Library Menu

• Library Space
• Library Staff

• Library Website

• 1. Which library services do you use and how often?
• 2. Other than PubMed or Ovid Medline, what online library resources do you regularly use?
• 3. If you don't use the library, where do you go to find information? Why?
• 4. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, please rate the Library's physical space.
• 5. What are your suggestions for improving the Library's physical space?
• 6. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, please rate our staff.
• 7. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest, please rate our website.
• 8. What additional feature(s) or changes would you like to see on the website?
• 9. What one thing could the library do-or improve- that would help you the most?

Service Used:

Weekly

Monthly

A few times
a year

Response Count

Interlibrary loan

1.9% (3)

5.7% (9)

92.4% (145)

(157)

Checking out a book, journal or audiovisual

6.8% (14)

18.0% (37)

75.2% (155)

(206)

Classes

3.6% (4)

2.7% (3)

93.7% (104)

(111)

Contacting a librarian

5.4% (10)

20.1% (37)

74.5% (137)

(184)

Faculty Publications

8.0% (10)

10.4% (13)

81.6% (102)

(125)

Remote access

78.5% (197)

12.4% (31)

9.2% (23)

(251)

Reserving a small group room

7.9% (10)

19.7% (25)

72.4% (92)

(127)

Photocopiers

12.0% (22)

34.2% (63)

53.8% (99)

(184)

Scanning

5.0% (5)

17.8% (18)

77.2% (78)

(101)

Search Assistance

4.9% (7)

20.8% (30)

74.3% (107)

(144)

• Electronic Journals

• Electronic Textbooks 

• UpToDate

• MDConsult  

• Micromedex

• Electronic Journals

• Electronic Textbooks

• UpToDate  

• MDConsul

• USMLE Exam Master 

• “Broader info base, strong search algorithm, albeit not necessarily authoritative”
• “Ease of use”

• “Convenient”
• “Internet.  It is more convenient since our classes are not held near the library.”
• “Just get what I need from the internet…”
• “Internet – ease”
• “Internet and online resources through the library”

• “I get all of my info from the Library databases.  I never actually go to the Library.”
• “On-line journals, my own library, on-line membership resources” (?)
• “Electronic journals, online Ovid”
• “I use the online library resources frequently, but I have not actually been inside the library for several years.”
• “I used electronic journal at my home.”
• “I use it remotely a lot.”
• “I use remote access.”
• “Most everything I need is now available online.  I have not used the library facilities or services in over a year as a result.  I regularly use the remote access to it however.”
• “I use the library website.   It’s quick and easy.”
• "I use the remote access multiple times daily, and it is always available."

• “Most convenient, most up to date information”
• “Easy to access”
• “Online information.  Mostly use the Ovid and Pubmed for most research needs.  Use Library for hard copies of articles that are not available online when the Library has copies of the journals.”
• “Pubmed, because it is convenient and open 24/7.”

• “I use eMedicine by WebMD if I can’t find what I need through the library.”
• “Other libraries or have to use interlibrary loans.  Since a lot of material mostly related to mathematics is not available in carpenter library.”
• "I often use Highwire, an online search engine maintained by Stanford, because it is easy to use for multiple keyword searches in the title only or title and abstract."
• "WFU Reynolds library has access to journals the Coy does not get that I often use for my research.  It is great that I can access the ZSR library remotely.  I really appreciate that!  Thank you!"

• “It’s just kinda depressing in there.”
• “I don’t know that you could improve it other than to update its look. It’s fine.”
• “I feel the library is one of the weak points in our medical school. The size and appearance of the library are not very strong. But the staff is helpful.”
• “Just make the space a little more colorful or something.”
• “Also, the main room (formerly had periodicals) is somewhat barren now. And as a site commonly visited on tours, I think it is important to make it presentable, and soon. Med school / residency interviews have already begun. Many applicants base their decisions off first impressions.”

