Library Digital Catalog Patron Research Survey

Understand Your Digital Library Experience

Public and academic libraries are rapidly evolving their digital services, and understanding patron experience with digital catalogs is essential to improving accessibility and satisfaction. This Library Digital Catalog Patron Research Survey template helps librarians, UX researchers, and library administrators gather actionable feedback about search effectiveness, hold placement clarity, and the overall digital lending experience.

Whether you're managing a public library system, academic library, or specialized collection, this template makes it easy to identify pain points in your digital catalog interface and uncover opportunities to improve patron engagement with online resources.

Why patron research matters for libraries

Digital catalogs are often the first point of contact between patrons and library collections. When search functions are unclear, hold placement is confusing, or digital lending feels complicated, patrons may abandon the catalog entirely—missing out on resources they need and reducing overall circulation numbers.

This survey template addresses the three most critical touchpoints in the digital library experience:

• Book search effectiveness: How easily can patrons find what they're looking for using your catalog search?
• Hold placement clarity: Is the process for placing holds intuitive, or do patrons get lost in the workflow?
• Digital lending experience: Are eBooks, audiobooks, and digital materials easy to access and download?

By systematically collecting feedback across these areas, you can prioritize UX improvements that have the biggest impact on patron satisfaction and resource utilization.

Built for library professionals and UX researchers

This template is specifically designed for librarians, user experience researchers, digital services coordinators, and library administrators who want to make data-driven improvements to their digital catalog systems. It's ideal for:

• Public libraries evaluating new catalog platforms or preparing for system migrations
• Academic libraries assessing student and faculty experience with research databases and catalog interfaces
• Library consortiums gathering comparative feedback across multiple branches
• UX researchers conducting usability studies for library technology vendors

The form collects both quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback, giving you the flexibility to spot trends across large patron populations while capturing specific usability issues that numbers alone might miss.

How Paperform enhances library research

With Paperform, you can customize this template to match your library's brand, embed it directly on your library website, or share it via email campaigns to registered patrons. Conditional logic helps you ask follow-up questions only when relevant—for example, diving deeper into search issues only for patrons who report difficulty finding materials.

You can also connect responses to your library's project management tools using Stepper to automatically route feedback to the appropriate department, trigger follow-up emails to patrons who volunteer for usability testing, or create tasks in your workflow system when critical issues are reported.

All responses are captured securely and can be analyzed using Paperform's AI Insights to identify common themes, generate summary reports for stakeholders, and inform your digital strategy roadmap.

A better digital catalog starts with listening

Modern library patrons expect digital experiences that match the convenience of commercial platforms—but libraries have unique challenges around discovery, access policies, and diverse user needs. This template gives you a structured way to hear directly from your community and build a digital catalog that truly serves them.

Get started with this template today and turn patron feedback into actionable improvements for your library's digital services.