level of service provided by the library. I am particularly pleased now that we no longer have to use that annoying proxy server to access on-line materials. I use the literature databases almost weekly. | Thanks for your kind words. And we, too, are pleased to no longer have to work through the proxy server! | Grad | psych | male |
| Please train staff better. PLEASE!!!!! | We do have a fairly comprehensive training and orientation program for staff, so without specifics it's hard to know what we should be doing differently. We are doing customer service training this fall, which may make a difference. In addition, I'd be glad to talk with you about this if you'd care to contact me ( Vicki Kok, vkok@vt.edu). | UGrad | humanities | female |
| I have not used the library too much for my work yet, but the people who work in the library are really helpful | Thanks for your kind words. We'll do our best to continue to be helpful as you continue to use the library for your work! | Grad | sci/math | female |
| Since this # 43 is the only question in the survey offering the opportunity to make special mention of a particular member of the library's staff, may I mention Larry Thompson? He has been particularly helpful and knows his work very well. He is well appreciated. | Thanks for taking the opportunity to mention Larry. He is quite knowledgeable and very helpful! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| I love the off-campus service!!! You guys are terrific. | We are always delighted to know that our work is going well and is so appreciated. | Grad | education | female |
| I am disabled and believe, but for your great library, my future well-being would be drastically reduced. I am especially grateful to the Disabled Services Lab! Also, I really like the change made that enabled a user to keep a window (not sure of the correct word) open in case he/she wanted to open another subcategory. For example, if I go into an electronic journal, I think something was added/changed so that I did not have to return to the library's home page in order to go into another electronic journal. Sorry I can not explain it better--just not very computer literate. Thank you, Sharon Fenyk | Thank you, Sharon. Though we don't staff the lab we are pleased to be able to have it in Newman Library. And we're also pleased that the electronic resources are working better for you! | Grad | health | female |
| I have been most pleased with the assistance I have received when conducting research on the website as well as when I have visited the on campus library. I have been made the feel like it is okay to not know all the ins and outs of the library. Thanks!!! | It would probably be difficult to know all of the ins and outs of the library! We're pleased that you've gotten the assistance you've needed. | Grad | education | female |
| The librarians at the NVGC are wonderful. They are consistently helpful, polite, knowledgeable. They usually have my ILLIAD books on the counter as I enter the door, and always have good advice. Keep these people happy! They are a huge assistance in my research. | We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team providing services on the Northern Virginia campus. Thanks for your kind words! | Grad | education | male |
| In general, I am very pleased with the library. The staff is wonderful, always polite and helpful. | Thanks for your kind words. We are committed to providing a high level of service to our users. | Grad | psych | female |
| the librarian for my field of study (education and human development) is well informed and very helpful in one-on-one session for help with research. when I take the time to get help in the library I get wonderful help and feel accomplished in my research, but sometimes on my own I get overwhelmed and cannot find the information I need | Thanks for you kind words. We're delighted that you have found your College Librarian and have used her to help you with your research. | UGrad | psych | female |
| reference staff and librarians are great! | Thanks | Grad | business | male |
| I believe efforts are being made to improve service(s) for students, regarding the library and resources (etc.). Surveys such as this prove such actions are being considered, and for such I thank you. | We are committed to providing the highest level of service to students that we possibly can and responses on surveys like this help shape what we will do in the future. Thanks for participating! | Grad | business | female |
| I am a remote campus (NOVA) user of VT libraries. Their ILLIAD support has been superb including delivery of materials. Our NOVA resource center can in no way be considered an adequate library, but the Illiad service is crucial and adequate for my research. I particularly appreciate the ILL return labels included in most ILLIAD loans. | We are delighted that ILLiad is working well on the Extended Campus. The University has a strong commitment to distance learning, and we try to support that goal. We are committed to providing the highest level of service to students that we possibly can and responses on surveys like this help shape what we will do in the future. Thanks for participating! Though we realize that we can't duplicate everything we have in Blacksburg in the NOVA resource center, but would certainly like to hear from you if there are services or materials that would assist you with your research. | Grad | psych | female |
