Although parking may be tough at UTM, the Library wants to make it free for one lucky student next semester.

The “Free Parking” survey is a project coordinated by the Paul Meek Library to gain useful input on library services. Each week, the Library opens a new poll to students asking questions such as “Have you tried to access the Library’s commercial databases from off-campus?” A respondent enters their student ID, and selects a choice from the list of options.

At the end of the semester, the library will select the winner of the parking sticker by randomly choosing from a list of students who completed all of the weekly surveys.

Steve Rogers, the Library Director says that 500 students participated in the 13 week survey, totaling 4,000 total responses last semester alone. Denise Harrell was the winner of winner of the parking sticker.

“The library has conducted patron feedback surveys in one form or another for many years,” Rogers said, “In the past we have requested that students and faculty fill out scan sheet forms, but for the last two years we have conducted our surveys online.”

When asked about the merits of the survey in decision making, Rogers said “If there is a strong majority of student responses to a given survey question, then the library faculty and staff make every effort to take student concerns into consideration when initiating new policies or making changes to old ones.”

One notable change based on response from last year’s results is library hours. The survey indicated that students would rather have the library remain open until midnight during exam weeks than to offer nighttime hours on the weekends.

The survey was developed by Ken Blankenship of the computer center, with questions and responses by Jim Nance, the Systems Librarian, along with other library staff.

Rogers would also like to thank the Department of Public Safety for making the library-sponsored parking sticker available to the winner.

For more information visit the library’s web site at http://library.utm.edu/, or contact the Library Director, Mr. Steve Rogers (srogers@utm.edu), at Ext. 7075.