Surveys are often the tool of choice when you want to determine how to meet the needs of your community or measure your library’s impact. But do you know how to use the tool effectively? Choosing the right survey style for the situation and knowing which question type will elicit the best responses are critical elements for gathering meaningful information. Learn how to conduct an effective survey that can be used to make, measure, and meet your library’s goals. The results may just surprise you. At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:

• Understand why and how to conduct a survey
• Describe the key elements of an effective library survey
• Discuss the pros and cons of different survey styles
• Identify 5 main question types and when to use each of them.

Presented by: Colleen Eggett, Training Coordinator, Utah State Library

Access Recording

• View Webinar Recording (You will be prompted to log in to our free Course Catalog.)

Webinar Attachments

• View Slides (pdf)
• View Chat (xls)
• Learner Guide (doc) Use alone or with others to extend your learning.
• Resources (doc) for webinar, including checklist and survey sample
• Examples of Library Surveys

Related Resources and Links

• Read webinar recap
• Library Research Service: Library User Survey Templates & How-Tos
• Impact Survey, an online survey tool designed specifically for public libraries that want to better understand their communities and how people use their public technology resources and services. Written and validated by research staff at the University of Washington Information School.
• National research on libraries made available from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
• Shared in Chat:
  • Alternatives to SurveyMonkey
  • Survey Resources, a LiveBinder created by Susan Mark
  • Google Forms
    
  • QuestionPro
    
  • Survey monkey
  • SurveyGizmo
  • Zoomerang
  • LimeSurvey (if you have the technical skills to implement it)
  • FluidSurveys (Canada also has a limited free option)
  • SoGoSurvey (though premium, is loaded with features, graphing, charting of results)
  • Constant Contact survey tool (It's not free but it's an excellent tool at a very low cost)