• “Install some couches.  Needs more comfortable furnishings.  And overall brightening up.”
• “Computer rooms are very small and uncomfortable for students to work in for long periods of time (as in PA SPA testing).”
• “I wish there were more comfortable chairs/couches with little tables to relax while you study instead of the hard wood desk chairs.”
• “Possibly updating some of the furniture.  I love the cubbies with lighting, those are great.”
• “Can we fit any more group tables?  A couple of comfortable chairs in the history of medicine room would be nice – allowing one to sit down and browse books as well as study in a comfortable setting.”
• “Maybe add a few more couches for lounging around.  It will improve the comfort and attractiveness.”
• “More chairs like the ones by the nicer cubicles; more of the nicer cubicles; discourage loud talking from people walking through the library.”
• “More room with comfortable seating, journal racks and coffee.”
• “More comfortable seating is essential – especially considering we study in there for 12 hours at a time… and cannot afford massages when we are done for the evening.”
• “Have spaces with comfortable chairs for people to read in.  The wooden chairs are not comfortable.  Have more space for casual reading.”
• “Replace wooden chairs with more comfortable ones.  Enforce quiet in the communal areas.”
• “Make the cubicles more comfortable to work in.”
• “Replace incredibly uncomfortable wooden chairs with those nice chairs in the fish bowl”
• “More natural lighting; coffee stand; more comfortable furniture”
• “more private study cubicles”
• “BETTER CHAIRS.  The main room chairs are attractive but amazingly uncomfortable.  Lengthy studying is nearly impossible in those chairs.”
• “Awkward physical space.  Should rethink in light of new technology.”
• “We could have some more armchairs with footrests.”
• “More large tables for studying…”

• “Smaller group rooms and more comfortable chairs for the tables.”
• “You need to put in more cubicles for individual study as well as MANY MANY MANY more individual and group study rooms. The huge middle space with all of the tables is a waste of space.”
• “Subdivide one of the bigger group rooms into smaller study rooms.”
• “More individual study rooms”

• “There is very little natural light in the library which is why many students do not study in the med school library.”
• “More secluded spaces with computers, as well near windows”
• “Lighting is adequate but a little abrasive (all fluorescent).  More indirect light or incandescent bulbs would be more pleasant.  This is particularly important when studying for great lengths of time, as many students do.”
• “More natural light would be nice.”
• “…stacks of past journals are in areas that are not the most well-lighted…”
• “More non-fluorescent lighting”
• “More natural lighting…”
• “…it's also a somewhat depressing environment since there are no (or very severely limited numbers of) windows…  I don't know what specifically could be done about that, but the nicer libraries I've been to always have natural light.”
• “Add more natural light, though I am not sure this is possible.”
• “Add more table lamps.”

• “Very nice space, just not very convenient to the hospital.”
• “Move it to a more central location in the hospital.”
• “Move it next to my office.”
• “A satellite location close to the PA school with the references PA students would need (e.g. older copies of Bates and Mosby’s Guide to the Physical Exam)”

• “Remodel main room – if journals are no longer being kept there then it should be a quiet study area – it is currently too loud.”
• “Remodel, remodel, remodel. It doesn’t look like anything has been improved since the 1970s.”
• “Redesign entirely – costly, but necessary if we aspire to major academic medical center ranking.”
• “Consult an architect for remodel.”
• “Did I say remodel? New carpet, desk, chairs, cubicles, paint…”

• “I have bumped my head a few times on the light fixtures from the low ceilings in the stacks.”

