Queen’s University Belfast
Library Strategy for Engaging and Consulting Customers 2013 - 2016
Purpose of this Document
The purpose of this document is to:





Make the Library Services commitment to put customers at the heart of what we do and
to actively consult and engage with them in order to know what they want from the Library
service.
Outline our approach to engaging and involving customers and potential customers using
a range of methods appropriate to the needs of each.
Explain how we will feedback to customers about the actions taken as a result of their
feedback
Outline how and when we will review our Strategy
Present our Action Plan for 2015-16.
Mission and Values Statement
This Strategy document sits in the context of our overall Mission and Values Statement which
is below:
“Our goal is to provide high quality Library services and resources in support of the education
and research activities of the students and staff of the University and of our other customer
groups.”
Our Values Statement makes the following commitments:


A commitment to placing library users at the heart of our service and acting on their
feedback
A commitment to maintain high levels of satisfaction with our services and to work for
continuous improvement
Our Customers
We recognise the need to be inclusive in terms of our consultation and to make a particular
effort to engage with hard to reach and under-represented groups as well as with the wider
group of potential customers of the Library Service.
Section 1: Range of Methods for Consulting and Engaging Customers
We use the following methods to consult and engage with our customers:

Internal University Surveys - these seek feedback on services offered across the
University from a range of internal customers. Most of these take place on an annual basis.
For example, the Service Quality Questionnaire where all Schools and Directorates are
invited to offer feedback to each of the academic support Directorates; the annual
Postgraduate Experience Surveys where taught and research postgraduate students are
asked for detailed feedback on the services and support offered across the University; the
annual First Year and Second Year Student Experience Surveys which offer first and
second year students the opportunity to feed back on the services and support offered
across the University.
The Library reviews all the responses to such surveys and agrees suitable remedial action
or further development activities as required.

Internal Library Surveys – each year the Library carries out several short, targeted, timelimited surveys covering one or more services and one or more customer groups. The
surveys planned for the year ahead are agreed by the Library Management Team each
spring. Our intention is to cover all public services and customer groups on a reasonably
regular basis. Surveys carried out during 2014-15 include the Short Loan Survey (students
and academic staff), Book Availability Survey (undergraduate and postgraduate students)
and the Library’s first Annual Satisfaction Survey (all customer groups). However, this
process is constrained by our awareness of survey fatigue, especially among university
students. Surveys must also be scheduled very carefully to fit into an overall university
schedule and to avoid busy times of the year when students are under particular stress.
The Library reviews all the responses to such surveys and agrees suitable remedial action
or further development activities as required.

National Surveys - graduating students are surveyed on an annual basis to seek their
feedback on the services and support offered by the university they attended. There are
specific questions related to the Library service included in this survey. The outcomes from
the National Student Survey are used to benchmark against the UK University Library
sector as a whole.
The Library reviews all the responses to such surveys and agrees suitable remedial action
or further development activities as required.

University Faculty Liaison – the chief mechanism for consulting and engaging with
University academic staff is the liaison carried out by Subject Librarians (one assigned to
each University School). Subject Librarians work closely with a Library Representative (a
member of academic staff in each School who acts as the focal point for liaison and
communication for the School). In addition, Subject Librarians often attend School Boards,
Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings and other relevant School fora. This
mechanism for consultation and engagement receives very positive feedback in the
Service Quality Questionnaire and via other routes. Senior Library staff also attend regular
meetings with Heads of School to provide updates on the Library service and to receive
their feedback.
Subject Librarians review all feedback received via academic staff and pass it on for wider
consideration beyond their Faculty Team where appropriate.

Students Union and Student Officers – the Library liaises directly with the Students’
Union via the Student President and other elected Student Officers. Senior Library staff
meet the Students’ Union Officers several times a year and communicate directly on
issues of concern and planned Library developments. Senior Library staff also meet
Students’ Union officers and other student representatives at regular Academic Board
meetings (where student representatives offer direct feedback to senior service managers
across the University).
All feedback received from Students’ Union Officers or Academic Board is reviewed and
acted upon by the relevant service manager or is considered centrally.
During 2015-16, we will seek to establish a Library student consultative group in
collaboration with the Students’ Union as an ongoing vehicle for student feedback and
service planning.

