INTRODUCTIONĪs technology continues to develop, health sciences information professionals have a responsibility to stay up-to-date on emerging and existing technologies that their communities are using in order to adapt their programs and offerings to best support those communities. Reviewing the aggregate data allowed strategic consideration of how technology impacts library interactions with users, with implications toward library marketing, training, and service development.
ConclusionsĪnnual review of survey results has allowed librarians to identify users’ needs and interests, leading to incremental changes in services offered. Respondents were more likely to have used EndNote than any other citation management tool, but over 50% of respondents had never used each tool or never heard of it. While respondents were likely to check library hours, use medical apps, and use library electronic resources from their mobile devices, they were unlikely to friend or follow the library on Facebook or Twitter or send a call number from the catalog. Smartphone ownership among survey respondents was nearly universal, and a majority of respondents also owned a tablet. The survey was distributed throughout the HSC via email invitation from liaison librarians to their colleges and departments and advertisement on the HSCL home page. Methodsįrom 2012 to 2016, the University of Florida Health Science Center Library (HSCL) annually administered a sixteen-to-twenty question survey addressing health sciences users’ technology awareness and use and their interest in using technology to engage with the library and its services. Administering a similar survey annually for five years generated a holistic view of users’ technology needs and preferences over time. Edwards, Ariel PomputiusĪt an academic health sciences library serving a wide variety of disciplines, studying library users’ technology use provides necessary information on intersection points for library services. Use of annual surveying to identify technology trends and improve service provision Use of annual surveying to identify technology trends and improve service provision Original Investigation