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7/31/2019 Team 2-Needs Assessment
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Assignment 3Needs Assessment of High Point Public Library
Team 2Jamie Beck, Lauren Davis-Fossa, Amanda Fonorrow, Erin Price, Stephen Sonnenberg
12/5/2010
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Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 2
II. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4
III. Methods ......................................................................................................................... 5
IV. Results ............................................................................................................................ 7
V. Conclusion and Recommendations................................................................................ 14
VI. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Needs Assessment .................................................. 15
VII. Appendices .................................................................................................................. 17
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Question 4 ................................................................................................................ 8
Figure 2: Question 3 ................................................................................................................ 9
Figure 3: External Customer Satisfaction Ratings ................................................................ 10
Figure 4: External Customer Recommendation Ratings ....................................................... 11
Figure 5: Employee Survey Results ...................................................................................... 13
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I. Executive Summary
Team Two chose High Point Public Library & Museum, a standalone public library in the
Piedmont area of the state, to conduct the needs assessment. This needs assessment was
completed in the fall of 2010, and was meant to evaluate the librarys effectiveness in meeting
internal and external customer satisfaction expectations.
The needs assessment was based on two surveys, one specifically designed for staff
members and the other focused on external customers. The creation of the staff survey was a
group effort and is based on First, Break All the Rules. The survey was administered to the staff
of High Point Public Library & Museum by one team member that is an employee of High Point
Public Library & Museum. The external customer satisfaction survey was created by the library
itself and is included on the librarys web page. The results were made available to our group by
the Public Relations department of the library.
Overall, the majority of the staff members surveyed rated their work environment highly.
Out of the eighteen staff members surveyed, less than 50% were negative surveys, with the staff
members recognizing that they are not engaged in the mission of the company, which could
explain their lack of happiness. Based upon the positive surveys, the one area that appears to
need improvement is the amount of praise employees receive in the workplace. The majority of
employees surveyed said that they do not receive praise from management on a weekly basis.
As discussed in class, praise is the most effective form of positive recognition for humans, and it
is free. A simple solution to this problem would be for managers to become more mindful of
their interactions with staff and make a conscious effort to praise staff members on a regular
basis.
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The customer satisfaction surveys were available to library users on the High Point
Public Library & Museum website. This survey was designed to rate the customers satisfaction
with the library staff, environment, and overall attitude about the library. Along with the
electronic survey, High Point Public Library & Museum hosts Loyalty Luncheons for their most
regular customers. The luncheon participants are also asked to complete a survey based on their
attitude towards the library. Many patrons seem satisfied with the services they have received at
the library, but a few patrons did mention areas where they felt the library could improve.
The main complaints that patrons had seem to deal with space and layout of the library.
Even with the renovations that have taken place, patrons have mentioned that some areas of the
library feel cramped while others are open and airy, but have no seating. It was also mentioned
that the drop off area is positioned too closely to the express window, which causes a back up in
traffic. Another problem with space is that many of the areas with seating are used for tutoring
and are very loud. Designating quiet areas was proposed as a possible solution. As a result,
study groups could have an area to study and do group work, while individuals that are looking
for a quiet place to read will have their own space and not be disturbed.
One issue that customers mentioned was the lack of complete series. One series in
particular was mentioned; with the complaint that the books available are not in order and are
random numbers out of the series. Another customer mentioned the need to spend more money
on books instead of computers. The customer thought that buying so many computers, instead of
books, was a waste of money. In addition, a few customers also expressed a need for "Coming
Soon" or "New Arrivals" announcements. This was suggested as a section on the website or to
be sent out to patrons through email.
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The last issue that seemed to be highly upsetting to patrons is the fee that is charged to
non-county residents that want to have a library card with High Point Public Library & Museum.
Due to the location of the library, it is very convenient for patrons that live in the surrounding
counties to access the library, but there is a $40 yearly charge if you are a non-resident. The
results of the surveys show that High Point Public Library & Museum has areas in which they
could improve, but overall customer and employee reviews are positive.