A range of University Committees have regular input to the development of Library
services. These groups include University Operating Board (chaired by the Registrar
and Chief Operating Officer). This group of Academic Support Directors and academic
Deans approves and inputs to all significant service developments.
All feedback received from formal University Groups is reviewed and acted upon by the
relevant service manager or is considered centrally.

External Committees - The Library offers a range of services under contract and each
contracted group has a formal feedback mechanism. For example: the Library Advisory
Group offers formal DHSSPS feedback on the contracted service offered to HSC
employees, the AFBI Contract Monitoring Group and AFBI Library Committee input to
the management of the AFBI Library and Library managers and technical staff from each
of the hosted libraries meet with Queen’s Library staff twice a year to offer feedback and
agree an annual service development plan. (SLAs exist for major contracted services).
All feedback received from these formal external committees is reviewed and acted upon
by the relevant service manager or is considered centrally.

Webpages – the Library uses its suite of webpages to provide comprehensive and up to
date information on all aspects of service delivery as well as to inform users and potential
users about service developments and to offer opportunities for feedback. A significant
suite of bespoke customer service pages have been developed as a focus for feedback
and access to our customer policies. This will be an area of further development over the
next couple of years. A suite of subject specific pages (LibGuides) also provide
comprehensive information for staff and students in each disciplinary area.
All feedback received via the Library webpages is reviewed and acted upon by the relevant
service manager or is considered centrally. All Library customers who identify themselves
receive a personal response to their feedback.

Social Media – the Library makes very active use of a range of social media to
communicate with customers and potential customers and to receive their feedback. This
includes an active Library blog, Facebook and Twitter sites. Increasingly, Library users
and particularly students, seek to offer feedback via such informal mechanisms.
All feedback received via the Library’s social media sites is reviewed and acted upon by
the relevant service manager or is considered centrally. All Library customers who identify
themselves receive a personal response to their feedback.

Focus Groups - the Library convenes occasional focus groups to seek targeted feedback
on a range of proposed service developments. Virtual focus groups are used where
appropriate. This mechanism, while labour intensive and often challenging in terms of
securing willing participants, offers a particularly effective mechanism for engaging small
groups in in-depth conversations.
All feedback received via focus groups is reviewed and acted upon by the relevant service
manager.

Customer Journey Mapping is a relatively new area for library engagement with
customers. Following initial development across several service areas during 2014-15, it
will be further developed over the next couple of years.
All feedback received from these exercises is reviewed and acted upon by the relevant
service manager or is considered centrally.
Section 2: How the Library Feeds Back to its Customers
The Library has made the consultation of customers and potential customers integral to
continually improving our service and customer feedback is incorporated into the annual
planning and improvement cycle in order to inform the library work plan and service
developments. In addition, we advise customers of the results and action taken. Our intention
is to achieve a continuous two-way flow of information (“feedback loop”) between the Library
and each of its customer groups).
The following mechanisms are used on an ongoing basis:

Individually - the Library receives a huge amount of feedback from individual customers
via e-mail, by phone and in person so a very significant amount of our feedback to
customers is also made on an individual basis. All written comments, compliments or
complaints are responded to on an individual basis and in a timely manner by either the
relevant service manager or the Assistant Director (Library Services). The issues raised
are summarised regularly and included in the annual summary on the Library website.

“You said, we did” - the Library produces a range of posters, leaflets and webpages in
this format to feedback to customers on the outcome of more significant consultation
exercises.

Social Media – the various social media routes utilised by the Library (Twitter, Facebook
and the Library Blog) are used regularly to feed back to customers. Twitter and Facebook
are mostly used by students while the blog is accessed by a wide range of Library
customers and potential customers.

