The large size of the undergraduate population on most college campuses means that undergraduates are animportant constituency for academic libraries. It is criticalfor library administrators to ask and identify what servicesmatter most to undergraduate students, especially whencuts in library services are a reality. Feedback from undergraduate students, generally the largest user group for academic libraries, is a crucial component of planning servicesin academic libraries, especially in difficult budgetary times.An understandable response to difficult budgetary situationsis the impulse to avoid and deny, but such responses do notdemonstrate effective leadership. Focus groups are one typeof feedback mechanism that provide library administratorswith a powerful, low-cost, strategic evaluation of staff performance and allow students an opportunity to reflect and connect to library services and collections. Just as a low gradein a class does not mean the end of an academic career,negative feedback does not mean the end of a library’s reputation; it is simply a sign that the library as an organizationneeds to make adjustments.
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