Maidenhead & Windsor

It's "ask the audience" time as Maidenhead Royal Borough libraries find out what their users think of them in a wide-ranging survey starting on Monday (September 25).

Customers at all the Maidenhead borough's libraries – including the public mobile library – will be asked to complete a questionnaire to help establish changing trends in library use, customer satisfaction with the service and areas of need to be addressed.

The Public Library User Survey – undertaken every three years – provides the library service with information such as:

· why people use libraries

· what they actually borrow and what facilities they use. In the last survey 70% of library visitors came to borrow books and 17% to use the internet

· the level of customer satisfaction with the service they receive. Three years ago 92% of users rated the service overall as good or very good.

The survey will run until Saturday September 30 at all the borough's libraries and for two weeks at the mobile library. All adults visiting smaller libraries during the week will be asked to take part in the survey, with a random sample of visitors asked to take part at the two main libraries in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Cllr Richard Fagence, lead member for Maidenhead leisure and cultural services said: "These surveys are a very good way of finding out what users think about every aspect of the library service, from the buildings and opening hours to just how helpful staff have been and any difficulties they experience in using the libraries.

"All this information helps us to get a good idea of the quality of the library service in the borough – what we do well and what we need to improve.

"Since the last survey in 2003 we have had new libraries in Datchet, Cox Green and very recently in Ascot – and other libraries, such as Eton Wick, have benefitted from huge improvements. It will be particularly interesting to see what our users think of these new facilities."

"Hopefully this new survey will go a long way towards demonstrating how users' habits and expectations are changing – and help us to plan future developments across the service to ensure we are providing ever-improving services to meet the needs of all our users. "

All public libraries will be carrying out this survey to help produce a national picture of how libraries across the country are meeting the needs of their users.

For more information about the survey, contact Pauline Dobby, senior librarian, research and performance review, on Maidenhead 01628 796294.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead