1. Tweet to: #ilf13 Facebook: ILFAnnualConference Super Questions for Super Surveys and Evaluations

2. Getting the best data Rachel Applegate Indiana University School of Library and Information Science, Indianapolis

3. Good question wording for surveys Interview (and focus group) question wording (if time allows: Surveymonkey question types)

4. Survey question types Yes/no? Have you ever, in your entire life…. – What time frame? – Use only for concrete behavior or status – WATCH: Maybe? That is a Gradation—see Ratings Categories – Get someone to check them – Mutually exclusive and exhaustive (include ‘other’) – Max of 2 columns (preferable, ONE) Ratings – “Likert-type:” ‘on a scale of’

5. Questions: Yes/No Yes/No? Have you ever, in your entire life…. – Status: Resident/non-resident, Adult/child – Used these services in the past month Every check-box is a yes/no question Yes/No = 1, 0 Average = % of those who checked yes.

6. Yes/No: don’t Bad questions Do you read to your child? Is the document delivery system important? Should the library have a graphic novel collection?

7. Questions: Categories Categories: mutually exclusive and exhaustive Choose just ONE: – Age range – Status [Faculty, staff, student?] – Main purpose of your visit today Choose any really means “yes/no”

8. Categories: don’t Bad questions How many times do you bring your class to the library a semester: 0-1 2-3 4+ What do you most want in a new library? Parking Coffee Shop Wireless eBooks What topics are you interested in? Health and wellness Cooking and fashion

9. Questions: Ratings Powerful amount of data, well-understood by patrons Generically useful: 5-point low (1) to high (5) Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgree Strongly Agree Very badPoorNeutralGoodExcellent

10. Questions: Ratings Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgree Strongly Agree Left  Right Higher = Better 12345

11. Questions: Ratings Blanks  the skipped question = data Please rate these services. Skip if you have not used them Do not ask people BOTH to rate things AND if they used them Not at all satisfiedDissatisfiedNeutralSatisfied Very satisfied

12. Ratings: don’t Rankings Please rank your top three…. Use RATINGS instead Use the results to rank highest-rated Also have people pick valuable items Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgree Strongly Agree

13. Interview Questions for evaluation Tour question: – On your last visit/ trip – For your last paper/project Critical (=memorable) incident question: – What was the most important / interesting / frustrating / time you have had with our library / phone service / databases / paper research

14. Interview Questions for evaluation Outside the box: – NOT: yes, no; NOT: which of these Socially correct accepting: – NOT: did you ask for help? – NOT: when you use the library for research... Starting at a neutral point: – Thinking of things your child does in the summer... – When you get an assignment....

15. Interview Questions for evaluation Other techniques to get more truthful responses: – What could we say (about X) to others? – If they have moved, compare to previous library/ service. – What would make things easier for you? – What have you heard other (parents, students, users, colleagues) say?

16. Interview Questions for evaluation DON’T HELP! DON’T INFORM! DON’T EDUCATE! Don’t even think about it. Offering help implies that their (poor) experience was their fault Offering information implies that they are ignorant of something they should know

17. SurveyMonkey Matrix A series of questions with identical answer sets For choose-only-one (categories), use – Matrix of Choices /Only One Answer Per Row Row = question Column = Answer For choose-any, use – Matrix of Choices / Multiple Answers

18. SurveyMonkey overview Free surveys: – 10 or fewer questions (but one matrix = 1 question) – 100 or fewer respondents Basic total for each question individually – No combinations (cross-tabs) – No graphs – No downloading Pro: $19.95 / month

19. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWPXKT5

20. SurveyMonkey Ratings For Likert-type (numerical), use Rating Scale – Each ROW is one QUESTION – “Question text” just means the generic prompt “Weight” means the numbers of the options. Higher numbers = better

21. Questions? rapplega@iupui.edu – Help reviewing your survey – Setting up the spreadsheet for analysis Guides: – Applegate, Rachel. Practical Evaluation Techniques for Librarians, Libraries Unlimited, 2013 – Suskie, Linda. Questionnaire Survey Research: What Works. Tallahassee, Fl: Association for Institutional Research, 1996.