JELIS 2009 Satisfaction Survey

Keywords: JELIS, satisfaction survey, online questionnaire Introduction JELIS is a scholarly double-blind peer-reviewed publication of ALISE. As such, the goals of ALISE are foundational to the vision statements of the JELIS editors. Capps and Hinson noted that, "both co-editors [Burnett and Kazmer] strongly agree with the need to address how the changing needs of libraries affect the education of librarians. Other current goals they hold for JELIS include: (a) what is taught, (b) how to teach the topics, (c) what is known about research, and (d) how the research is used" (2009, p. 64). These goals are in alignment with the ALISE goals; however, if JELIS is to be a venue for research dissemination, it is important to measure the perceptions of how well the journal is serving the needs of the research community. The last systematic measurement of JELIS subscriber satisfaction was over 25 years ago. In 1984, the Readership Survey was conducted at the urging of the ALISE Board of Directors to the Editorial Board (Patterson, 1985). Patterson, who served as the JELIS editor from 1 980 to 1988, stated, "a study had never been done and both boards were concerned about the status of the Journal among other refereed publications in the profession" (1985, p. 302). Patterson highlighted the 3 1 -item questionnaire results in the JELIS 25(4) article titled, "An Assessment of the Status of the Journal" (Patterson, 1985). Based on the opinions gathered through the analysis of 177 usable surveys, Patterson concluded that the journal's place was "firmly established among the scholarly refereed publications in our profession" (1985, p. 311). Twenty-two percent of the ALISE membership participated in the 2008 ALISE survey (Cloonan, 2008). Part of this questionnaire was designed to solicit feedback on the value of various member services and benefits. The top three member benefits were identified as networking (64 members), conference (62 members), and JELlS (62 members). With just over half of the respondents placing JELIS as an important component of ALISE membership, the journal serves a vital role in the organization, and as such, JELIS must continue to solicit feedback from its readers. Research Design The JELIS Satisfaction survey was designed to assess the satisfaction of readers and to inform the editorial decision processes. Five major categories were devised: (I)JELlS use, (2) Degree of satisfaction, (3) Topics on demand, (4) Loyalty, and (5) Demographic questions. The instrument, hosted through an online survey system, was pre-tested for readability, reliability, and questionnaire completion-time. After a few minor adjustments, the survey was announced on the ALISE/JELIS web site and through other professional venues, such as an ALISE conference announcement, and the JESSE listserv. The sample was divided into two categories: (1) ALISE members and (2) Non-members. The ALISE member category included institutions and individuals who receive the journal as part of their membership. The non-member category included individuals and institutions (primarily libraries) that obtain the journal through volume-based subscriptions, and other individuals who read or cite articles published in the journal. Results and Discussion The survey was conducted from January 21st to February 16th, 2009, and had 108 respondents with 95 usable responses. The questionnaire data was exported to an Excel spreadsheet from the online survey system and analyzed with SPSS. Open-ended question responses were manually coded. The results of this study, respondent profile, JELIS use, and JELIS satisfaction are discussed below. An expanded discussion related to the open-ended responses and the loyalty factor is planned. Respondent Profile The demographic questions gathered occupational position, organizational affiliation, and geographic region information. Seventy-four percent of the respondents described their occupational title as faculty and 2% as librarians. …