A UWM Libraries task force is working through the results of the fall 2025 survey of faculty, instructional and research staff, and graduate students. Over 550 people completed the survey, providing insight into how they use the Libraries’ collections, services, and spaces.  

Overall, faculty, staff, and graduate-student respondents are satisfied with the services and spaces provided. In particular, interlibrary loan and general support for teaching and research are viewed as successful and needed services. Respondents also identified areas of concern and areas for growth or improvement. Respondents use the Libraries differently depending on their role and whether they are remote employees or online-only students. The Libraries’ Grind coffee shop is valuable for meetings and taking a break, and several comments suggest that small improvements to study spaces could improve the graduate-student experience. The new Graduate Student Commons has caught on, with 41% of graduate-student respondents using the space. As for respondents’ most frequently used resources: 

• 64% of all respondents routinely use online journals 

• 55% of all respondents routinely use subscription databases  

Comments regarding the Libraries’ collections reflected anxiety about cuts to the collection, affirming their support of the Libraries as a pillar of academic success. 

An additional theme that emerged from the survey is that faculty, staff, and graduate students are often unaware of everything the Libraries have to offer. Survey questions about digital scholarship and publishing services elicited the most comments pointing to lack of awareness of the Libraries’ support in these areas: 

• 18% of respondents indicated they had needed consultations on open access publishing in the past 

• 47% of respondents anticipated needing those services in the future 

The same pattern could be seen for consultations on authors’ rights and other publishing-related services.  

When asked directly about how respondents learn about the Libraries’ services, collections, and events: 

• 44% rely on UWM Report and other campus-wide announcements  

• 31% rely on the Graduate Student Newsletter 

• 30% rely on receiving a direct email from a librarian 

The UWM Libraries task force will continue to analyze the survey results and strengthen the Libraries’ collections, services, and spaces.