Comments about Research Support

Faculty and grad students were given a chance to share feedback on the library's support for research and publishing; 167 people did so and the issues they raised are presented below.

• Request for a specific type of service: 24%

  • Software trainings

  • Help with citations and research impact

  • Help with literature reviews

  • Help with managing or archiving data and other materials

  • Help with digital scholarship projects

• Unaware of service or many services: 19%

  • “This survey is helping me realize some more services I'd like to take advantage of.”

  • “I was not aware of Some of these services and this is my 4th year. Making sure faculty know would be really helpful!”

• Suggestion for better communication about services: 18%

  • “An informational email about library services for doctoral students (stuff about lit reviews, publishing/journal guidance, open access fees coverage, etc) would be helpful.”

  • “Have events at the libraries that are engaging for students and tells them about these resources.”

• Want more info on funding, APC discounts, etc.: 13%

• Positive comment about services: 9%

• Account of a negative service experience: 7%

• Requests that are more relevant to ITS: 7%

Faculty and grad students who indicated having a negative experience with library support for research were given a space to share their experiences; 114 respondents did so and the main issues they raised are presented below.

• Needed something not found in collections: 18%

  • “So many of the journals I need (intersection of race, girlhood, and literacy, humanism) have been inaccessible and it's been difficult for even the librarians to gain access, too.”

  • “There are a subset of primary texts in my field that I cannot access through the library.”

• Unaware of a service or services: 17%

  • “I wasn't aware that the library can actively take part in my seeking funding.”

  • “I am unaware of programs that effectively assist in publication of research.”

• Negative experience with library RCS services: 16%

  • “I had a very hard time scheduling an appointment with a library expert. They were difficult to reach out to. They would respond sometimes and other times not.”

  • “When I use the umich citation service on lib.umich.edu, the date for publication is never filled out.”

• Having trouble with citations or citation management: 15%

  • “Sometimes the citations found online are in improper format. Using full names when the format calls for last name and initials. Reporting that there is no date, no volume or issue number when in fact if you access the article or search it through a service like google the information is available.”

  • “I have not been impressed with the options since the University stopped paying for RefWorks.  Mendeley was terrible, and Zotero has had issues.”

• Can’t find or don’t get materials related to one’s specific area of research: 9%

• Want more help with data management, sharing, etc: 6%