Membership Survey 1998-1999
Introduction
Two surveys were done as part of the 1998 / 1999 Special Libraries Association Upstate New York Chapter long range planning efforts. The outline of the surveys and a timeline were presented to the Board at the summer planning meeting in August 1998.
The first survey, a narrative survey of current Board members was done by e-mail in September 1998. The second, a survey of the whole membership was done by mail and phone in March and April of 1999. This report includes results of both surveys.
The Board survey consisted of three questions; with the first being a 4-part SWOT (Strengths – Weaknesses – Opportunities – Threats) exercise. The issues identified in this survey helped formulate the questions for the membership survey. Board survey results along with a draft of the general membership survey were reported to the Board at the fall board meeting in October 1998. The Board survey results appear at the end of this report.
The general Chapter Membership Surveys were sent to 204 people in early March 1999. Surveys went to 188 current members from a December 1998 roster and labels sent from SLA National. Surveys were also sent to 16 of 22 "previous members" who were in the 1997/98 Directory but not in the 1998/99 Directory. In order to assure adequate feedback, 44 current members were selected to receive phone calls from Chapter Board members to complete the survey.
A phone survey was included for approximately 25% of the Chapter membership in order to assure an adequate response rate. Sue Wood describes below the method used to select the phone sample for the survey.
A roster of 187 SLA Upstate NY Chapter members was received from SLA National. The first group eliminated from the phone survey were members of the Board and Committee Chairmen. It was expected that they would be doing the calling and/or would be already committed to completing the survey so were not part of the pool. The second criteria was to eliminate those who had no phone number as part of their membership listing. Some l7 members were eliminated by that qualification. This left 154 names to be considered. We wanted to reach about 1/3 to 1/4 of the membership. Next, Board members and Chairmen were asked if they would be willing to call 3 to 4 members. With an excellent response we were able to peg 11Board members and assigned 4 names to each of them. We then needed to decide which 44 people to call. Taking the membership list we systematically picked approximately every 4th person. The survey list was then double-checked to make sure that all regions of the chapter were covered, that all types of libraries were represented, and that differing years of membership in the chapter were covered. The regional representation ended up with Albany l0 people, Buffalo 7, Ithaca 5, Out of Region 3, Rochester l0 and Syracuse 9. If the proportions of the full membership were matched, we should have had l2 from Albany, 8 Buffalo, 7 Ithaca, 3 out of region, 8 Rochester and 6 Syracuse. However I don't think the selections were off significantly.
The breakdown by type of library for the sample is as follows: Corporate for Profit 54 (28.7%); Academic 36 (19.1%); Student 21 (11.2%); Government 16 (8.5%); Information Brokers l4 (7.4%); Medical l0 (5.3%); Law l0 (5.3%); Retired 8 (4.3%); Newspapers 6 (3.2%); Publishers 6 (3.2%); Not for Profit 4 (2.1%); Out of area 3 (1.6%). Addresses and information from the National Roster (which means in some instances we had to guess exactly what the organization did) determined this breakdown. Some people like Corrections could be considered Government or Law. This information should be useful in planning programs and what specific groups should be targeted.
For years of membership breakdown we had 20 with 0-5 years, 13 with 6-l0 years and 11 with 11+ years. This reflects the general proportions of the membership. We were very interested in getting more input from newer members, especially about programs. Efforts were made to be sure to include all types of libraries from art museums to medical, from corrections to newspapers, from academic to self-employed. The returned surveys did cover all types of libraries, which was a goal.
Once the 44 phone survey members were selected their names, place of work and phone numbers were e-mailed to the Board members who had agreed to do the calling. Special colored surveys were sent to the 44 members selected for the sample and to the callers so phone surveys could be separated from the mail surveys.
Survey responses were entered into an Access database. This allowed for easier totals to the questions and for totals that used responses to more than one question. The largest section of the report consists of the question analysis and comments to the questions of the survey.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction and Methodology
Membership Survey Question Analysis
0.a. Surveys returned
0.b. Regions represented
0.c Primary divisions
1. Describe your present employment
2. Are you a "solo librarian?"
3. How many years have you been a member?
4. Have you served as an officer or committee member?
5-6. How likely would you be to serve?
7. If unlikely, indicate the reasons
8. Have you attended programs sponsored by the Chapter?
9.a. Have you attended programs sponsored by Library councils?
9.b. Have you attended programs sponsored by other library organizations?
10. What are the reasons that you attend Chapter programs?
11. What are the factors that would discourage you from attending Chapter programs?
12-23. Indicate the importance of Chapter services and activities
24. Do you have suggestions related to Chapter programs and services?
25. How do you learn what is happening in the Chapter?
26. Do you have any suggestions about communications?
27. Do you have any other comments?
Appendix: Board Member Survey - Summary
Executive Summary
The Upstate New York Chapter of the Special Libraries Association appointed two past presidents to a Long Range Planning Committee. Susan Wood and Jeannette Smithee were charged with updating the Chapter's 1992 Long Range Plan. Two surveys were done as part of the 1998 / 1999 Chapter long range planning efforts. The first, a narrative survey of current Board members was done by e-mail in September 1998. The second, a survey of the whole membership was done by mail and phone in March and April of 1999.