II. Introduction
The High Point Public Library & Museum is a department of the City of High Point. The
library has one main building with two small satellites that are mainly for computer use and
materials pick up. The museum is a single building with a historic park. The library and
museum have a total of 55 full-time and 25 part-time employees. The two facilities serve
primarily the city of High Point, NC and Guilford County, NC, but also have patrons from the
surrounding counties of Davidson, Forsyth, and Randolph (the Triad region). In 2008, High
Point had an estimated population of 101,835 and the Triad region had an estimated population
of 1,603,101 (www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfm).
The Organizational goals for the library and museum focus on the customer experience.
Work is underway to align staffs understanding of the mission, vision, and core values.
Mission: Nurturing the joy of reading, sharing the power of knowledge, strengthening the sense
of community, and enhancing economic vitality.
Vision: A high performance environment that nurtures its employees as customer-centered
advocates for designing and delivering service experiences that transform lives, resulting in
http://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfmhttp://www.high-point.net/edc/demographics.cfm7/31/2019 Team 2-Needs Assessment
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positively passionate customers who make High Point Public Library THE destination of choice
for learning and discovery.
Core Values: We create positively passionate customers and achieve our mission and vision
through our core values of connection, diversity, fun, and innovation.
Encouraging staff to envision how the mission, vision, and core values are part of their
daily work is important. The culture of the organization expects employees to Show up, Stand
up, and Speak up. This means they are expected to know what is going on, to be engaged, and
to offer suggestions. This practice allows each person to see his/her contribution and to
hopefully develop a loyalty to the organization that creates a feeling of the library and museum
as an employer of choice.
Stakeholders for the organization include not only staff and customers, but also the
Library Board of Trustees, the High Point City Council, donors, and the Friends of the Library.
Library Administration does a significant amount of networking within these groups in order to
create a greater understanding of the library and museums goals. The staff is also expected to
recognize the importance of committed service to outside stakeholders.
III. Methods
User surveys were issued to two groups of library users simultaneously. General Library
Users were provided a Customer Satisfaction Survey on the librarys website (see Appendix 1).
Core User Group participants were issued a survey at the monthly Customer Loyalty Luncheon
(see Appendix 1). Both User Groups completed their surveys anonymously; therefore Team
Two was unable to collect specific demographic information about the users.
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General Library Users completed a total of twenty-two surveys, consisting of seven
questions each. Of these, twelve felt their library experience was a 10 on a scale of 0-10.
These twelve patrons also indicated that they were highly likely to recommend HPPL to their
family and friends by a 10 on a scale of 0-10. In this group, 82% of the participants were
highly satisfied (gave library overall rating of 8, 9, or 10). For complete survey data,see
Appendix 4.
Core Users at the Loyalty Luncheon completed a total of nine surveys, consisting of
seven questions each. Of these, nine users responded that their library experience and likelihood
of recommending the library to family and friends was a 10 on a scale of 0-10. In this group, a
100% satisfaction rate was recorded.
A team member in HPPLs employ issued staff surveys via email. Staff surveys
consisted of twelve questions, based on Gallups employee surveys as laid out in First, Break All
the Rules. (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999). For a complete list of survey questions,see
Appendix 2. Employees were instructed in the email containing the survey to either email the
completed survey back to the sender, or print and complete the survey before leaving it in an
anonymous drop-box. In this way, Team Two hoped to ensure maximum participation, by
allowing ease and convenience in responding by email, as well as confidentiality if the staff
members chose to respond anonymously via the drop-box.
Eighteen of fifty-five full-time employees participated in the survey (33% participation
rate). Complete results of this study can be found inAppendix 5. Survey participants were
given the questions without a numerical scale on which to place their answers. Most participants
answered with a simple Yes or No, but others took the opportunity to expound upon their
answers, providing Team Two with a more useful framework for determining the strengths and
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weaknesses of the organizations leadership. While this led to difficulty in quantifying the data,
it did provide a solid basis for recommendations to the organization which is directly tied to
specific comments made by staff members. Furthermore, it allowed Team Two to understand
the reasons for employees discontent when negative feedback was presented.