| Great job on improving copy facilities! | Thank you for your positive feedback. | Grad | sci/math | male |
| I am only familiar with the services provided by inter-library loan, which has been an excellent help in my doctoral research--I rely on this service extensively for my non-archival research. I do most of my research from Philadelphia and at the University of Rochester archives. | We are glad to know that interlibrary loan is helping you earn your doctorate. | Grad | arch | female |
| In general, I like the Art and Architecture Library and its staff is super. The Art and Architecture Library is pretty good, but it could use more and better copy machines, including a copier for blueprints (it's an architecture library). Since some students seem to use the card catalog computers for Web surfing or writing papers, we could use more of those, too. | The library's photocopy services have to be self sufficient. That is, the service must pay for itself. We have attempted to provide special copying such as color copying, but again the expense of the equipment is not supported by the number of copies made on the machine. Copying such as color and blueprint is available locally and you can arrange to check out materials for copying purposes. | Grad | arch | male |
| The library staff at the NVC are very helpful and courteous. | Thanks for your kind words. We feel that we are very fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team providing services at the NVC. | Grad | psych | female |
| Library Ok. this survey stinks. how many times can you ask the same question. | Repetition of questions is an important aspect of testing the reliability of the instrument as well as determining the results based on factor analysis. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| The library has always been satisfactory for my needs. | We're pleased that we've been able to meet your needs and hope that your level of satisfaction will continue or improve! | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| In my experience the Va Tech library is top notch. Thanks for all the support. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We're here to serve! | Grad | psych | female |
| I have almost always been delighted with the service I have received from reference librarians. However, there was one time when I was having trouble accessing an electronic journal, and was treated in a very condescending, unhelpful and rude fashion. I got the woman's name at the time and meant to send note, but never got around to it. Luckily, I returned the next day and got the service that I have grown to expect from another employee AND problem solving that enabled me to access the important article. Providing consistently excellent service is very important to me. I think almost all of you do it really well, but I encourage you to work with employees who may have difficulty in this area. | Even though we all have bad days, that should never be reflected in the kind of service you receive. We are doing customer service training this fall, which may take care of the problem that you encountered. We are pleased that you usually get good service and hope that you will never again encounter someone who is not courteous and helpful. | Grad | psych | male |
| Thank you Kriz!!! | - You are very welcome indeed! | Grad | education | female |
| Staff members are very very friendly and helpful. They don't mind to go up or down the stair to find the material I can't find or search things for me. The resources provided by our library are pretty good. | Thanks for your kind words. We do try to be available to help when help is needed! | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| I wish that parking was more accessible near the library during the school day | With our centralized campus, parking close to major service buildings is indeed a problem. However, we have seen some conceptual plans for the future regarding increased parking spaces. Please keep in mind that the Blacksburg Transit does operate all the hours the library is open and there's a convenient stop at the doors of the library. | Grad | psych | female |
| I have no problem with the service I get from the staff, and am grateful that I can do the majority of my research from home through the library's web services. On the few occasions I do visit the library, it would be nice to be comfortable while under the pressure of doing research. Heck, if the decor were more inviting and the furniture more comfortable and adequate it would be a pleasure to visit the library. | Thank you for your positive comments about the service and library's web access. We have plans to do major renovation in the library in the near future as funding becomes available. This will include more comfortable areas for studying and conducting research. We plan to offer a variety of spaces for these purposes including group study rooms, comfortable lounge seating, as well as individual study spaces. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| I think that more photocopiers need to be available on EACH floor. I carry armfuls of books up two flights of stairs to make a copy of one article in each book. | Maintaining copy machines on every floor is difficult from a maintenance point of view. Last year, we consolidated the copiers on 4th floor to improve this situation. We think the trade off has worked based on other feedback we have gotten. For your convenience, books trucks are available at the Photocopy Service area if you are planning to pull a large number of items from the stacks to copy. | Grad | education | female |
