Simon Fraser University Library is heading into a strategic planning process for the period 2017-2021 and we are seeking your input. The Ithaka S +R Local Faculty Survey is designed to help us gain a broader understanding of the changing needs of faculty and plan for the right strategy and mix of services to carry forward into the future. The survey will run from April 12, 2016 to May 13, 2016.
Ithaka S+R’s survey of faculty members has been fielded regularly since 2000 and provides a periodic snapshot of practices and perceptions related to scholarly communications and information usage. The scholar-centric nature of the questionnaire ensures that potential changes in research and teaching inform our thinking, not only about academic libraries and scholarly publishing, but about changes in higher education more broadly.
We are looking forward to learning from your responses in a variety of areas related to research and teaching including:
- Access: How do faculty gain access to the research literature, including library collections and freely available materials online?
- Discovery: Where do faculty begin the research process?
- Research dissemination: Covers areas such as audience for research, journal selection, and academic conferences.
- Role of the library: What are the perceptions and expectations of faculty of the changing role and value of academic libraries.
- Student research skills: Covers perceptions of students’ research and critical thinking skills and the comparative responsibility of various parties including the library to develop these skills.
Your anonymous responses will help the Library make evidence-based decisions about the collections, programs, and services we provide to faculty.
To learn more about Ithaka S + R and to view previous survey results, see the Ithaka website.
The survey is now closed. Thank you for your participation. We were delighted to receive a 42% response rate.
Results are available in an Analytical Memo* and a Report of Findings.
(*please note this is an updated version of the Analytical Memo to correct an error in the original June 8 version)
Congratulations to Dr. Sharon Koehn, Gerontology, who won the draw for the iPad.
If you have any questions or comments about the survey, please contact Gwen Bird, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries: gbird@sfu.ca or 778-782-3265.