IV. Results
The High Point Public Librarys primary goals are centered on customer satisfaction and
specifically concerned with creating more loyal promoters for the library. The HPPL has
developed a strategic plan in order to achieve the goal of more customer satisfaction. (The
HPPLs Strategic Plan can be viewed inAppendix 3.) This plan includes customer appreciation
initiatives including the Loyalty Luncheons for the librarys power users as well as customer
feedback initiatives such as Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Customer Satisfaction Surveys were
provided to the attendees of the Loyalty Luncheons as well as provided in electronic form for
other patrons on the librarys website. Team Two used both of these survey formats to gauge the
level of customer satisfaction amongst the librarys external customers.
External Customers
Of the 31 external customers surveyed, 48% had a positive overall impression of the
library. The most common positive overall impressions included comments involving the
friendliness and helpfulness of the library staff as well as the attractiveness of the library in
general. One customer was so pleased with the library that they ranked it among the best in the
country. Only a small percentage of the external customers surveyed had a negative overall
impression of the library. The negative comments listed by external customers concerning their
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overall impression of the library did not have any particular trend. Most of the negative
comments seem to address certain issues particular to the respective customer. The responses
ranged from extreme frustration over the cost of a non-resident library to one patrons suggestion
that the library should buy more books than computers. Unfortunately a relatively large
percentage of external customers did not respond to question 4 which reduced the amount of data
from our already small sample size as well as the power of our survey results.
Figure 1: Question 4
Although question 4 did not show a particular trend for areas where the library needs to
improve, the responses to question 6 did have some similarities. A few of the patrons expressed
frustration with the placement of the outside book return. They felt that it was in an inconvenient
place for drive thru usage. Also, a couple of patrons articulated a desire for a Coming Soon or
New Arrival section in the librarys e-newsletter as well as posted in the library. Overall, there
48%
10%3%
10%
29%
Overall Impression of the Library
Positive
Negative
Neutral
Positive and Negative
No response
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were very few negative comments concerning the librarys operations and only one negative
comment involving the librarys staff.
Question 3 of the Customer Satisfaction Survey addressed the friendliness and
helpfulness of the library staff directly. Fifty percent of the patrons surveyed responded
positively to question 3. Unfortunately, almost half of the external customers that completed the
surveys neglected to answer this particular question. As a result, I feel that the power of this
particular section of our results was compromised and cannot be considered extremely reliable.
The survey sample is too small to determine whether the information is reliable or valid.
Figure 2: Question 3
Even though it was not possible to definitively determine the level of excellence in
customer service, the survey results reflect an external customer satisfaction with the library in
general. Question 5 refers to overall satisfaction with the library in general and question 7
50%
0%
3%
47%
Was the staff member who assisted you
helpful and friendly?
Yes
No
Yes and No
No response
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referred to the patrons willingness to recommend the library to friends and family. A vast
majority of the external customers surveyed gave the library high ratings on a scale from 0-10 on
both questions. It appears that the library is on the path to achieving its ideal state of customer
satisfaction and acquiring loyal promoters.
Figure 3: External Customer Satisfaction Ratings
0
5
10
15
20
NumberofPatrons
Ratings
How would you rate your library
on a scale of 0-10?
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Figure 4: External Customer Recommendation Ratings
Internal Customers
Although High Point Public Librarys primary goals are mostly external customer centric,
the librarys goals also contain some focus on its internal customers. The librarys ideal vision
involves the employees working together collectively to create a positive and customer centered
work environment. The staff is expected to be engaged and contribute to the development of the
library by sharing ideas and being aware of the needs of the library. In order to determine the
level of employee satisfaction as well as to ascertain how close the library is the achieving its
ideal vision for its staff, the High Point Public Library staff were given an anonymous survey
containing a revised version of the 12 questions from First, Break All the Rules. For the
complete surveysee Appendix 2.
