How to Get the Most from Your Patron Surveys

Behind every great Library design project is thorough research.  If you're getting ready to begin a new project, talking to your patrons is the key to success.

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You know your Library.  You've spent countless hours selecting materials, putting together budgets and running things as smoothly as you  know how.  You answer all the day-to-day questions no matter how strange they may be at times.  You handle all the behind-the-scenes issues that patrons never even notice.  Saying you know your Library is an understatement.  So when it comes to putting one together, whether it's a renovation or a new construction, you're the one involved in all the design meetings.  You make all the tough calls and you get to steer this design in the right direction.  So when you begin to put your design program together, you know that one of the key elements in pulling together your design, is your patrons.

Here are a few methods I've learned about getting Patron feedback:

Online Surveys

These seem like the most obvious since social media is the hot spot for mass communication these days.  Just be sure you're sampling your actual patrons and not just a widespread sample of random followers.  A more accurate way of acquiring online information may be putting together a survey that you can send directly to your email list.  This should give you a stronger sampling.

Suggestion Boxes

You can of course always leave a public suggestion box out and explain what you hope to accomplish by getting the input of your active patrons.  This sample group may not represent the entire Library community, but it should give you some input.

Public Forums

This is a really great opportunity to have some real discussions about what you hope to achieve in your Library, but the trick will be to market the dates and times for the forum and possibly even provide a bit of an incentive to get people to attend.  Perhaps an informal gathering with food and drinks.  Possibly even a couple of door prizes could make the difference on your turnout.

Good old fashioned chit chat

People love to talk; especially about their Library.  A great way to gather information is to just talk to your patrons.  Ask them what they love about their Library and what they'd like to see changed, added or omitted.  Take specific notes on things people repeat.  For example, we had a beautiful circular staircase in a recent Library project that everyone loved.  No one seemed to care about much else except I can't tell you how many times we all heard, "just don't touch the staircase".

And don't forget your younger patrons

They know what they like and what they want to see more of.  Don't let your children and teens go unnoticed.  Ask them questions.  Make them realize just how important their input really is.

What are some other ways that have worked for you when gathering information?

Final Thoughts

Gather your patron information and use it to help you put together your best Library.  Discounting your patron's input will always be a big mistake.  Make sure you know what they think and what they hope to see in their Library.  But use good design and leadership experience to bring their wants and needs together with your design brilliance.  Give everyone a beautiful and functional building that will lead them into the next season of your Library's evolution.