| I just find information hard to come by as the service there is difficult to receive and that finding the books in the library is difficult as well. | We're working on improving our signage and our maps. Also, if you see an open door on one of the floors, please don't hesitate to stick your head in and ask for assistance! | UGrad | education | female |
| As an "extended campus" student, pursuing my PhD since 1992, my main contact for help in the last few years has been Debbie Cash at NOVA. She has been superb--helpful, patient, professional--a real savior for my myriad, always time-compressed /crises-type questions. | Thanks so much for your kind words. We are indeed fortunate to have Debbie Cash and her team in NOVA! | Grad | humanities | male |
| I have tried to use your websites, both at the library and from home and have found that they are not very user friendly. I notice that you have a lot of library tours. It would be nice to also have website tours - something that teaches us how to use your website most effectively. | We've recently revamped the library website and think that it is now much easier to use. We hope you find it so, but if you need assistance navigating it please don't hesitate to ask for assistance at the reference desks. | UGrad | education | female |
| My primary complaint against the library is the unhelpful and generally poor attitude of the (particularly student) staff. The staffers seem uninterested in going any additional distance to help patrons, even for simple questions. For example: I recently asked a staffer where the restrooms were on the 3rd floor and was told "over there" with a quick point to the left. That is not an appropriate answer to such a simple question. I realize that employing students is difficult, but improvement in staff morale or some selective staff turn over would do wonders for my perception of the library. | We've been discussing the need to do additional training for our student workers and, at the same time, are already this fall doing widespread customer service training. We hope this will show up in how you are treated by library staff. | Grad | psych | female |
| The service provided by the library are very good. I wish to thank all the employees of the library for their great work. | Thanks for you kind words. We're delighted that you're pleased with our service! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Heather Ball was helpful today at the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center. It's nice to see that she really cares about the research we find for our topics. | Thanks for your kind words. As you discovered, Heather does indeed care about your research and is willing to come to Alexandria to teach and assist with research. | Grad | arch | female |
| It'd be great if you sent out announcements that books were due on the day before they were due, rather than once they were already late. I have a hard time remembering when things are due, and a positive reminder just in advance would facilitate timely returns for those who would prefer to return their materials on time and avoid fines. | Our current system is not designed to do that. You do receive a receipt with the due date when you check out books. Also, with your individual PID, you can check your account online (https://sslweb.lib.vt.edu/forms/Renewal.php) and renew materials by calling Circulation at 231-6340. | Grad | sci/math | male |
| Library staff is excellent, knowledgeable, and will extremely helpful. | Thanks for your kind words. We're delighted that you've been satisfied with the service you've received! | Grad | arch | male |
| Fines for overdue items are too much. Recalled items are hold too long when waiting for pick-up. | Our fine structure compares favorably to other like sized libraries. We think the fines need to encourage users to return materials and lower rates would defeat the purpose. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| PLEASE upgrade Addison. PLEASE add paper feeders for photocopying and pdf scanning. | Thank you for your suggestion and we will investigate the feasibility of adding a paper feeder to at least one of the copiers. Scanning is not a service the library offers and this service is available in the computer labs located throughout the campus. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Microfiche printers continuously jam - it takes several minutes to get help from the check-out desk because only one person supposedly knows how to clear the jam. Paper frequently runs out -- you want to improve customer service in this area train all desk staff to unjam, fill paper, change toner of the microfiche machines. The should also be aware of how much usage the area is getting and check the paper trays on an hourly basis to make sure they are full or almost full. What happened to the double-sided copies? There is only one machine that will let me do double sided and I have had to wait in line to use it. Can you make some carts available for use? When I go to the library it is usually with a list of articles hat I need to copy from many different journals. I have back problems and the baskets just 't help when there are more than 6 or 7 journals. A cart would help tremendously. | 1) This spring Circulation staff were trained to handle and troubleshoot problems with the microforms equipment. 2) I am not sure which copy machines you are referring to about the double-sided copying. 3) You can arrange to get a book truck at the Photocopy Service Desk. | Grad | education | female |