0
5
10
15
20
25
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10
No
response
NumberofResponses
Ratings
How likely would you be to recommend the
library to family or friends on a scale of 0-10?
How likely would you be to
recommend the library to family or
friends on a scale of 0-10?
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A majority of the High Point Public Librarys internal customers that completed surveys
appeared to be satisfied with their work environment. When asked if they felt that their thoughts
and ideas were valued and validated at work a majority of the staff responded positively. This
sense of value and validation would contribute positively to the sharing of ideas amongst the
staff and could foster the librarys value of innovation through staff involvement. Also, most of
the staff that completed surveys appeared to identify with the mission of the library and derive a
sense of purpose from it. The more connected the staff feels to the librarys vision and mission
the more likely they will be to contribute to achieving the librarys mission. Only two questions
elicited a substantial amount of negative responses. Many of the staff members surveyed
expressed some discontent with the amount of praise that they received on a regular basis. Also,
many of the staff members stated that they did not have a best friend at work. Overall, the staff
that completed surveys appeared to be satisfied with their work environment and dedicated to
helping the library fulfill its mission.
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Figure 5: Employee Survey Results
Opportunities for Improvement and Recommendations
In general, the High Point Public Library appears to be on the right track toachieving
both external and internal customer satisfaction as well as creating loyal promoters. A majority
of the external customers surveyed expressed satisfaction with librarys aesthetics, staff,
organization, and operations as well as appreciated the new initiatives to improve the library for
greater customer satisfaction. Only a few suggestions or concerns were mentioned by external
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Yes 18 18 17 6 13 14 14 17 14 10 17 15
No 0 0 1 12 4 2 4 1 2 8 1 3
Other 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0
Employee Survey: Revised FBAR 12 Questions
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customers more than once. In order to further improve customer satisfaction and create more
loyal promoters HPPL should consider relocating the drive thru drop box as well as add a
Coming Soon or New Release section to e-newsletters. In addition, a bulk of the internal
customers surveyed seemed relatively pleased with their work environment. Only two questions
elicited a substantial amount of negative responses. A number of employees responded that they
did not receive praise weekly and did not have a best friend at work. The first of these
circumstances could be easily remedied. Administrators could be more aware of the need to give
praise on a regular basis in order to improve employee confidence. The second situation is more
complicated to resolve. The administrators could possibly try to have more staff outings or social
events in order to create a greater sense of community. As a result, more friendships could
possibly be developed. Although HPPL appears to have some opportunities for improvement,
the library appears to be on the right path to achieving their primary goals.
V. Conclusion and Recommendations
In general, High Point Public Library is doing a fairly decent job in satisfying customers.
There are a few areas that need some strengthening for both the patrons and employees. The
patrons are mostly dissatisfied with small things that plague most libraries, such as noisy areas.
Team Two suggests that the library put in group spaces as well as designated silent areas. This
action could provide a solution to the needs of the patrons. A few patrons also complained about
not having all of the books in a series. High Point Public Librarys selection staff should address
this particular problem and see it as a legitimate detriment to the encouragement of reading. If a
library only purchases the first book or a select few books in a series, then patrons could possibly
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be discouraged by the lack of access to the complete series. Lack of access could discourage
patrons to use other library services because this particular service was not provided
successfully.
A majority of High Point Public Library's employees surveyed appeared satisfied with
their overall work atmosphere, but two questions elicited an observable amount of negative
responses. Some employees felt that they do not get enough praise from administrators and indicated
that they did not have a best friend at work. Team Two suggests that the library provides more
opportunities for the employees to socialize with each other in order to build more strong friendships. We
also suggest that the management promotes opening dialogue between staff and tries to promote a
positive atmosphere. Also, administrators should praise employees on a more regular basis.
