A university library laptop lending service: an analysis using two student surveys

Purpose – This paper aims to report on a study of an academic library's wireless laptop lending service. The authors believed that the unexpectedly low usage level of the Monmouth University Library's Laptop Lending Service (LLS) could best be understood by engaging the intended users of the LLS, that is, the students of Monmouth University, a small university in New Jersey. A formal, systematic survey would provide substantive data that would help the Library to evaluate this service and determine how well it meets the needs and expectations of students and answer the question, “Is it sufficient to provide wireless access?”Design/methodology/approach – The open source application PHP Surveyor was used to construct two web‐based surveys which were conducted two years apart (2005 and 2007). An invitation to participate in the survey was emailed to all registered students. Follow‐up emails attended both surveys.Findings – Among other things, it was learned that the fact that a large majority of the students...

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