| 5. The small mac machines are difficult to use 6. To pay fines or dues one has to return the book on the first floor then climb up to 4th and come back again to first to check the books out. It'd be great to have a payment option on the first floor. | You will find that the MACS have been replaced with new PCs. The only cashier service is on the fourth floor. I am sorry for this inconvenience but cashier services have to be centralized to meet state auditing requirements. Since Circulation clears patron fines they cannot serve the dual role of collecting fines. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| The copiers are horrible, especially for the price per copy. They are difficult to use with books and journals and the copy resolution is very poor and blurry. At the circulation desk, there have been times where I have waited for 2-3 minutes to be checked out even though I was the only person at the desk to be checked out. The individual at the desk, was talking to a friend, not about work or research but about weekend plans. | Our pricing structure for copying compares favorably to like sized libraries as well as to commercial copying in the Blacksburg community. If you have problems copying or get poor copies, please ask for assistance at the Photocopying Service Desk. We will address the problem you had at Circulation through better training of staff. In the future, if you ever have this problem again, ask to speak to a supervisor in the area so it comes to someone's attention immediately. | Grad | sci/math | female |
| You suck since you stole the Geology Library from us. | Maintaining branch libraries is very costly and throughout the country the trend is to consolidate services. We think we can still give at Newman the level of service you may have been accustomed to in the branch library. With so many geoscience resources available online now, these are available 24/7 to users. | Grad | sci/math | male |
| A map actually showing the shelf where a book resides (in addition to the call number) will be a bonus. | We would love to be able do this and there is some new technology just starting to be used in libraries that might make this possible in the future! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Excellent Staff | Thanks for your kind words. We are committed to providing a high level of service to our users. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| pls put a listing of DVD's online that students can look through to choose a DVD. the current way of looking them up is almost impossible to use. | At this point we don't see a way to offer a media browsing service outside of Addison without a significant duplication of effort. However, the Circulation Desk staff has developed a nice collection of brochures that should be helpful for you. In addition, we hope that a new library system will offer some functionality that our existing system doesn't offer, so a new Addison may allow you to better browse our media collections. | Grad | sci/math | male |
| I 't bother with the library. The few times I have used it, I have been very disappointed and now utilize other resources. | We're very sorry you've been disappointed. If you would care to contact me to discuss what it is that has been unsatisfactory for you I would be glad to see if we could remedy the situation ( Vicki Kok, vkok@vt.edu). | Grad | business | female |
| Keep up the great work! I use the library online services weekly and I extremely impressed with how easy it is to navigate. | Thanks for your kind words. We're delighted that you're finding what you need! | Grad | education | female |
| have been very pleased with working long-distance from Alexandria campus; I did not expect it to be a viable option but it has worked out very well | That's good to hear. We try hard to provide the same level of service to our remote users as to the ones who are on campus and appreciate hearing that you think it is working well! | Grad | arch | female |
| Needs better maintenance on the computers in the open area. | You will find that we have replaced the public machines with new PCs. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Because I am a commuter student, I do not use the library very often. However, any time that I have used the library the employees have been helpful and courteous. | We're glad that you've found the library employees to be helpful. If you aren't aware of all of the services that are available for our commuter students, you might want to contact Dave Beagle (beagle@vt.edu) who is our Distance Education librarian. | Grad | education | female |
| The times I REALLY needed help I called and the staff was so helpful and sent the information to me. I am VERY pleased with the services I received. | Thanks -- we're delighted that you're finding what you need! | Grad | education | female |
| I really have no complaints about the library services. I predominately use the web services and have been very successful with Illiad. Nice Job . Thanks | Thanks -- we're delighted that you're finding what you need and that ILLiad has worked well for you! | Grad | other | female |