VI. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Needs Assessment
Working with the library
The librarys administration was very open to the needs assessment request and generous in
sharing their data, such as user surveys and strategic plan. Only about 20% of the library staff responded
to the staff survey however. This is perhaps due to a strategic planning process that occurred within the
past 2 years. Some staff members had been asked to complete a similar questionnaire that resulted in
some minor conflicts within some divisions. In spite of being reassured that their responses were solely
for this project and that they would not be identified in any way to management or administration, some
may still have been apprehensive about openly sharing work experiences again.
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Weaknessesof Needs Assessment
Most of Team Twos difficulties resulted from a lackof data. As mentioned earlier we
had some problems with collecting a substantial amount of surveys for the HPPL staff. Team
Two also encountered some difficulty with collecting a significant amount of external customer
data. In the process of data collection, many of the external customers did not answer some of
the questions or they did not answer questions clearly. Also, the sample size was relatively small
for the service population. A more substantial number of surveys would have made for more a
more valid, reliable, and powerful needs assessment. Perhaps providing an incentive for external
and internal customers would have fostered more participation in the data collection process.
In retrospect, Team Two may have been more successful if we had used an online survey
developing system such as Survey Monkey in order to have a fully anonymous system for the employee
surveys as well as required all responses to be on a number scale for the customer satisfaction surveys.
This could have helped us to quantify our information and we may have received more responses as well.
Its also difficult that we have no demographic data on the users, as we were not involved with the
collection of data directly from users. As a result of Team Twos lack of demographic information, we
were unable to tell if the respondents are accurate representations of the community at large or if they are
simply a vocal minority.
Strengths of Needs Assessment
During the needs assessment process we did have certain advantages that allowed for
certain strengths in our data. One of our group members is employed by the library so we had
more access to data and employees. This allowed us to use external customer satisfaction survey
data that was already being collected over an extended amount of time. The fact that the external
customer satisfaction data was being collected over an extended amount of time allowed for a
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sample group that could possibly be more diverse and less limited. We also had access to
external customer data concerning both regular users and power users. Team Two had access to
data from the web surveys for the regular users as well as power user data taken from surveys at
Loyalty Luncheons.
General Lessons Learned
Delegating a project manager from the outset is key. Our group was somewhat disorganized, in
that there was an implied nomination of leadership, but it was never said outright. Perhaps if we had
delegated a project manager from day one, we would have been more focused in class for our group
meetings and might have accomplished a lot of the project sooner than we did.
VII. Appendices
Appendix 1
Customer Satisfaction Survey
1. Did you find what you needed today?
2. If not, did the staff suggest alternatives or refer you to another agency?
3. Was the staff member that assisted you helpful and friendly?
4. What were your impressions of the library?
5. How would you rate your library on a scale of 0-10?
6. If not a 9 or 10, what could we have done differently to earn a 9 or 10?
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7. How likely would you be to recommend HPPL to family or friends on scale of 0-10?
Appendix 2
Employee Survey: Revised FBAR 12 Questions
1. Do I know what is required of me in the workplace?
2. Do I have the proper tools to complete my workplace tasks properly?
3. Do I have the opportunity to exercise my talents in the workplace on a weekly basis?
4. Do I receive praise and recognition to my performance on a weekly basis?
5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me?
6. Is my development in the workplace encouraged?
7. Are my thoughts and ideas valued and validated at work?
8. Do I identify with the mission of the organization and derive a sense of purpose from it?
9. Do my co-workers feel that doing quality work is important?
10. Is there someone at work that I consider to be a best friend?
11. Am I talked to about my performance at least semi-annually?
12. Am I provided with opportunities to learn and grow within a year?
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Appendix 3
High Point Public Librarys Strategic Plan
Appendix 4
Customer Satisfaction Survey Data
Customer Survey Data
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsxhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsxhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsx7/31/2019 Team 2-Needs Assessment
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Appendix 5
Employee Survey Data
Employee Survey Data
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsxhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsxhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/Documents%20and%20Info/Customer%20and%20Employee%20Surveys.xlsx