In 2008, four accounting students taking a graduate marketing class contacted the business and engineering librarians at the Binghamton University (BU) Libraries about collaborating on a market research project. We wholeheartedly agreed — at once recognizing the unique benefits of gaining patron feedback on library resources and services from the student perspective. The project was also an excellent opportunity to support the School of Management and business students with their graduate course work.
With the Libraries serving as their marketing client, the accounting students created a library survey to provide a “better understanding of the typical user and his/her perceptions of the BU Libraries.” The survey measured student satisfaction with the physical environment, library resources, website and the Libraries overall. Both the librarians and students learned about some of the pitfalls of marketing surveys. We also discovered areas of progress for the Libraries.
This poster session details the successful collaboration, the development of the survey, complications, occasionally surprising results, and the lessons we learned from the project