• “Considering the space crunch in the school, I would significantly decrease the library’s size to house a computer library only.”
• “The library seems extremely small for a medical school (and PA school) of the caliber of Wake Forest. The limited space really minimizes the number of private study spaces (rooms/isolated carrels/group study rooms) that are available. In addition much of the space does not have windows, which is rather depressing. Reading areas with comfortable chairs are very limited as well. When comparing the med school library to the libraries available to the law students and undergraduate students it is clear the medical school has a long way to go.”
• “It seems to me there is a lot of unused space in the library – after all, it was designed for bound journals and now almost everything is online.”
• “More space in stacks; journal and book storage is overcrowded.”
• “Although I realize the stacks are located where they are due to physical/space limitations, the stacks of past journals are in areas that are not the most well-lighted and uncomfortable areas of the library.”
• “Getting around in the journal stacks and back and forth from there to the copying machines is quite cumbersome.”
• “Difficult to rate the physical space. Most of the main floor is wonderful, but the stacks are miserably cramped and almost unsafe.”
• “There is not nearly enough quiet space, small group rooms or computers for the number of people that the library services. It is almost always difficult to find a room to meet in with a group, to find a quiet place to sit, etc.”
• “More desk/cubicle space and open space by decreasing amount of book shelves”
• “My office is not in the main buildings of the med school so the library is not convenient for me to use frequently. It has great collections and I would like to use it more. The main problem is that, in my humble opinion, the library is just not big enough for the number of faculty, staff and students we have. That is unlikely to change since the physical space is limited in those buildings.”

• “Resist the temptation to “improve” the physical space. Especially don’t change open stacks.”
• “I’m off campus so I only use the online services.”
• “I think it is great. Don’t change it!”
• “Move it next to my office.”
• “I rarely use the physical space of the library. I use the electronic media daily!”
• “Keep current journals visible. Post faculty (and trainee) publications in a display case.”
• “Firstly, I would like to say that I find the librarians very knowledgeable and helpful. I would suggest putting something on the empty shelves in the main study space…”
• “I can avoid going to the library since there is so much offered electronically.”
• “I have been in the library twice in the last five years.”
• “I have not visited the library in several years now. I have been able to access everything I need electronically.”
• “The library is too cold and has no hot water to drink. It’s fine at other aspects.”
• “It is too cold in the library. It would be great if there was a room that was not so cold.”
• “Be a warmer place!”
• “They are doing an excellent job. I have all the help I need.”

• "The website is very unattractive and not easy to navigate. The WFU School of Medicine used to have a poor website but looks much better now. Perhaps you can consult with the people who improved the School's website. Also, see Z. Smith Reynolds Library website from undergraduate school. Much easier to use and more visually appealing.”
• “Could look more attractive”
• “User-friendly access”
• “The whole template used by the medical school is horrible. Not the library's fault. The library works well within the limitations imposed by the Medical School's website designers.”
• “It's perfect.”
• “The website can be made a little colorful.”
• “It's good enough.”
• “Home page is too cluttered. Although at the top, the 'catalog search' could easily be missed. Also, finding the link to search WFU's theses is difficult to find. It would be nice to have it under 'catalog' as one of the search options.”
• “Stop changing things.”

• “The initial page is very cumbersome. It took me a long time to find the link to Exam Master because I was looking under E- for Exam Master and not the manufacturer name."
• “I wish the library hours were easier to find on the website.”
• “It is not very user friendly - can be hard to find what you are looking for at times.”
• “More imaginative use of menu selections and drop-down subcategory selections.”
• “It works wonderfully well.”
• “Problem is finding the web site from the wfubmc.edu home page - it is not intuitive for me to look under 'research' to find the Library home page. Once there, then everything is in a well-positioned and thoughtful sequence, including upcoming classes.”
• “Is MedEdPortal linked there?”
• “The catalog is buried within a submenu. HIGHLIGHT or separate it, so one can easily search the catalog without having to navigate the website so extensively.”
• “Direct link to intranet, current weather, library updates and news ”

Databases

• “I would like to have electronic access to all the databases that the main campus has. Maybe we do, but it is not widely known.”
• “Also, commonly used entities like MDConsult or Micromedex sometimes are unavailable, reportedly due to high user volume.”

Electronic Texts

• “A bit more speed on the electronic textbooks would be nice.”
• “It can be challenging to find which electronic textbook would be best to find information in.”

