Purpose & Goals

Purpose: Many institutions strive towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their libraries and IT departments. However, assessing the effectiveness of specific services in achieving these goals can be challenging. This session aims to showcase the potential of quantitative survey methodologies to address this challenge, focusing on the experiences of students and faculty of color. Goals: Highlight the importance of understanding user experiences across diverse groups: The session will emphasize the need to go beyond assumptions and gather data-driven insights into how students and faculty of color experience library and IT services. Demonstrate the utility of quantitative surveys in assessing DEI impact: By focusing on these specific research questions:

• Do students of color experience library and IT services differently than their peers?
• Do students of color place different value on our services compared to their peers?
• How effectively do our services contribute to the achievement of academic goals for students of color?
• Do faculty of color experience library and IT services differently than their peers?
• Do faculty of color place different value on our services compared to their peers?

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of:

• How quantitative surveys can be designed and implemented to gather valuable data on user experiences.
• How this data can be analyzed to assess the impact of library and IT services on diverse user groups.
• The role libraries and IT departments can play in advancing institutional DEI goals.

Design & Methodology

This study utilizes data from the Measuring Information Services Outcomes (MISO) Survey to investigate potential differences in user experiences between students and faculty of color compared to their peers. Data Source: The analysis draws on responses from over 150 institutions that have participated in the MISO Survey since 2014, resulting in over 170,000 responses (58,000 faculty and 114,000 students). The primary focus is on data collected between 2019 and 2024. Survey Instrument: MISO surveys cover various service areas, but this study focuses on questions related to:

• Importance: How important users perceive specific services for their academic success.
• Satisfaction: Users' level of satisfaction with the quality and effectiveness of various services.
• Demographics: Self-reported information on racial/ethnic and other relevant demographic characteristics.

The surveys utilize a four-point Likert scale for both importance and satisfaction ratings. Data Analysis: Statistical analysis will compare mean scores between groups on each service point, categorized by the user's racial/ethnic identity. A significance level of alpha = 0.01 will be used to identify statistically significant differences. Effect sizes will be calculated for services with significant differences to assess the magnitude of the disparity. The analysis aims to understand overall trends, not focus on specific services. Therefore, instead of discussing individual services, it will:

• Identify the number of services with statistically significant differences based on race/ethnicity.
• Examine the direction of differences (higher/lower importance, higher/lower satisfaction) across services with significant disparities.
• Analyze the magnitude of effect sizes in cases of significant differences.

Findings

Across the board, nearly every library and IT service is viewed as more important to students of color than it is to white students. In addition, students of color indicate our services contribute to the achievement of their academic goals more than indicated by their white peers. This is robust across every way the data has been examined. All indications point to a phenomenon that spans the breadth of higher education. Students of color are more likely to consider library and IT services to be more important than do their white peers. The high-level view shows that nearly all of the services have the same level of satisfaction for white and non-white students. These results remain strong across multiple levels of examination. This means at a general level our students' satisfaction with our services are not a result of their racial/ethnic identity. The faculty results provide some unexpected insights. Like students, the overwhelming majority of technology and library services were found to be more important to faculty of color than they are to their white colleagues. However, faculty of color are less satisfied with the library services than their white colleagues are. This difference in satisfaction is limited to only the library services and spans across nearly every library service measured. Notably, there are no meaningful differences in satisfaction with technology services.

Action & Impact

This research using MISO data holds significant promise for promoting equity and inclusion within libraries and IT departments. By providing valuable insights and fostering data-driven decision-making, the study can positively impact the experiences of diverse user groups and contribute to building a more equitable and inclusive learning environment for all. As with all surprising finds, more questions are raised than answered in the data. We intend to spark a thoughtful interactive conversation among session participants by raising the emergent questions and challenging them to seek the answers.

Practical Implications & Value

These are crucial findings. As institutions put more energy into meeting the needs of students of color, it is important to recognize the services library and IT departments provide. We knew our services were important to students and faculty, but students and faculty of color are telling us through these data that these services are even more valuable to them than we previously understood. It says that the library and technology services we are already providing are critical to helping reach the goals of our institutions’ DEI initiatives. By identifying services considered more crucial by faculty and students of color, libraries and IT departments can strategically prioritize resources and develop targeted interventions to bridge any service gaps. Additional research is needed for a deeper understanding of specific user experiences and requirements. However, by acknowledging and addressing the varying importance currently placed on services by different user groups, institutions can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.

View Slides (PDF)