In our November/December newsletter, I provided a few data from our 2019 engagement survey designed to create a baseline understanding for our Board of Directors about member libraries’ awareness and usage of MCLS’s services. This month, I’ll present more data (and you may also view the full report). Our Board plans to engage with you at upcoming conferences, meetings, and other events. We hope you’ll take opportunities to share your thoughts.
Participation
About the survey respondents:
- 588 individuals, including directors, managers, and front-line staff
- 439 were from Michigan (75%), and 149 from Indiana (25%)
- 558 indicated their library is a current MCLS member (95%)
- 29 indicated their library is not a current MCLS member (5%)
- 352 were from public libraries (60%), 194 from academic libraries (33%), and 42 from health, school, or special libraries (7%)
- For academics, 87% were from libraries with up to 30 total staff FTE
- For publics, 78% were from libraries with up to 50 total staff FTE
Services Used Most
88% of respondents indicated their library has used MCLS services. Here is a breakdown of services they have used in the last two years:
| MCLS services used in the last two years | Indiana | Michigan | Total |
| Consulting Services | 13 | 32 | 45 |
| Group Purchasing for eResources | 63 | 167 | 230 |
| Group Purchasing for software | 5 | 26 | 31 |
| Group Purchasing for supplies | 23 | 64 | 87 |
| Harwood Lab | 24 | 44 | 68 |
| In-person training | 31 | 124 | 155 |
| MeL eResources support and training (MI) | – | 176 | 176 |
| Michigan Shared Print Initiative (MI-SPI) | – | 42 | 42 |
| Other support | 10 | 60 | 70 |
| Web-based training incl. Soft Skills Certificate, Basic and Advanced Cataloging Certificates | 77 | 60 | 137 |
Many respondents selected more than one service. Overall, Indiana had a lower frequency of use than Michigan. Excluding MCLS’s Michigan-specific services (e.g., MeLCat, RIDES and MI-SPI), Indiana accounted for 30%, and Michigan accounted for 70% of service use.
Other Survey Takeaways
Of those who responded that their libraries did not currently use MCLS services, 46% indicated they were not a decision-maker in their library. The second-most reported factor was a lack of understanding of what MCLS is (19%, which corresponds to 2% of respondents overall). Some respondents commented that they were unaware of what we offer to non-managers, in some cases because they were not MCLS member representatives, and did not receive information directly from MCLS. Several also commented that our training offerings did not meet their needs, either in terms of content, timing/time commitment, and/or location.
For respondents whose libraries have used MCLS services, group purchasing for eResources was the top service, regardless of the library’s staffing level.
To the open-ended question asking respondents if there was anything else they wanted us to hear, 54% responded “no.” A further 24% made positive comments about the impact that MCLS and its staff have for libraries. Of those who commented on a need to improve marketing, themes included the following suggestions:
- Engage with those who lead training and organizational development
- Promote MCLS more beyond decision-makers
- Make clear what differentiates MCLS and other organizations that serve libraries
We thank all who took the time to respond to the survey, and we’ve gained useful information about how we could operate in the future. As I said in a previous newsletter, we’re very interested in how we might meet libraries’ needs in new ways, and market what we do more effectively. Last fall, I invited you to connect with our Board members to share your needs and ideas. Along with our staff and me, the MCLS Board of Directors takes its responsibility to keep our organization linked to member needs very seriously. Stay tuned for more opportunities to do that. In the meantime, please keep those needs and ideas coming. Contact me anytime at garrisons@mcls.org or (800) 530-9019 ext 119.
