Protocol 7077: Investigating University Library Patrons' Experiences and Usage of Library Services and Spaces
Please read this study information sheet carefully before you decide to participate in the study.
Purpose of the research study:
The purpose of the study is to better understand university library patrons' needs, concerns, and engagement with library physical and online spaces and services. Conducting this research will provide insights into enhancing services offered by libraries to its users and provide a strong foundation for their experiences.
What you will do in the study:
You will take a Qualtrics survey about your current or potential usage of the library’s services, features, and both physical and digital environments. You can skip any question that makes you uncomfortable and you can stop the survey at any time.
Time required:
The survey will require about 10 minutes of your time.
Risks:
There are no anticipated risks in this study.
Benefits:
There are no direct benefits to you for participating in this research study. The study may help us understand the effectiveness and accessibility of library services, informing evidence-based improvements to better serve the diverse needs of students, faculty, staff, and community members.
Confidentiality:
We will ask you at the end of the survey if you would like to provide your name and contact information for follow-up purposes only.
If you do not provide your name and contact information, the information that you give in the study will be anonymous. Your name and other information that could be used to identify you will not be collected or linked to the data.
If you provide your name and contact information for follow-up purposes, the information you give in the study will be handled confidentially. We will remove your name and contact information from your survey responses when the survey closes and before the analysis begins. This will anonymize your survey responses. The contact information list will be maintained separately from the survey responses and will be kept for one year before being securely deleted. Your name will never be used in any report.
Voluntary participation:
Your participation in the study is completely voluntary.
Right to withdraw from the study:
You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. However, once your responses are submitted (and once your name and contact information have been removed from the survey data, if you have provided this information), there is no way for them to be deleted since the survey responses will be anonymous/anonymized.
How to withdraw from the study:
If you want to withdraw from the study, simply close the survey at any time before submission. There is no penalty for withdrawing.
If you have provided your contact information, you may request to withdraw your data only before the survey closes. Once the survey closes, all responses will be recorded, and identifying information will be stripped from the survey data and stored separately, making withdrawal no longer possible.
Because the data will not be connected to your identity after this point, you cannot withdraw after the survey is closed.
Payment:
You will receive no payment for participating in the study.
Using data beyond this study:
The data you provide in this study will be retained in a secure manner by the researcher for potential follow-up analyses or reporting.
Please contact the researchers on the study team listed below to:
- Obtain more information or ask a question about the study.
- Report an illness, injury, or other problem.
- Leave the study before it is finished.
Elyse Girard
Executive Director of Assessment, Communications & User Experience
UVA Library
Shannon 523 B, 160 Mccormick Rd, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Telephone: (434) 924-1280
You may also report a concern about a study or ask questions about your rights as a research subject by contacting the Institutional Review Board listed below.
Tonya R. Moon, Ph.D.
Chair, Institutional Review Board for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
One Morton Dr Suite 400
University of Virginia, P.O. Box 800392
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0392
Telephone: (434) 924-5999
Email: irbsbshelp@virginia.edu
Website: https://research.virginia.edu/irb-sbs
Website for Research Participants: https://research.virginia.edu/research-participants
UVA IRB-SBS # 7077
You may print or save a copy of this consent for your records.