Publication of Standards of Service – Targets and performance data relating to our
Standards of Service are published on the Library website and incorporated into an annual
report which is made available to all Library customers and the wider group of visitors to
the Library website.

Internal Reports – the Library provides formal feedback and presents reports to University
committees such as Academic Board and University Operating Board (referred to above).
Formal communications to academic Schools also takes place on a regular basis.

External Reports - the Library provides formal feedback and presents reports to external
committees responsible for management of the Library services delivered under contract.
Annual reports are presented to the DHSSPS Library Advisory Group and the AFBI
Contract Monitoring Group. The hosted libraries receive a bi-annual report on development
activities.
Section 3: Reviewing and Evaluating our Strategy and Consultation/Feedback
Mechanisms
As well as reviewing the feedback received, the Library regularly reviews our strategies and
opportunities for consulting and engaging with customers and potential customers to ensure
that the methods used remain effective and provide reliable and representative results.
The Library Management Team will review this strategy annually in consultation with the
Customer Service Excellence Project Team. This review will take place in the context of the
Annual Planning Day where we will also agree the Action Plan for the following year. At this
time, we will review the feedback received mapped against all identified customer groups to
ensure that the Library is engaging successfully with all customers. Our customers will have
the opportunity to feedback on the strategy on a regular basis. A new 3 year strategy will be
developed during 2015-16.
Section 4: Feedback from Library Staff
We make full use of library staff feedback – especially the input of frontline staff as they have
valuable insight into the needs and requirements of Library customers and potential
customers. While a great deal of this takes place informally, the following mechanisms are
also used:





Team meetings
1:1 meetings
Annual appraisal process
Project Group and Operational Group meetings
Feedback webpage
Staff receive feedback on their suggestions via their Line Manager, Project and Operational
Group Chairs and via the annual staff briefing event at the beginning of the academic year.
Section 5: Priorities over the Lifetime of this Strategy
The Library has identified the following priorities in terms of our consultation and engagement
with customers over the next year:








The need to build up data over time and so will repeat its annual library satisfaction survey
as well as seeking feedback in other ways.
The need to explore some new ways of engaging with our customers and potential
customers – particularly the hard to reach or underrepresented groups – mechanisms such
as further use of Mystery Shoppers will be explored.
Use of Customer Journey Mapping will be further developed.
Maintenance of the Customer Service Excellence area on the Library website as a vehicle
for customers and potential customers to comment, compliment or complain.
Further development of our mechanisms for recording and analysing customer feedback
on an annual basis and publishing the actions taken.
Further development of the annual planning, review and feedback process
Extension of consultation before introducing new services
Continuing to publish a Library annual report.
During this period we will continue to be informed by best practice in other sectors.
Elizabeth Traynor
August 2015
Action Plan for Consultation and Engagement 2015-16
Consultation Activity
Investigate options to establish a Library student consultation
group in collaboration with the Students’ Union.
Customer Journey Mapping – follow up on findings in Book
Availability Survey 2015
National Student Survey
Postgraduate Taught/Research Experience Survey
First Year Experience Survey
Second Year Experience Survey
Seek feedback on Discovery Tool implementation and identify
next steps
Exit Surveys
Responsibility
CSE Project Group
Target Date
December 2015
CSE Project Group
December 2015
DASA
DASA
DASA
DASA
Bibliographic Services
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
Spring 2016
July 2016
CSE Project Group
Ongoing
Subject Support Teams
July 2016
Subject Support Teams
Borrower Services
September 2015
July 2016
July 2016
Implement recommendations from International Students Survey
Borrower Services/Subject Support
Teams
Borrower Services
Reporting Activity
Annual report 2014-15
“You said…we did” feedback on individual surveys
Elizabeth Traynor
All
September 2015
Ongoing
Engagement Activity
PGT training and communication
Implementation Activity
Implement recommendations from Book Availability Survey 2015
Implement recommendations from Fines & Defaulters’
consultation
Implement recommendations from Short Loan Survey
July 2016