survey of librarian and staff perceptions of Summon.13 Interestingly, Way had already
identified that “studies are needed to examine why and how patrons are using these
resources and how easily they are meeting their information needs.”14 The research
team designed this study to contribute to the latter category of literature, with the aim
to discover user satisfaction with the search process.
A more recent review of the literature revealed that user satisfaction is becoming
increasingly important in evaluating WSD services in academic libraries. Some researchers
surveyed librarians using Summon and documented the librarians’ perceptions
and their experiences with Summon. They concentrated on the impact of WSD on
information literacy instruction and/or reference service delivery, furthering the work
of Howland and Wiebrands.15 In some of these papers, librarians shared feedback from
and about their patrons’ satisfaction with using Summon. Cardwell et al. reported
feedback from lower-level, upper-level, and graduate student groups based on their
instruction and reference sessions. Buck and Mellinger, as well as Guthrie and McCoy,
asked librarians to indicate the level of satisfaction of their patrons with using Summon.
Outside of librarians’ observations or perceptions of user satisfaction, only a few
publications have actually examined students’ satisfaction with Summon using direct
student feedback.16 Mussell and Croft presented the results of their satisfaction survey
of distance education students.17 Varnum summarized a survey of library users
regarding their Summon implementation but did not elaborate on the composition
of respondents. At Lynchburg College, part of the decision process of distinguishing
between two vendor products included an informal survey where students expressed
a slight preference for Summon over EDS in ease of use and overall performance.18
Wrosch et al. echoed the need for a comprehensive user survey and indicated that one
would be part of their WSD evaluation process; however, no results were shared.19
Ryerson’s study is differentiated from the above in its scale and mixed-methods
approach. It also fills a gap in the existing research about user satisfaction with WSD.
Paired with the trends in the literature outlined above, this study will provide context
for further research, such as comparative WSD user satisfaction studies. The methodology
used may be beneficial to other academic libraries at both the acquisition and
assessment phases with WSD. Reference and instructional staff will gain insight into
information-seeking trends and behaviors. Finally, the study provides insight into
how WSD services affect access to library resources and services.