1. What is the age of the person completing
this survey?
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A total of 504 surveys were completed
representing 3.6% of the population
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54% of the surveys were completed by people in
the 26-54 age group and 45% were over the age of 54
2. If you are responding to this survey for
members of your household in addition to yourself, please indicate their ages.
Combined with the ages of people
who completed the survey, the results indicated that there were 1,115 total responses representing
the following age groups:
Age Group No.
·
Under 12 230
·
12-17 124
·
18-25 48
·
26-54 405
·
55-69 180
·
70+ 128
3. Are you a resident of Berkeley Heights?
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97% were residents
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Of those who were not residents, the reasons for
using the Berkeley Heights P.L. included a welcoming staff, work in Berkeley
Heights and the library’s collections.
4. How often do you visit the Berkeley Heights
Public Library?
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Nearly 70% of the respondents visit the library
at least once a month
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23% visit the library a few times a year
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Only 19 responded that they never use the
library
Note:
While some residents only use the library a few times a year, keep in
mind that residents appreciate the library when they have the occasion to use
it. Someone commented on Question
12: “The library is vital to the
community. While we only use it for a few services, the wide range of services
offered need to be maintained and expanded to serve everyone.”
5. If you never use the library or if you only
use the library’s electronic resources (such as Overdrive and the online
catalog), please tell us why and then skip to question 10.
The most cited reason for not using the
library included:
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Location of temporary facility
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Use of the library’s electronic resources from
home
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Waiting for a more modern, digital library
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Equate use of the library with use by their
children
The most cited reason for not using the library included:
It is interesting to note that
after reading the possible responses to the questions regarding collections and
services, a few of the respondents indicated that they would make it a point to
now go to the library.
6. When you come to the library, how long do
you usually stay?
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Nearly half of the survey respondents were at
the library for 1—30 minutes
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26% stayed for between 30 minutes and 1 hour
7. Which of the library’s collections are
important to you and members of your household? (Check all that apply)
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Print
books were by far the most popular, particularly for adults (70%) and children
(38%)
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Over
50% of the respondents are interested in best sellers
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27%
favored print books for young adults and 24% for teens
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Other
popular collections included DVDs (36%) and digital media (35%)
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Less
popular collections were Audiobooks on CD (19%), music CDs (8%) and print reference
books (14%)
Subject areas mentioned in the comments
included history, cookbooks, classics, educational reference, self-help,
business reference, biographies, science, and genealogy.
Other comments included blu-ray discs,
foreign language books, baby books and toys and puzzles in the children's library.
8. What library services are important to you
and members of your household? (Check all that apply)
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The library’s website and reserving books were
important services by nearly 2 out of 3 respondents
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The ILL service 50% and the library’s wi-fi
(38%) were also important
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Several other services were highly regarded
including:
·
Children’s programs
·
Access to research databases
·
Computers in the library
·
Photocopiers
·
Adult programs
In the comments section, several
respondents mentioned they were interested in movies at the library. Others were interested in quiet study space
and a dedicated meeting room for community events.
9. Check the collections and services that you
and members of your household have used in the past 2 years, either at the
current temporary library or the former library on Plainfield Ave.
Library patrons enjoyed a wide range of
services that included:
Ø
Borrowed books - 442
Ø
Checked the library’s website - 263
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Borrowed DVDs - 251
Ø
Used ILL service - 224
Ø
Received readers advisory service from staff -
195
Ø
Downloaded eBooks or audio books - 172
Ø
Used library’s wi-fi - 171
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Sought reference help - 152
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Read magazines/newspapers - 150
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Borrowed audio books - 130
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Used the photocopier - 124
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Attended children’s programs - 117
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Accessed the Internet on a library computer -
105
10. Which of these collections and services
would you like to see the library offer / improve / expand?
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Patrons overwhelmingly want more items to borrow
including books, DVDs and downloadable books/music
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Patrons also want more programs for adults and
for school-aged children
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21% would like to have self-checkout (although 3
people commented that they preferred the human interaction with staff over
self-checkout)
In the comments, patrons are interested in a
larger collection of new books/best sellers, museum passes and audio
books. A few mentioned meeting room
space available for library and community programs.
Below is a word cloud that shows
the 20 words that appear most frequently in the comments section:
11. In the past 2 or 3 years, what other public
libraries in the area did you or members of your household regularly use?
The top three other libraries patrons
visited were:
Ø
New Providence
Ø
Long Hill
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Summit
Many people indicated that they
used other libraries when the BH Library was closed. Otherwise, the most popular reason was a
larger collection and newer titles and more quiet study space.
12. What would you like to tell us that we have
not already asked you about the Berkeley Heights Public Library?
There were 178 responses; over 1/3
of the respondents took the time and effort to comment. The overwhelming majority of the comments were
praise for the library and the staff.
The most
often stated comments regarding collections and services included:
Ø
Larger print collections, especially books
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More newer titles
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More downloadable digital titles
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More community and library programs for all ages
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Enhanced program of service for children
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More technology including iPads and tablets for
use in the library
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Museum passes
With respect to the library facility,
several respondents stated they are looking forward to moving into the new
facility, although there were a few comments expressing concern about the
location and smaller size being planned.
In particular respondents said they want:
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Adequate meeting rooms for community engagement
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Space for both quiet and group study
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Space for teens separate from the children’s
area
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Design the new library with lots of windows
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Outdoor play area for kids
Other relevant single cited comments/suggestions
included:
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Phone call or text to remind of an overdue item
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Reading nooks in the library
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More staff picks
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Return the book sale
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Form a Friends of the Library group
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Maker space; 3-D printer
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One-on-one tech help for patrons
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Longer loan period for new books
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More outreach to teens
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Bus stop at the library
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Publish updates about the status of the new library
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Art gallery in the new library
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Design new library to be a technology and
community center
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Expand movie programs; include closed captioning
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Ability to pay overdue fees online
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Longer hours
The 20 words that appear most frequently in the comments
section: