Two recent evaluations of University Libraries services and resources indicate that the campus community generally feels well served by the libraries, while also providing insight on areas for improvement.

A fall 2025 survey of University of South Carolina Columbia faculty found that there is an overall satisfaction level of 90% for the libraries’ support for teaching and research, while a concurrent study of students’ experience using four service points at Thomas Cooper Library yielded a satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5.

Faculty Survey Results

The faculty survey, conducted every three years to explore the libraries’ capacity to meet the research and teaching needs of faculty at all career stages and across all disciplines, indicated that library staff are particularly valued by faculty and that library resources and services are effectively supporting both teaching and research. The survey did, however, also reveal that awareness of some library resources is lower than it should be and that, while collections are generally regarded as robust, there is room for them to be even more so.

“Overall, the libraries are highly valued by faculty for their resources, services, and especially their staff,” said University Libraries’ Assessment Librarian, Grace Jeon, who conducted the survey. However, “evolving instructional modalities and disciplinary differences create opportunities for more targeted support,” and “addressing awareness gaps, improving access and usability, and strengthening communication and outreach will further enhance the library’s ability to support faculty success.”

Notable findings from the survey include:

• For both teaching and research, the most important, and most heavily used, library resources are:
  1. Journals and/or newspapers
  2. E-books
  3. Print books
• Faculty reported the highest levels of satisfaction with:
  1. Libraries staff
  2. Services
  3. Online collections
• The most important library services for teaching are:
  1. Staff assistance
  2. Course reserves
  3. Consultations
• The most important library services for research are:
  1. Request materials
  2. Staff assistance
  3. Consultations
  4. Digital Research Services
• Some of the Libraries’ most highly valued services – including one-on-one consultations with research librarians, the Scholar Commons repository, and Digital Research Services – are also among the least well known, indicating a need to increase awareness of these services.

Notably, while research and teaching practices continue to evolve – since the last survey, for example, more courses are being taught asynchronously online and more faculty are using AI – usage and valuation of library services and resources has not changed significantly. And while different academic disciplines do have different needs with respect to research support, faculty within each discipline largely use the libraries in similar ways regardless of rank or tenure status.

The survey’s findings, said Dean of Libraries David Banush, strengthen the Libraries’ capacity to fulfill its core mission of supporting teaching, learning and research: “Our triennial faculty survey enables us to identify emerging needs, monitor trends, and adjust services for faculty based on evidence.  With other data we gather, the information helps us understand and anticipate needs more fully.  We are grateful to our faculty colleagues for responding and sharing their thoughts with us."

Student Service Points Study Results

The goal of the service points study was to better understand how students experience library services at four key service points in Thomas Cooper Library: the Information Desk at the front entrance, the Checkout Desk, the Research Help Desk, and the Ask A Librarian online chat service. Using a secret-shopper approach, twenty student volunteers posed as library users and approached staff at each service point with questions that reflected typical ways students seek help from library staff.

Study results were overwhelmingly positive, with an average ranking across all scenarios of 4.9 out of 5. Staff interactions were consistently described as respectful, supportive and effective in helping students meet their information needs.

“Results from this survey show that Thomas Cooper Library is providing high-quality, user-centered service across its primary service points,” Jeon said. “Participants consistently described library employees as friendly, approachable, and attentive, and satisfaction ratings were very high across all locations and interaction modes.”