Electronic Journals

• “Sometimes it’s hard to find an article on pubmed, click on the 'deacon' thing and access the journal. I think it could be streamlined a bit so I don't have to click through the deacon only to try to figure out which of the 3+ options I should click to access the online journal article I am looking for.”
• “Need to know which journals that are not on e-journal can be found in other areas, e.g. The Clinics series is on MD Consult, but one would never know that from the e-journal list.”
• “Quick links to electronic journals available on Reynolda campus (without having to go to that library site via several additional steps).”
• “Would like to have more journal articles available online!! AND to have it outlined better which ones are actually available for free online. I have found that often it will have the link saying it is available in full text, but actually won't which is quite frustrating.”
• “I frequently run into dead ends when searching for journal articles and simply do not have the time to request or look for a physical copy.”
• “It would be helpful if more students could use online resources at a time. For example, when I am using Access Medicine through the electronic text books, I will often not be able to access a needed text book because there are too many users. This can make studying difficult.”

• “I think the library does a great job - maybe snacks during finals time”
• “Maybe a coffee/snack area and some fridges/microwaves”
• “Coffee stand”

Book Collection

• “More critical care texts”
• “Place a copy of cardiovascular physiology on reserve or in the reference section. It has become the assigned text for the cardiology block and there are limited licenses available online, so we often get locked out of it - so I had to print the entire book out when I finally got into it so that I would have access. Having one in the reference section, like the other books would be great!””
• “More up to date books in the stacks”
• “I want more various textbook and also more e-textbook.”
• “For me, electronic access to the AAP's Red Book would be a tremendous asset.”
• “Increase collection of mathematics books.”
• “Institute a program of regular additions to the book collection, with invitations for faculty suggestions. The collection is outdated.”

Journal Collection

• “Adding access to Clinical Biomechanics, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, and IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.”
• “Subscribe to more biomedical engineering journals”
• “Broader range of electronic journals in drug development and veterinary sciences”
• “Maintain or increase electronic journal subscriptions”
• “Expanded access to journals online. Very frequently I attempt to access an article from a journal with which we have a subscription, but because it's older (e.g. early 90s or 1980s) I don't have access to it. For many journals, I can get articles from the past decade, but not older articles.”
• “Expand the access to on-line journals including older issues.”
• “More bioethics resources - especially journals.”
• “Remote access to UpToDate”
• “Subscribe to NetAnatomy”
• “…somehow make UpToDate available through the portal so could use at home”
• “Add better patent searching software. I just saw a great new service called SparkIP and it would be very useful to have that access.”

• “More computer stations”
• “Add more computers and small group study areas.”

• “Have longer hours on the weekends.”
• “Be open longer, especially on weekends!”
• “Stay open a little later. On the weekdays it could maybe stay open until 2 am.”
• “24 hour access”
• “Open more hours on the weekends, specifically Sunday morning.”
• “The library should be [open] 24 hours. With the library only being open until midnight during the week and 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays it is an inconvenient place in which to study. As a medical student, many of us stay at the hospital until very late at night and there is not a lot of good space available in the school which is why so many of us enjoy using the library, but knowing that you will be kicked out at some point is discouraging.”
• “The library could increase their hours. Many students would appreciate 24-hour library access.”
• “Later on Fridays and Saturdays - like until 8 or 9.”
• “Add some opening hour on Friday night.”

• “Free electronic interlibrary loan”
• “…make interlibrary loan of articles free!”
• “Drop ILL charges”
• “ILL is too expensive.”

• ““Free read” area is a little public – too easy to get distracted w/comings and goings and discussions at the front desk. If ‘free read’ area was a little more private and roomy, would be nice.”
• “I think a lot of people, myself included, use the common computers for nonstudy reasons. Sometimes I wish that this was in a separate room because it can get noisy/distracting.”
• “Help users and staff remember that it is a library, a place for quiet learning/reference!”
• “…discourage loud talking from people walking through the library”
• “…I would also suggest that librarians refrain from loud conversations that can be heard all the way in the rear of the library.”
• “The library should be a QUIET place to study. I find that employees are just as loud as some students. Both students and faculty should be encouraged to step outside the library if they need to talk loudly. I should not have to wear earplugs in the library, which I do.”
• “More quiet spaces for study for nonstudents”
• “Enforce quiet in the communal areas.”
• “More quiet study space”
• “Make sure medical students keep quiet so everyone can enjoy their quiet study area.”
• “Tell people to stop talking. Ban cell phones…”
• “more quiet areas”