Your Library Connection
January ’05 Library Connection Article
Library Community Survey Results
The Independence
Public Library Board sent out a community survey in late September to get
feedback on facility, collection, staffing, hours, and services.
There were several purposes in asking for feedback:
to evaluate current offerings, to help the library board determine a
direction for the future of the Independence Public Library in different areas,
and to fulfill state standard requirements.
Surveys were sent out randomly to one third of the households in
Independence. We had a 34% return
rate with the surveys, receiving 246 of 727 mailed.
According to Roy Kenagy, a library service area consultant, “generally
a 10% return for library surveys is considered exceptional.”
Below is a summary
of the demographics of those responding. Following
that are the questions and a summary of responses related to services,
programming, and facilities at the library. More information will be coming in Part Two of the survey
results, which will be the February Your Library Connection article.
If the question is
followed by the statement mark all that apply, the total percentage will equal
more than 100% because each response could have more than one answer marked by
each person completing the survey. The
responses are in the order of highest percentage to lowest percentage to enable
you to skim and check priorities, not by the order they were placed on the
original surveys.
Demographics:
Age:
34% were 40-59 years of age, 30% were 60-79 years of age, 24% were 18-39 years
of age, and 11% were over 80 years of age.
Gender:
76% Female and 24% Male
Children:
39 households had children in the 0-6 years of age group.
40 households had children in the 7-11 years of age group.
45 households had children in the 12-18 years of age group.
Services and
Programming:
I would be interested or have
a family interested in utilizing the following at the library (mark all that
apply):
| Quiet study area | 55% |
| Coffee shop | 50% |
| Friends bookstore | 43% |
| Meeting room | 36% |
| Genealogy area | 34% |
| Other | 6% |
I would be interested or have a family interested in
utilizing the following at the library (mark all that apply)
Adult/Family Programming
| Computer instruction | 68% |
| Travel programs | 42% |
| Book discussion groups | 31% |
| Video night | 27% |
| Senior citizens socials | 23% |
| Concerts | 21% |
| Art lending | 14% |
| Other | 4% |
I would be interested or have a family interested in utilizing the following at
the library (mark all that apply)
Young Adult Programming
| Summer reading program | 76% |
| Computer comrade – help others | 53% |
| Book discussion group or partners | 25% |
| Advisory board | 15% |
| Other | 0% |
I would be interested or have a family interested in utilizing the following at
the library (mark all that apply)
Children’s Programming
| Summer Reading Program | 79% |
| Story time | 73% |
| Arts/crafts classes | 63% |
| Book talks | 31% |
| Other | 3% |
Facility:
I would support:
| 1) A new facility | 29.3% |
| 2) No change in the current library facility | 20.9% |
| 3) Renovation of portion of high school | 20.4% |
| Other: | |
| Either option #1 or #3 | 26.2% |
| Renovate current library facility | 2.6% |
| Build new connected to new high school | .5% |
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