1 The Value of Surveys, and Why ­They’re Hard to Get Right The 21st-­century culture of librarianship is responsive and innovative we strive to be indispensable. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla D. Hayden, responding to a question about all the ­ things that libraries do to serve their users, noted that “the most crucial skill” of a librarian is “the abil- ity to be open, to learn new ­ things.” In the broader context of techno- logical, demographic, and bud­getary changes, we gain insights into the populations we serve by asking questions that mea­sure the pres­ent and anticipate the ­ future. To create the libraries our patrons need, librarians are continuously learning about our users. And we have a large constellation of library-­user information, rang- ing from conversations with individuals, to analy­sis of collection usage data, to reports published by professional associations and government agencies. Surveys fit into this undertaking as one of the most efficient means of gathering information directly from library users. The best sur- veys offer insights that we can gain only by asking our users questions that they alone can answer. The following questions illuminate what library users do, think, want, and feel: When deciding to attend a program, please rank the importance of the following: Day of the week Time of the program
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