Back in November we asked you to comment on our services via a quick survey. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome but the survey provides us with a handy snapshot of opinion.
We received over a hundred responses from a range of hospital and PCT staff. Overall satisfaction levels remain high with over 80% of respondents rating the overall service as Good or Very good. Staff and the assistance they provide to find the information you need are rated particularly highly.
The usual bug bear remains around opening hours with 12% rating this as poor (versus just over 60% for good / Very good). We are open longer hours than you may realise - 8:30 am to 7 pm Monday and Tuesday and 8:30 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Friday (46.5 hours in total!). In addition the Cyber Room is available 24 hours a day seven days a week to all staff with a proximity lock ID badge. The Cyber Room is equipped with 6 PCs and a selection of core books for reference use. Current staffing levels mean that extended hours for the main library are not likely but we will continue to examine ways to open for longer.
There were relatively low ratings for our selection of paper books and journals. It is to be expected that people would like a wider range of journals. However, the sheer number of potential titles for us to hold combined with soaring costs mean that our range of paper subscriptions will doubtless continue to fall. To counter balance this - we have better access to electronic versions of journals and are working to expand this further. We are also looking at how we can simplify the process of requesting journal articles where we do not have immediate access.
The low rating for the book collection is more surprising. A quick scan of our blog will show regular postings of extensive lists of new books. Comparing us against similar libraries across London we have one of the most current collections. Hopefully NewhamCat will make it easier for people to check if we have what they need. It should also make it easier for people to reserve books that are on loan (at any given time around 15% of the collection is out and about). You can help us to help you by bringing in any reading lists you are issued, showing us interesting reviews or simply by suggesting titles.
There were lots of comments - many reinforcing the message about hours and the need for more books. We will try and act on as many as possible. They have certainly informed our plans for next year.
Finally - if you were one of the people who asked us to "tell you more" about one of our services then you should receive an email soon.