| I think Michele Young is just the greatest! She is fast, courteous, _really_ helpful, and knows how to get the resources I need. Give her a big "thank you" or better yet, a raise! | Thanks for taking the time to commend Michelle. We agree that she is an asset to the University Libraries! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Need more help in using the library when you are a new student at VA Tech | We do offer tours and classes, but are also available to provide one-on-one assistance whenever you need help. | Grad | education | female |
| Library services are fine | Thanks for your kind words. We're pleased that you're finding what you need. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| The copiers that I saw in there a year ago were horrible. Something from the dark ages. Need new ones if they are still the same. | We did have major problems with our copy machines a year ago but that problem has been improved since a new technician is available to respond to machine problems. The machines we currently have are three years old. Replacement of machines these days is difficult. Major manufacturers of copy machines are no longer producing machines intended for high volume public use and particularly for photocopying books and journals. Thus the market is limited on our choice of machines. The consolidation of all the copiers on the 4th floor should prove to be effective for users. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| many of the library employees are unfriendly and rude. Furthermore, I have found that they are unfamiliar with the library in general. I have been sent back and forth between the reserve desk and the circulation desk on many occasions because neither of them could answer my questions that I eventually found online myself. | We're in the process of doing some customer service training and hope that the level of service will improve and that in the near future you won't be shuttled back and forth but will get your questions answered by the first person you approach. | Grad | psych | male |
| I am using the library completely from a distance. I truly appreciated the communication I was able to have with library employees in order to receive the documents I needed. | We're delighted that you've been able to get the resources that you need, even though you aren't regularly on campus. | Grad | education | female |
| I personally have always found the VT Library and services to be absolutely amazing, if not mind-blowing. | Thanks so much -- we're delighted that you've been happy with our services! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| It is a little bit expensive to copy anything at the library. | Our pricing structure is based on the need to maintain revenues to operate our Photocopy Services. Also, our cost are similar to other like sized libraries and compare favorably to commercial costs in the Blacksburg area. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| Awesome service with mailing books to off-campus. Pretty quick turn-around time. I'm not crazy about the helpfulness of one of the younger librarians at the Northern Virginia campus, which is why this is rated somewhat lower. She's not very helpful sometimes and in particular when there is a problem with the photocopier, she doesn't want to be bothered. I love having access to the website off campus. | We are glad to know that the ILLiad service to the Extended Campus is working so well for you. We're sorry you've encountered someone who is less than helpful at the Northern Virginia Center and will look into providing some additional customer service training for the folks employed there. | UGrad | humanities | female |
| Given the limited resources the library has, it is doing a terrific job. Keep it up | Thanks! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Good Job! | Thanks! | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| The librarians have been extremely helpful and are very knowledgeable. They are very friendly and willing to help at all times. This is true for everyone involved. | Thanks. We are serious about providing a high level of customer service to our users. | Grad | education | female |
| I have been very pleased with the service provided by the VA. Tech library. | Thanks for your kind words. We're delighted that you've been receiving a high level of service from the library. | Grad | education | male |
| I haven't spent much time in the library during graduate school, so the library atmosphere is not a priority to me. I do most of my work from home. On the few occasions when I have used library resources, I was satisfied with the availability of resources and the level of service provided. | We're pleased that you've been satisfied with the resources and services and will hope to continue to meet your information needs in an acceptable manner. | Grad | psych | female |
| Do you guys EVER reshelf? Also, the electronic journal search engines are difficult to navigate, and frequently report that the library has no journal holdings, when it in fact DOES carry the journal in question. | We spend a lot of money on reshelving and are usually up to date. At the end of each semester though we have heavy returns and no students -- not a good combination! We maintain the online catalog and the e-journals list on our web page as actively as possible. Please send me (pmetz@vt.edu) any examples you find of our not listing a journal to which we actually have access and we'll fix it. | Grad | psych | female |
