Page 38 - Annual Report 2023

7.3.1 Enhancing literacy
To enhance the ease of our clients finding what they need, online tutorials were developed to assist clients in navigating the library catalogue and improving access to resources. These tutorials focus on information literacy. This improvement will provide clients with access to instructional videos which can be viewed in their own time to support their academic tasks.
7.3.2 Improving the provision of materials
In 2023, the LIS concentrated on reducing the turnaround time for received requests in order to improve on the timely receipt of requests and provision of required material. A new service provider was identified to expedite the supply of requested content to the client in a shorter period of time (three working days), after the LIS began to assess the current procedure.
7.3.3 Enhancing accessibility
The LIS is dedicated to providing all of its clients with disabilities with better services and resources. A group of LIS employees visited the University of Limpopo in 2023 in order to assess the various services provided there. During this visit, the LIS was able to pinpoint the gaps and identify a few mechanisms that could be put into place to enhance LIS services. In addition, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Professional Reports No. 89 was used in an exercise by the LIS to identify gaps in the provision of LIS resources and services to clients with disabilities. The standards focus on evaluating the current state of accessibility for programmes, products, services, buildings and other resources, and on improving accessibility where necessary. With the help of these two projects, the LIS will concentrate on finding ways to ensure that:
#YOURVOICEMATTERS
Following a desktop benchmarking study to ascertain the standard methods by which academic libraries assess the services they provide to their patrons, the LIS redesigned its instrument for service evaluation and called the assessment “Rate us”.
All branch and regional libraries received printed posters, and librarians were given access to a QR code that they could use in their interactions with clients. The LIS is encouraging client input on services and resource provision through this activity. Quarterly reports on service evaluations were produced, and concerns were resolved. Clients can now submit feedback on the evaluation form by accessing it on the LIS website.
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