The goals of the survey were to get an demographic picture of the members of the chapter, to determine the level and future level of involvement in leadership of the Chapter, and to examine of Chapter programming, services, and communications.
For the membership survey 204 surveys were mailed to 188 current and 16 previous chapter members. Of these, 44 members were also selected for phone surveys. There were 73 surveys completed (35.8%), 43 "mail" responses and 30 "phone" responses. There were 20 "undeliverable" surveys, 6 returned by mail from those sent to "previous members" and 14 phone surveys where the person was unreachable after repeated attempts. From a review of the "previous member" list, and the high rate of undeliverable mail from that list, it appears the most likely reasons for the "previous" status is change of jobs or relocation away from the area. There is a high probability of non-renewed student members in this group.
Demographic Profile of the Chapter
In general, members who returned surveys matched the demographic characteristics of the chapter as a whole, except where noted. Responses to individual questions seem to indicate that the 43 responses returned by mail are representative of members who are and have been fairly active in the Chapter. The 30 responses to the phone surveys probably represent a broader cross section of the membership.
Surveys were returned from each part of Upstate New York where there are members of the chapter. The largest concentration of chapter membership is in the Albany area, followed by Rochester, Buffalo, Ithaca / Binghamton / SouthernTier, and Syracuse / Utica. The Ithaca/Binghamton/Southern tier region is the largest geographic area with approximately half of its membership in Ithaca. There are currently no members from the North Country region (Oswego, Watertown, Pottsdam, and Plattsburg). Out of region includes New York City, other states, and other countries.
The SLA divisions most represented in the chapter are Information Technology, Business and Finance, Science - Technology, No Division, Library Management, Engineering, Legal, Solo Librarians, and Biomedical and Life Sciences. All of these divisions are represented by survey responses.
Of the members who returned surveys, most are employed in for-profit organizations (40%). Other types of organizations are also well represented. No one who returned a survey described themselves as a student. There is no indication whether students did not reply or whether students are also employed and indicated their employment. The "other" category includes 3 retired members and 1 who works in an all-volunteer medical library. Approximately one third of the members who returned the survey are solo librarians.
Approximately 40% of those who responded to the survey had been members of SLA for 5 or fewer years. 26% have been members for 6-10 years and 31% have been members for 11 or more years. Retention of new members will need to be a concern of the Chapter.
Leadership Opportunities in the Chapter
Thirty-one of the survey respondents (42.5%) reported service as an officer or committee member. Nineteen of these have been SLA members for 11 or more years. Of the 43 members who returned their surveys by mail, 26 reported service as an officer or committee member (48.8%). Of the 30 members who were contacted by phone, only 5 reported service as an officer or committee member (16.7%). This is a significant difference, if the phone surveys are more broadly representative of the chapter.
Of the people who responded to the survey, approximately half would possibly or likely be willing to serve on the board (or a committee) or to volunteer for short term tasks. In general, the same people who would possibly or likely volunteer for short-term tasks would make a longer commitment to serve on the board or a committee. Those who would possibly or likely serve the Chapter included both those who are currently or had previously served and those who have not yet served the Chapter.
Of the 46 members (63%) who indicated that they would possibly or likely volunteer for short term tasks of the chapter, thirty were from the mail survey sample. The thirty positive responses from mail survey responses represent 69.8% of those who responded by mail. The sixteen positive responses from the phone survey represent 53.3% of those who responded by phone.
The twenty-one members from the 0-5 year membership group who indicated that they would possibly or likely volunteer for short term tasks of the chapter represent 67.7% of that group. The twelve positive responses from the 6-10 year membership group represent 63.2% of that group. The thirteen positive responses from the more than 11 year membership group represent 56.5% of that group.
It is encouraging to note that while only 5 responses from the phone survey had served the Chapter on the Board or a committee, 16 reported that they would possibly or likely serve. Also, while only 6 of the members in the 0-5 year membership category responded that they had served the Chapter on the Board or a committee, 21 reported that they would possibly or likely serve. A challenge for the Chapter will be not only to retain new members, but also to incorporate them into the leadership of the Chapter.
"Work / employment restraints" and Family / personal commitments" are the major reasons indicated that make members unlikely to serve on the Board or Committee or to volunteer for short-term tasks.
Chapter Programs and Services
Overall about half of the members who returned surveys reported attending programs in the past two years. However, the members who took the initiative to return surveys by mail reported a much higher rate of program attendance than the sample of members contacted by phone. If the phone surveys are more representative of the Chapter, only about a third of the membership attends programs.
More than half of the Chapter members who returned the survey reported attending programs sponsored by the library councils. But only a few of those who reported that they have not attended Chapter programs reported attending library council programs. Except in the Rochester and Southern Tier regions, members reported that they attend library council programs as well as chapter programs, not instead of chapter programs.
About half of the members returning surveys attended programs of other professional organizations and other organizations. The organizations reported most are: ALLUNY (Association of Law Librarians of Upstate New York), UNYOC (Upstate New York / Ontario Chapter of the Medical Library Association), ACRL (Academic College and Research Libraries - both Eastern NY and Western NY chapters) and NYLA (New York Library Association). A higher number of members who do not attend Chapter programs reported attending programs of other professional organizations that reported attending programs of the library councils.
The reasons most often reported as "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" for attending Chapter programs were: To network with peers, Topic or speaker of interest, Convenient location, and Convenient date and time. The least important reasons for attending Chapter programs are Supervisor encouragement and Institutional financial support.
The reasons most often reported "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" as reasons for discouraging attendance at Chapter programs are: Topic / speakers not of interest, Schedule or employment conflicts, Inconvenient date and time, and Registration costs are not reasonable. The least important reasons are No continuing education credits, Too many library programs sponsored by other groups, and Inconvenient location.
All of the Chapter Programs and Services are deemed "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" by at least half of the members responding to the survey. The Services and Activities ranked "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" in order were:
- Local meetings for networking with local special librarians* Articles and news in the Upstate New York Chapter Bulletin * The Upstate New York Chapter Membership Directory* Chapter Public Relations efforts to enhance the visibility of special librarians
- The Chapter website
- Student relations programs (internships, open houses, tours, etc.) to introduce library school students to special librarianship
- "Job Opportunities in New York" information maintained on the Chapter Website
- The hospitality suite at SLA Annual Conference to keep in touch with other professionals in the region
- Messages and questions on the Chapter electronic discussion list <sla-cuny@listserv.sla.org>
- Chapter assistance for libraries or library schools in developing nations as a contribution to international special librarianship
- Chapter consultation services as a means for companies to set up or improve services
- Student scholarships to Chapter programs
The Chapter Bulletin is the preferred method of communication by both members who took the initiative to return the surveys and by those members who were surveyed by phone. The mail respondents to the survey also identified word of mouth, the sla-cuny electronic discussion list, and meetings as important. Word of mouth and the Chapter website were also important to members who were surveyed by phone.
Introduction and Methodology
Two surveys were done as part of the 1998 / 1999 Special Libraries Association Upstate New York Chapter long range planning efforts. The outline of the surveys and a timeline were presented to the Board at the summer planning meeting in August 1998.
The first survey, a narrative survey of current Board members was done by e-mail in September 1998. The second, a survey of the whole membership was done by mail and phone in March and April of 1999. This report includes results of both surveys.
The Board survey consisted of three questions; with the first being a 4-part SWOT (Strengths - Weaknesses - Opportunities - Threats) exercise. The issues identified in this survey helped formulate the questions for the membership survey. Board survey results along with a draft of the general membership survey were reported to the Board at the fall board meeting in October 1998. The Board survey results appear at the end of this report.
The general Chapter Membership Surveys were sent to 204 people in early March 1999. Surveys went to 188 current members from a December 1998 roster and labels sent from SLA National. Surveys were also sent to 16 of 22 "previous members" who were in the 1997/98 Directory but not in the 1998/99 Directory. In order to assure adequate feedback, 44 current members were selected to receive phone calls from Chapter Board members to complete the survey.
A phone survey was included for approximately 25% of the Chapter membership in order to assure an adequate response rate. Sue Wood describes below the method used to select the phone sample for the survey.
A roster of 187 SLA Upstate NY Chapter members was received from SLA National. The first group eliminated from the phone survey were members of the Board and Committee Chairmen. It was expected that they would be doing the calling and/or would be already committed to completing the survey so were not part of the pool. The second criteria was to eliminate those who had no phone number as part of their membership listing. Some l7 members were eliminated by that qualification. This left 154 names to be considered. We wanted to reach about 1/3 to 1/4 of the membership. Next, Board members and Chairmen were asked if they would be willing to call 3 to 4 members. With an excellent response we were able to peg 11Board members and assigned 4 names to each of them. We then needed to decide which 44 people to call. Taking the membership list we systematically picked approximately every 4th person. The survey list was then double-checked to make sure that all regions of the chapter were covered, that all types of libraries were represented, and that differing years of membership in the chapter were covered. The regional representation ended up with Albany l0 people, Buffalo 7, Ithaca 5, Out of Region 3, Rochester l0 and Syracuse 9. If the proportions of the full membership were matched, we should have had l2 from Albany, 8 Buffalo, 7 Ithaca, 3 out of region, 8 Rochester and 6 Syracuse. However I don't think the selections were off significantly.
The breakdown by type of library for the sample is as follows: Corporate for Profit 54 (28.7%); Academic 36 (19.1%); Student 21 (11.2%); Government 16 (8.5%); Information Brokers l4 (7.4%); Medical l0 (5.3%); Law l0 (5.3%); Retired 8 (4.3%); Newspapers 6 (3.2%); Publishers 6 (3.2%); Not for Profit 4 (2.1%); Out of area 3 (1.6%). Addresses and information from the National Roster (which means in some instances we had to guess exactly what the organization did) determined this breakdown. Some people like Corrections could be considered Government or Law. This information should be useful in planning programs and what specific groups should be targeted.