| I think the people at the library are great and do a wonderful job with the resources they have. They do need more resources though and with additional resources focus on staying ahead of the digital media curve. Accessing journals online has been a huge benefit to me and is the most important library resource in my opinion. Also, I would suggest that there be some standard procedure where the library gets feedback from departments on book acquisitions. I know individuals can send requests, but maybe if there were more of a partnership between faculty and the library we could be sure we are at least getting the most important works year-to-year in our fields. Thanks for your good work! | Thanks for your kind words and your suggestion. We do have mechanisms for getting departmental input on book acquisitions, and have recently conducted a very systematic review of faculty resource needs, but will look into whether or not a closer partnership might result in a stronger collection. | Grad | psych | male |
| I think the library staff does a great job overall! | Thanks for your kind words. We are serious about providing a high level of customer service. | UGrad | sci/math | female |
| Copy machines at each level at Newman. Librarian assistant at each floor at Newman. I have to recognize that the job of Heather at the Architectural Library is wonderful. She "knows" her job and she is a great value for the Library. | Maintaining copy machines on every floor is difficult. Last year, we consolidated the copiers on 4th floor to improve this situation. We think the trade off has worked based on other feedback we have gotten. For your convenience, books trucks are available at the Photocopy Service area if you are planning to pull a large number of items from the stacks to copy. | Grad | agriculture | female |
| I think that there should be free sessions/awareness programs to new international students educating them with the enormous amount of services that the library provides. With me, when I was newly admitted, although I new the web site for library services, I was unaware of the services for long time. | We do provide tours and handouts for new international students through the Cranwell Center, but will investigate whether or not we can do more to provide an orientation to library services. | Grad | Eng/CS | female |
| If Virginia Tech is looking to be a top 30 research university it should look at making the library open 24/7 and strive to make it the best place to go and study. | The University Libraries tries to maintain similar hours of service as other like-sized research libraries. Within the state, the libraries’ hours of service compare favorably to the other state institutions. With the increase in online resources that are available to users in their homes and offices, access to many of our research resources are available 24/7. A few years ago, we remained open until 2 a.m. for several semesters and recorded use. Use was so minimal after midnight that it was not cost effective to keep the building open those extra hours. The same is true of weekend hours. It is not feasible to keep a main university library open 24-hours daily without adequate staffing. To our knowledge, there are no university libraries that are open around the clock although a few do have small restricted areas closed off for round-the- clock studying. | UGrad | Eng/CS | male |
| The copies are expensive and the machines are too old. | Our pricing structure is based on the need to maintain revenues to operate our Photocopy Services. Also, our cost are similar to other like sized libraries and compare favorably to commercial costs in the Blacksburg area. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| Each time I have visited the library, I have been treated very rudely and with disrespect. I felt like the service people there might as well have said, "You stupid, lazy person. Find it yourself." Also, the library is very confusing, which makes it hard to find the things you need without help, but no one wants to ask help of someone who is going to make them feel like they are wasting their time. Many of my friends who have visited the library feel the same way. | We're sorry you've been treated rudely. We are doing customer service training this fall and hope you will see a change next time you're in the library. And though the library is confusing we do try to provide signs, maps, and people who will help you find what you need in the library. | UGrad | comm/journ | female |
| I don't use the library very often but I have always been pleased with its easy access and good customer service. | Thanks. We're glad you've been able to find what you need and have been treated well! | UGrad | business | male |
| Mr. Beagle trained my cohort in Tidewater and has been available to answer questions. He is a great asset and I appreciate his continued help. | Thanks for taking the time to commend Dave. We agree that he is an asset to the University Libraries! | Grad | education | female |
| The amount of employees walking around the library yet unsure of how to reach a certain area amazed me near the beginning of the fall 2003 semester. Since then, though, I have visited the library extensively (as per my class requirements) and have learned my way around to various sections. More employees knowledgeable as to how the building is set-up would be helpful. | It can be a confusing building so we're glad you've been able to figure it out on your own. However, we are working on our maps and signage and will also look into getting our employees more familiar with where things are in the building. | UGrad | arch | female |
| Good Job library staff!! | Thanks! | UGrad | Eng/CS | male |
| Extended Campus Delivery is great! | And we are delighted to hear that our efforts are bearing fruit. | Grad | business | female |
| Library's cash system should not be separate from Hokie Passport account.... very inconvenient. Consider putting a cashier window back on the first floor. | This fall we will implement the use of the Hokie Passport to charge for photocopying and to pay library fines. Consolidation of the cashier service and photocopy service is one of economics and we simply do not have the staff to maintain a separate or additional cashier's service on the first floor. | UGrad | other | female |
| need more help on the upper levels to find books | We have recently asked library staff in their offices on the upper floors to leave their doors open when they are available to help. Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance from them! | UGrad | education | female |
| The people are really nice and friendly and willing to help; but the machines are usually uncooperative. Especially, PCs t have "right-click" option, so if I have to take a printout of a ppt file, I have to go to the main desk, if I need it printed out as handouts rather than as slides. | We're glad that you've found the library employees to be friendly. We do have new computers throughout the library, but the right button still doesn't work, having been disabled for security reasons. (With the right click users can do things that can compromise the integrity of the systems.) | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| The people are extremely helpful and pleasant. Specific discipline experts have not been available every time I have needed them. would prefer to have copiers located throughout the building as was the case before, but I do like the copy center. Overall, I like the library and love the internet access availability of information, but it is not a place I would want to come into to study as the seats are not comfortable. | We have plans to do major renovation in the library in the near future as funding becomes available. This will include more comfortable areas for studying and conducting research. We plan to offer a variety of spaces for these purposes including group study rooms, comfortable lounge seating, as well as individual study spaces. | Grad | Eng/CS | male |
| The library personnel is always extremely helpful. My only negative experience (which I believe was not isolated incidence) over my 7 years at VA Tech was at the photocopy/fee payment desk on the first floor. Interlibrary staff is a great help. They process requests very quickly and do whatever it takes to get the right material. As a chemist, I would like to see more computers with the SciFinder and Beilstein search software installed. Thank you for all the help the library has provided me. | Last spring, we implemented new training and focus on better service to patrons. With Beilstein we have unlimited users and with SciFinder we have 5 simultaneous users; we could install the software on any machine that is convenient for you, including one in your office. Contact Edward Lener (lener@vt.edu) if you would like assistance with this. (The software is already installed in the Chemistry Lab, Room 306 of the Chem/Phys Building. You can access both via PID and password.) | Grad | sci/math | male |
| I feel that the library staff is there, but they do not approach individuals. If I have a question, I have to seek them out, and they are only available on the first floor or fourth floor. I have also come across not being able to find specific materials, be it periodicals or books, on several occasions. I appreciate that I can access all electronic journals that VT has access to via my home computer, that is the best thing about VT library. I hate that the computers have mouses with only one click button and they hardly ever slide. There are also a limited number of computers available, and often times, in order to find a book I'm looking for, I need to use the library website. Overall, I think the library is run smoothly and operates affectively; my complaints are minor. | We try to be available but not intrusive and hope that you will continue to ask for help when you need it. We have recently asked library staff in their offices on the upper floors to leave their doors open when they are available to help, so more help should be available in places other than the 1st and 4th floors. We do have new computers throughout the library, but the right button still doesn't work, having been disabled for security reasons. (With the right click users can do things that can compromise the integrity of the systems.) | Grad | education | female |
| Staff that is supposed to help you learn this outdated system has conducted 3 hour sessions. Many, myself included have taken these sessions. Either they can't teach or the system isn't learner friendly. why? | I'm not sure which system you're referring to. If you'd like to contact me I'd be glad to talk about needed improvements in teaching and/or the system ( Vicki Kok, vkok@vt.edu). | Grad | education | male |