CSUN Virtual Reference Pilot Program Part 2: Survey Results

Overview: Survey Dates: September 10, 2002 to April 18, 2003 Distribution: Automatic email form from the CSUN IP. Total completed transactions: 361 Total surveys returned: 110 Return Rate: 30% Service Issues: Overall, patrons were quite satisfied: Ninety-one percent found the information relevant or very relevant; and 86% found the librarian to be helpful or very helpful. Technical Problems: Ninety-six percent reported having technical problems. Of the 17 users who commented on the problems they encountered, six (35%) seemed related to the co-browsing feature. The rest ranged from slowness complaints to error messages and disconnects. However, despite this, 89% found the service to be easy or very easy to use, and 84% reported that they would use the service again. CSUN Patron Characteristics: Students made up 80% of the respondents. Of the 81 respondents who indicated their major, a variety of departments in each of the eight colleges at CSUN were represented. Most came from the colleges of social and behavioral sciences (14); arts media and communication (14); health and human development (13), and business (13). Humanities, including the liberal studies program, had nine respondents. Engineering and computer science had seven, and science and mathematics had six respondents. These data are in keeping with overall enrollment percentages by college.