For years of membership breakdown we had 20 with 0-5 years, 13 with 6-l0 years and 11 with 11+ years. This reflects the general proportions of the membership. We were very interested in getting more input from newer members, especially about programs. Efforts were made to be sure to include all types of libraries from art museums to medical, from corrections to newspapers, from academic to self-employed. The returned surveys did cover all types of libraries, which was a goal.
Once the 44 phone survey members were selected their names, place of work and phone numbers were e-mailed to the Board members who had agreed to do the calling. Special colored surveys were sent to the 44 members selected for the sample and to the callers so phone surveys could be separated from the mail surveys.
Survey responses were entered into an Access database. This allowed for easier totals to the questions and for totals that used responses to more than one question. The largest section of the report consists of the question analysis and comments to the questions of the survey.
Membership Survey Question Analysis
0.a. SLA Chapter Membership Surveys Returned
Chapter Membership Surveys were sent to 204 people. Surveys went to 188 current members and also to 16 of 22 "previous members" who were in the 1997/98 Directory but not in the 1998/99 Directory. In order to assure adequate feedback, 44 current members were also selected to receive phone calls from Chapter Board members to complete the survey.
In all 73 surveys were completed (35.8%). For the mail-only surveys, 26.9% were returned. For the phone surveys, responses were received from 68.2% of the sample. For the "previous member" surveys, only 2 (12.5%) were completed. There were 20 "undeliverable" surveys, 6 returned by mail from those sent to "previous members" and 14 phone surveys where the person was unreachable after repeated attempts.
From a review of the "previous member" list, and the high rate of undeliverable mail from that list, it appears the most likely reasons for the "previous" status is change of jobs or relocation away from the area. There is a high probability of non-renewed student members in this group.
| Survey Returns | by number | by percent |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | 21.1% | |
| Not Returned | 111 | 54.4% |
| Phone | 30 | 14.7% |
| Undeliverable | 20 | 9.8% |
0.b. Regions Represented by the Chapter
The regions reported here roughly correspond with the regional boundaries of the library councils. The Chapter membership is generally clustered around the metropolitan areas of Upstate New York. The numbers below reflect the regions represented by zip codes for the full membership and for those who returned surveys.
The largest concentration of chapter membership is in the Albany area, followed by Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Ithaca/Binghamton/SouthernTier. The Ithaca/Binghamton/Southern tier region is the largest geographic area with approximately half of its membership in Ithaca. There are currently no members from the North Country region (Oswego, Watertown, Pottsdam, Plattsburg). Out of region includes New York City, other states, and other countries.
Surveys were returned from all regions of the Chapter where there are members. The Syracuse, Rochester, and Ithaca/Binghamton/Southern Tier regions had higher return rates than expected. The Buffalo and Albany regions had lower return rates than expected.
| Region | Chapter membership by number | Chapter membership by percent | Surveys returned by number | Surveys returned by percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 56 | 27.5% | 17 | 23.3% |
| Buffalo | 35 | 17.2% | 8 | 11.0% |
| Ithaca/Binghamton SouthernTier |
32 | 15.7% | 14 | 19.2% |
| Out of Region | 15 | 7.4% | 3 | 4.1% |
| Rochester | 38 | 18.6% | 14 | 19.2% |
| Syracuse/Utica | 28 | 13.7% | 17 | 23.3% |
0.c. Primary Divisions of Chapter Members
The SLA divisions most represented in the chapter are Information Technology, Business and Finance, Science - Technology, No Division, Library Management, Engineering, Legal, Solo Librarians, and Biomedical and Life Sciences. All of these divisions are represented by survey responses.
| Primary Division | Chapter Membership | Surveys Returned |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising and Marketing | 3 | 1 |
| Biomedical & Life Sciences | 10 | 4 |
| Business and Finance | 24 | 5 |
| Chemistry | 8 | 5 |
| Communications | 3 | |
| Education | 2 | |
| Engineering | 11 | 5 |
| Environment & Resource Management | 5 | 3 |
| Food, Agriculture & Nutrition | 2 | |
| Geography & Map | 1 | |
| Information Technology | 26 | 11 |
| Legal | 11 | 6 |
| Library Management | 14 | 4 |
| Metals / Materials | 3 | 2 |
| Military Librarians | 1 | 1 |
| Museums, Art & Humanities | 6 | 2 |
| News | 5 | 3 |
| No Division | 18 | 4 |
| Petroleum & Energy Resources | 3 | |
| Pharmaceutical & Health Technology | 7 | 3 |
| Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics | 9 | 4 |
| Science - Technology | 17 | 6 |
| Social Science | 2 | 2 |
| Solo Librarians | 11 | 2 |
| Transportation | 2 | |
1. Describe your present employment
Sue Wood did an analysis of the December 1998 membership roster from SLA National office. The list had l82 names plus 6 from a new member lists for Jan-March. This breakdown was reviewed when the sample was drawn for the phone surveys. The breakdown is as follows: Corporate for Profit 54 (28.7%); Academic 36 (19.1%); Student 21 (11.2%); Government 16 (8.5%); Information Brokers l4 (7.4%); Medical l0 (5.3%); Law l0 (5.3%); Retired 8 (4.3%); Newspapers 6 (3.2%); Publishers 6 (3.2%); Not for Profit 4 (2.1%); Out of area 3 (1.6%). This breakdown was determined by addresses and information from the National Roster (means in some instances she had to guess exactly what the organization did). Some people like Corrections could be considered Government or Law. This information should be useful in planning programs and what specific groups should be targeted.
Of the members who returned surveys, most are employed in for-profit organizations, but other types of organizations are well represented. No one who returned a survey described themselves as a student. The "other" category includes 3 retired members and 1 who works in an all-volunteer medical library.
The information below for the categories listed on the survey is only included for the 73 members who responded to the survey.
| Type of Employer | Surveys Returned | |
| For Profit / Corporation | 29 | 39.7% |
| Gov't / Not For Profit | 13 | 17.8% |
| Academic | 20 | 27.4% |
| Vendor | 4 | 5.5% |
| Self Employed | 2 | 2.7% |
| Student | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other | 5 | 6.8% |
*2. Are you a "solo librarian"?*Approximately one third of the members who returned the survey are solo librarians.
| Solo Librarian? | ||
| Yes | 23 | 31.9% |
| No | 48 | 66.7% |
| Don't Know | 1 | 1.4% |
*3. How many years have you been a member of the Upstate NY Chapter of SLA?*Approximately 40% of those who responded to the survey had been members of SLA for 5 or fewer years. 26% have been members for 6-10 years and 31% have been members for 11 or more years. Retention of new members will need to be a concern of the Chapter.
| Chapter Membership | Surveys Returned | |||
| 0-5 Years | 87 | 42.6% | 31 | 42.5% |
| 6-10 Years | 42 | 20.6% | 19 | 26.0% |
| 11+ years | 61 | 29.9% | 23 | 31.5% |
| Previous member | 14 | 6.9% |
*4. Are you currently or have you in the past served as an Officer or Committee Member for the Chapter?*Thirty-one of the survey respondents (42.5%) reported service as an officer or committee member. Nineteen of these have been SLA members for 11 or more years, six have been members for 6-10 years and six have been members for 0-5 years. More of the 43 members who returned their surveys by mail 26 reported service as an officer or committee member (48.8%). Of the 30 members who were contacted by phone, only 5 reported service as an officer or committee member (16.7%).
It is also to be expected that people who have been members of the chapter for a longer period of time will also have had more chance to serve in a leadership position. However, a challenge for the Chapter will be not only to retain new members, but to incorporate them into the leadership of the Chapter.
| "Yes" Response – Served as an Officer or Committee Member | ||||||
| All Surveys Returned | Phone | |||||
| 0-5 years | 6 | 8.2% | 6 | 14.0% | ||
| 6-10 years | 6 | 8.2% | 5 | 11.6% | 1 | 3.3% |
| 11+ years | 19 | 26.0% | 15 | 34.9% | 4 | 13.3% |
5. How likely would you be to serve on the Board or a Committee of the Chapter?
6. How likely would you be to volunteer to arrange meeting(s) of special librarians in your local area or assist the chapter with another short- term task?
Of the people who responded to the survey, approximately half would possibly or likely be willing to serve on the board (or a committee) or to volunteer for short term tasks. The remaining half would be unlikely to serve.
In general, the same people who would possibly or likely volunteer for short-term tasks would make a longer commitment to serve on the board or a committee. Those who would possibly or likely serve the Chapter included both those who are currently or had previously served and those who have not yet served the Chapter.
| – | Serve on Board | Short-Term Volunteer | ||
| Unlikely | 34 | 46.6% | 27 | 37.0% |
| Possibly | 30 | 41.1% | 32 | 43.8% |
| Likely | 9 | 12.3% | 14 | 19.2% |
Of the 46 members who indicated that they would possibly or likely volunteer for short-term tasks of the chapter, thirty were from the mail survey sample and sixteen were from the phone sample (53.3%). The thirty positive responses from mail survey responses represent 69.8% of those who responded by mail. The sixteen positive responses from the phone survey represent 53.3% of those who responded by phone.
It is encouraging to note that, while only 5 members from the phone surveys had served on the Board or a committee, 16 of the phone surveys would possibly or likely serve,
| – | Survey Responses | Mail Responses | Phone Responses |
| Possibly | 32 | 22 | 10 |
| Likely | 14 | 8 | 6 |
Of the 46 members who indicated that they would possibly or likely volunteer for short-term tasks of the chapter, twenty-one have been members for 0-5 years, twelve have been members for 6-10 years, and 13 have been members for more than 11 years. The twenty-one positive responses from the 0-5 year membership group represent 67.7% of that group. The twelve positive responses from the 6-10 year membership group represent 63.2% of that group. The thirteen positive responses from the more than 11 year membership group represent 56.5% of that group.
It is encouraging to note that, while only 6 of the 0-5 year membership group had served on the Board or a committee, 21 would possibly or likely serve.
| – | Surveys Returned | 0-5 yeras | 6-10 years | 11+ years |
| Possibly | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 |
| Likely | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
7. If your answer to either of the last two questions was "unlikely" please indicate the probable reasons:
a. Work / employment restraints
b. Travel / financial restraints
c. Family / personal commitments
d. Don't know Chapter needs
e. Have never been asked to serve
f. Other
"Work / employment restraints" and Family / personal commitments" are the major reasons indicated that make members unlikely to serve on the Board or Committee or to volunteer for short-term tasks.
| – | Work | Travel - Financial | Family | Don't know needs | Not been asked | |
| Somewhat important | 8 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | |
| Very important | 17 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 1 | "Other" Reasons |
- Not very often is my field of media / news covered
- Involved in other organizations at this point in her career
- Look for academic agenda
- Lower priority than other activities for my time
- Time constraints
- Don't live close enough
- Retired
- Involvement with other professional organization
- No longer member of SLA
*8. In the past two years have you attended any programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the Chapter?*Overall about half of the members who returned surveys reported attending programs in the past two years. However, the members who took the initiative to return surveys by mail reported a much higher rate of program attendance than the sample of members contacted by phone. If the phone surveys are more representative of the Chapter, only about a third of the membership attends programs.
| – | All Survey Responses | Mail Responses | Phone Responses |
| Yes | 35 | 26 | 9 |
| No | 35 | 14 | 21 |
| Don't Know | 3 | 3 |
9.a. In the past 2 years have you attended any programs sponsored or cosponsored by any of these local / state organizations? (Library Councils) More than half of the Chapter members who returned the survey reported attending programs sponsored by the library councils. But only a few of those who reported that they have not attended Chapter programs reported attending library council programs.
Except in the Rochester and Southern Tier regions, members reported that they attend library council programs as well as chapter programs, not instead of chapter programs.
| Library Council | All Surveys: Members by region | All Surveys: Members attending library council programs | Members not attending Chapter programs, but attending library council programs | ||
| CDLC – Albany | 17 | 10 | 58.8% | ||
| CLRC – Syracuse/Utica | 17 | 11 | 64.7% | 1 | 5.9% |
| RRLC – Rochester | 14 | 8 | 57.1% | 6 | 42.9% |
| SCRLC – Ithaca/Binghamton/SoTier | 14 | 10 | 71.4% | 4 | 28.6% |
| WNYLRC - Buffalo | 8 | 3 | 37.5% |
9.b. In the past 2 years have you attended any programs sponsored or cosponsored by any of these local / state organizations? (Chapters of Library Organizations and Other Organizations)
About half of the members returning surveys attended programs of other professional organizations and other organizations. The organizations reported most are: ALLUNY (Association of Law Librarians of Upstate New York), UNYOC (Upstate New York / Ontario Chapter of the Medical Library Association), ACRL (Academic College and Research Libraries - both Eastern NY and Western NY chapters ) and NYLA (New York Library Association). A higher number of members who do not attend Chapter programs reported attending programs of other professional organizations that reported attending programs of the library councils.
| Library Organizations | Survey Respondents | Respondents not attend Chapter programs |
Members Attending Library Council Programs by Region
| ACRL (ENY or WNY) | 6 | 3 |
| ALLUNY | 7 | 3 |
| ARLIS | 1 | |
| HMLA | 2 | 1 |
| LI, NYC, NJ | 1 | 1 |
| Lib Unlimited, BPM | 1 | 1 |
| MLA | 1 | |
| NYLA | 3 | 2 |
| NYS Sci & Engineer Libr | 1 | 1 |
| SUNY OCLC | 1 | 1 |
| UNY Science Lib Assn | 1 | 1 |
| UNYOC | 4 | |
| UNYOC, NYLA | 1 | |
| UNYOC, SCIP | 1 | |
| UNYOC, CDBL | 1 | |
| Yes (Not Specified) | 7 | 1 |
| Other Programs | Survey Respondents | Respondents not attend Chapter programs |
| Also UNYOC, Misc other | 1 | |
| ARMA, COLT, LISSCNY | 1 | |
| Computer classes | 1 | |
| New England | 1 | |
| RPCN, NAWBO | 1 | 1 |
| SONAC | 1 | |
| SUNYLA | 1 | 1 |
| Syracuse Univ. | 1 |
10. What are the reasons that you attend Chapter Programs?
- Network with Peers
- To get involved
- Topic / speakers of interest
- Convenient location
- Registration costs are reasonable
- Convenient date and time
- Supervisor encouragement
- Institutional financial support
- Other The reasons most often reported as "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" for attending Chapter programs were: To network with peers, Topic or speaker of interest, Convenient location, and Convenient date and time. The least important reasons for attending Chapter programs are Supervisor encouragement and Institutional financial support.
