Library Will Survey Seekonk Voters on Election Day, Nov. 8

The Seekonk Public Library will be surveying town residents when they come to cast their ballots on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. According to Library Director Peter Fuller, library staff and volunteers will be distributing survey forms to voters throughout the day at the Town’s sole polling place at Seekonk High School. The library staff will use the data collected in the survey to evaluate and improve existing services, and to design new services to meet the evolving service needs of residents. The library is particularly interested in reaching out to residents who may not currently use the library. Mr. Fuller said that information from people who do not use the library could help the library remove or minimize barriers to using its services. Voters who complete the survey will also be entered into a drawing to win fifty-dollar gift certificates from Stop & Shop and Amazon.

Library staff and volunteers will be distributing two printed surveys at the high school. One survey is designed for library users and the other for people who do not use the library. Both surveys are short, one-page questionnaires that residents can complete in just a few minutes. In addition to the survey on paper, the library will also offer the same two surveys on-line, so voters can answer the questionnaire at their convenience. The library staff and volunteers will distribute cards with directions for taking the on-line surveys. Taking either survey is voluntary, though the library hopes that Seekonk voters will participate. Respondents can remain anonymous. Only the library will use the data collected and the library will not distribute the data to third parties.

The library is hoping to get a good response to the survey. In its first Election Day survey in 2012, the library received over fourteen hundred responses. Officials estimate that over 7,000 Seekonk voters may come to the polls this year. With the addition of the on-line survey, the library is hoping to exceed the total number of responses received in 2012. Mr. Fuller noted that the voters of Seekonk are well informed and generally willing to share their opinions, so the library is optimistic about reaching that goal.