Renovation Survey

The Olin Library Renovation Committee conducted a survey of Olin Library users in the Fall of 2006 at the request of the University Librarian.  The primary goals of the survey were to:

1. find out who is using Olin Library
2. how often they use the library
3. where they work when they are in the building
4. what improvements they would recommend.

The findings from the survey will be used to help prioritize user space needs during the schematic and design development phases of the project.  Some highlights of the survey results include:

Who responded:  1066 undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty responded to the survey.  The majority of responses were submitted by undergraduates (635).  Most of the respondents were affiliated with Arts & Sciences (44%) followed by Agriculture & Life Sciences (17%).

Space usage:  Most respondents used Olin Library at least once a week (80%). The most used spaces overall were the public computers, Libe Cafe, and the stacks. The top three space functions overall were: quiet individual study, use library computers, and use books.

Top needs:  The top three choices for allocation of resources were: individual quiet study (751), more computers (617), and more comfortable furniture (519).

Poster promoting the renovation survey from November 2006.

Survey Questions

Olin Library Renovation Sample Concepts

Survey Results

Overall Results

From Faculty

From Graduate Students

From Undergraduate Students

From Staff