| a. To net-work |
b. Get involved |
c. Topic |
d. Location |
e. Cost |
f. Time / Date |
g. Superv. Encourage |
h. Financial Support |
|
| Not important | 9 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 38 | 21 | |
| Somewhat important | 17 | 26 | 7 | 28 | 28 | 16 | 14 | 25 |
| Very Important | 42 | 19 | 50 | 28 | 20 | 37 | 3 | 10 |
11. What are the factors that would discourage you from attending Chapter Programs?
- Topic / speakers not of interest
- Inconvenient location
- Registration costs are not reasonable
- Inconvenient date and time
- Schedule or employment conflicts
- No financial support
- No continuing education credits
- Too many library programs sponsored by other groups
- Other
The reasons most often reported "Somewhat Important" of "Very Important" as reasons for discouraging attendance at Chapter programs are: Topic / speakers not of interest, Schedule or employment conflicts, Inconvenient date and time, and Registration costs are not reasonable. The least important reasons are No continuing education credits, Too many library programs sponsored by other groups, and Inconvenient location.
| |
a. Topic |
b. Location |
c. Costs |
d. Inconv. dates |
e. Employconflicts |
f. No fin. support |
g. No CE credits |
h. Too many CE prog. |
| Not important | 4 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 49 | 36 |
| Somewhat important | 8 | 10 | 29 | 18 | 12 | 26 | 8 | 19 |
| Very important | 53 | 9 | 20 | 39 | 48 | 10 | 3 | 5 |
Indicate the importance to you of the listed Chapter Services or Activities
12. The Chapter website
13. "Job Opportunities in New York" information maintained on the Chapter Website
14. Messages and questions on the Chapter electronic discussion list <sla-cuny@listserv.sla.org>
15. Articles and news in the Upstate New York Chapter Bulletin
16. The Upstate New York Chapter Membership Directory
17. Chapter consultation services as a means for companies to set up or improve services
18. Student scholarships to Chapter programs
19. Chapter public relations efforts to enhance the visibility of special librarians
20. Local meetings for networking with local special librarians
21. Student relations programs (internships, open houses, tours, etc.) to introduce library school students to special librarianship
22. Chapter assistance for libraries or library schools in developing nations as a contribution to international special librarianship
23. The hospitality suite at SLA Annual Conference to keep in touch with other professionals in the region Most of the Chapter Programs and Services are deemed "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" by at least half of the members responding to the survey. The rankings and graph are shown. The Services and Activities ranked "Somewhat Important" or "Very Important" the most often were: 20- Local meetings, 15- The Chapter bulletin, and 16- The directory. Other Services and Activities of importance are: 19- Public Relations, 12- The Chapter website, and21- Student relations.
| Not important | Somewhat important | Very important | ||
| 12. Website | 15 | 33 | 20 | |
| 13. Job opportunities | 24 | 23 | 22 | |
| 14. SLA-CUNY list | 25 | 26 | 16 | |
| 15. Bulletin | 4 | 34 | 32 | |
| 16. Directory | 6 | 38 | 28 | |
| 17. Consulting | 34 | 22 | 12 | |
| 18. Student scholarships | 34 | 22 | 12 | |
| 19. Public relations | 12 | 33 | 24 | |
| 20. Local meetings | 4 | 25 | 40 | |
| 21. Student relations | 15 | 28 | 25 | |
| 22. International | 34 | 23 | 12 | |
| 23. Hospitality suite | 25 | 27 | 16 | |
24. Do you have suggestions relating to Chapter Programs and Services that you would like to see included in the Chapter's Long Range Plan?
Comments about Chapter programs and services were made on 11 mail surveys and 14 phone surveys. These are included below.
Mail Survey comments
- (12-16) ?????
- (14) wish there was more traffic on sla-cuny electronic listAlthough I am an established special librarian, I feel that there is critical need of educating
- information studies students about special librarianship. Awareness might even begin in undergrad and high school classes. (more -- see #.27)
- Cooperate more with other associations - make this the rule not the exception
- Cooperate, cosponsor programs with others
- Have meetings around the state for those who cannot travel. Use SUNY Buf Lib School to offer/co-sponsor. There seems to be no SLA presence in SILS - needs to be improved.
- Like Directory coming out on a regular basis
- More activities with library school students
- Never attended Conference Hospitality Suite
- What is sla-cuny e-list?
- Would like SLA CE Courses to be avail on just-in-time basis; Recommends "Creating Tomorrow's Learner-Centered Environment Today" SCUP/Univ Del/PBS 10/22/98, copy avail from Syr Univ Media Phone Survey Comments
- (19) National PR is better; (23) Nat'l Conf. Dinner list would be nice
- (20) Local meetings; Has tried to get things started years ago
- Acknowledging prison librarians; No support from Albany; No support group of prison librarians - could this be done through UNYSLA - 40 librarians in state
- Bring / repeat good national programs from national annual meeting for Chapter
- CE workshop especially if it hits my area of science and technology
- Cooperate with Library Council; Programs on: packaging info-- dumping data-- writing summaries-- trends; More visibility of chapter to local members
- Do programs for the majority; Didn't know about chapter website; Not on chapter e-mail list
- Informal dinners
- Interest: Art & music; Place to show satellite downlinked programs where parking is avail (e.g. SUNY Tech Utica)
- Likes the reading materials from SLA
- Offer a program about setting up an electronic library & setting up intra-nets
- Planning to retire, Not active in Chapter in a no. of years; Was very involved 1968-1979; Served as Prog. Chair and Pres.
- Touring other members libraries; Hands-on experiences of learning what others do; More local
- Would like more local meetings; getting out of the area is a problem
1998 – 1999 Membership and Board Survey Report
25. How do you learn what is happening in the Chapter?
- Chapter bulletin
- Chapter meetings
- Electronic discussion list
- Website,
- Word of mouth,
- Other? The Chapter Bulletin is the preferred method of communication by both members who took the initiative to return the surveys and by those members who were surveyed by phone. The sla-cuny electronic discussion list, meetings, and word of mouth were also identified as important by the mail respondents to the survey. Word of mouth and the Chapter website were also important to members who were surveyed by phone.
| a. Bulletin |
b. Meetings |
c. Electronic list |
d. Website |
e. Word of mouth |
|
| 37 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 17 | |
| Phone | 25 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
Other: Specify (Mail surveys)
- Board meetings
- CLRC
- Colleagues
- E-mail, friends
- Special mailingsOther: Specify (Mail surveys)
- Notifications from other groups; mailings
- Sometimes e-mail
Special Libraries Association Upstate New York Chapter
1998 – 1999 Membership and Board Survey Report
26. Do you have suggestions about how communication within the Chapter would be improved?
Mail Survey Comments
- Need more regular chapter newsletter; Add profiles of librarians with newsletter or listserv, so those who cannot meet face to face can meet in another medium
- Need to find a way to get the members to communicate with each other
- No, just trying to write up 4 surveys was a struggle - people do not return calls even if you say "let me know if no interest" - I think people are just overworked and do not have time for extras that might assist one in your job
- Post cards with dates of scheduled programs
- Really need to keep print versions of bulletin as I don't have e-mail at home & often get a better chance to read bulletins at home in evening
- We have used a telephone tree for specific issues in the past; maybe we could use it systematically to make sure everyone in the Chapter gets a telephone call once a year - just to chat about our SLA experiences or lack of them
- Would have appreciated a phone call from an officer to welcome to the chapter; Personal touch to encourage networking
Phone Survey Comments
- Appreciated phone survey; feels isolated
- Bulletin and website are really good ways to keep in communication
- Chapter helped form professional values, esp service orientation; Chapter can be wonderful vehicle to meet peers; Wishes Chapter could be more active again - used to be 4 meeting / yr that were well attended; Used to carpool to meetings- really got to know others
- Chapter seems to be using all of the options available to it for communications
- Feels isolated from chapter; Up to chapter members to be in touch with each other
- Free subscription e-mail bulletins
- Keep maintaining the web site
- Prefers paper, physical because of the amount of other e-mail
- Really likes bulletin – likes PRINT copy
- Telephone call was great, we both enjoyed it!
- The existing websites are good and solid
- Wanted a listserv - interviewer gave instructions to subscribe - on back of newsletter. Does read the bulletin.
- Website is good
27. Do you have any other comments?
Mail Survey Comments
- Chapter needs to identify and groom future leaders
- I also advocate a mentorship program for new librarians. A one on one relationship between an experienced and new librarian can be rewarding for both. New librarians can teach new theories & methods, while veterans teach invaluable principles & insights.
- It has become increasingly difficult to get to programs or board meetings that are out of town; It seems that most are in the Syracuse area, which is centrally located & good for most people, but I have a small child & it is hard to leave the Albany area
- New to chapter; not yet attended meeting; was an officer in another chapter
- Previous member, Joined MLA & can't swing both; Chapter is very good one I & do miss my membership; But MLA is very active and all that I can handle at this time
- Previous member, reason for not renewing membership - SLA membership lapsed inadvertently, in process of renewing
- Recruit more younger members to board
- Saturday meetings: weekday meetings have to be approved as business trips
Phone Survey Comments
- Active in local Library Council; Attends SLA Annual Conference regularly; Would participate in local area meetings
- Again - acknowledge prison librarians
- Attended Chapter program in 1995 and presented
- Co-sponsor more meetings with other organizations, e.g. ALLUNY
- Econonic factors (closing of industries) may have weakened Chapter. Urges us to include special time for networking and meeting each other, getting to know each other, learning from each other - this is more important than anything else we do
- Good survey!
- Is interested in a local meeting; Didn't remember getting a copy of the survey in the mail
- Most important functions are local functions
- Munson Williams Proctor Museum (Utica) would be available as an interesting place to hold a meeting
- Recognizes the problem of having a geographically dispersed chapter; Interested in working on projects, e.g. web site
- She belongs to the chapter only because she is an SLA member. Doesn't have much time to put into it; Networking opportunities are the only features of real merit
- SLA not terribly relevant to current job; Working part-time - not much support to attend meetings; Enjoys SLA mailings & discussion list, but is not likely to get involved at this stage of her life
- This person has a hard time attending out of town meetings or programs
- Very new member