This study was conducted to measure the quality of the college library services in the Punjab Province, Pakistan, using LibQUAL survey. Data were collected from 998 respondents consisting of the ...college faculty and the students. The study found that none of the service quality attributes and dimensions met the desired expectations of group users as well as individual users. Significant differences in library service quality based on users’ gender, type and academic discipline were identified. This study is helpful for the Punjab Higher Education Commission (HEC), the college administrations, the college librarians at the local level and the other developing countries as well. It will guide them in future planning, contribute toward improved resource allocation and enhance purposeful utilization of resources.
Background and Aim: Ranking of hospital libraries based on standard criteria and taking pattern of top libraries would improve the quality of library services. The purpose of this study was to rate ...hospital libraries based on LibQual criteria and Vikor model. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in a survey method. The statistical population was 3850 actual users of the library of 8 governmental hospitals (with capacities up to 320 beds) in Tehran in 2016. To achieve the goals, The LibQual questionnaire and AHP technique were used. The validity of both questionnaires has been confirmed in various studies. Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient greater than 70 percent For LibQual questionnaire and inconsistency rates less than one percent for Vikor questionnaire confirm the reliabilities. Data analysis was performed using the expert choice software. Ranking were done using the Vikor technique. Results: According to three main dimensions for LibQual, "library as a place" weighing 0.379 was the first preference, and "quiet space for individual activities" weighing 0.364 was the first in this dimension too. The dimension of "information control" weighs in 0.318 at the second, and "service impact" weighs 0.303 was in the third grade. In the ranking based on the Vikor criteria, the Library of Firoozgar hospital was in the first place. Conclusion: The library of Firoozgar hospital in Iran university of medical sciences was the forefront and could be an exemplar for the other libraries.
This study aims to expose the “causal core” items of LibQUAL
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™ from professional librarians’ views. The objective is to prioritize limited resources to improve the most influential factors ...affecting the library service quality. Valid LibQUAL
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™ questionnaires from thirty-two university library administrators in Taiwan are collected for analysis. The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is employed to build causal maps that can clearly locate the twenty-two LibQUAL
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™ question items into four quadrants: core causal, inferior causal, inferior effect, and core effect. The DEMATEL causal maps can facilitate the library administrators to prioritize the limited resources for improvement. Five “causal core” items of LibQUAL
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™ are identified, including the library staff should be motivated with high willingness to help users and giving users individual attention; the library amenities should provide a quiet space for individual activities; the library Web site should allow users to locate and access information easily and individually. The survey data represent what professional librarians’ think of the service quality in their libraries. The findings may serve as useful guidance to allocate limited budgets for library service improvement. This paper has pinpointed the “core causal” items of LibQUAL
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™ for advancing library administration. It is the first of its kind in the literature to use the DEMATEL technique to identify the “core causal” items of LibQUAL
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™ for improving library service quality.
PurposeThis research study is conducted to thoroughly investigate the users' expectations for excellent library service quality (LSQ) from college libraries. It will also identify whether there is ...any difference in the desired library service quality among different type of users, gender and academic discipline.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was used, and the data were collected from 998 respondents, which included faculty members, masters, bachelor's and intermediate students. In order to conduct the study, LibQUAL + instrument were adapted.FindingsThe results demonstrated that the users expected a higher level of services from the college libraries of Pakistan. The highest desired expectation of the users were related to “library as a place (LP)” dimension, while the lowest expectation was with regards to the “information control (IC)” dimension. The results indicated a significant difference among the various types of users and academic disciplines regarding their expectations with library services.Practical implicationsThe appointment of college librarians against nearly 500 vacant posts would significantly improve the LSQ in these libraries. The result of the study would indeed be useful for the college administration, librarians the Government of the Punjab and the Punjab Higher Education Commission (HEC) for future planning, improvement of services and allocation of resources.Originality/valueThis study is the first in-depth effort into investigating the LSQ of the college libraries of the Punjab, Pakistan. This study will be helpful to understand the LSQ from developing countries’ perspective.
The problem addressed in this study investigates the perceived service quality of public and private sector university libraries of Pakistan from its users' perspective. More precisely the study ...compares the following four aspects between public and private universities: zone of tolerance for overall and individual user groups, dimension wise zone of tolerance for overall and individual user group, gaps between desires and perceptions, and significant differences in the service quality. The data were collected through LIBQUAL print questionnaire from 1473 library users (faculty, graduates and undergraduates) of 22 public and private sector university libraries (main/central) of Pakistan. The psychometric properties of instrument were established through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The comparisons of overall, individual service level, and dimension wise gap scores revealed that private sector university libraries were generally meeting the minimum requirements of their users (except information control dimension) but, on the other hand, public sector libraries were not meeting minimum requirement in information control and affect of service dimensions. The study also found significant difference on service quality between private and public sector university libraries. The researcher found very interesting findings that small collection creates small expectations, and it is easy to meet or satisfy the needs of the users of small collection. The article also discusses findings, implications of results and limitations of the study at the end.
Library services quality is one of the most vital parts in library management. Evaluation of the library services based on the perspective of users is important. In this paper, we propose a ...collaboration of GDSS-AHP (Group Decision Support System-Analytical Hierarchy Process), LibQual, and IPA (Importance-Performance Analysis) methods to evaluate library services quality. The collaboration of GDSS-AHP and LibQual is used to calculate the weight of each evaluation statement and the level of library services quality based on users’ perception and expectation. IPA is then used to determine the position of the value of each evaluation statement in IPA’s four quadrants to obtain the recommended level for the library services improvement. This study is conducted at the Library of the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia, involving four decision makers: a head librarian, a library academic expert, and two library practitioners. Fifty library visitors become respondents to assess the quality services questionnaires. Based on their responses, we obtain that users’ satisfaction level is at least satisfied by 76.49 %. Meanwhile, usability testing is also conducted on the developed system by using three observation elements: effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. The usability testing is performed on five respondents, one admin, and two decision makers, and results in an average usability level of 90.03%.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Libqual+™ dimension (affect of services, information control and Library as a place) on user satisfaction at Universiti Kebangsaan ...Malaysia (UKM).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a sample of 100 students and it was analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The measurement model was analyzed using composite reliability, convergent and discriminate validity while the structural model was used to predict the relationships between variables.
Findings
The results indicated that services, information control and library as a place have a significant and positive impact on the overall satisfaction of library users, with affect of services being the most important predictor of library user satisfaction.
Practical implications
Overall, users are satisfied with the services provided by the UKM library. Results from this study will help librarians to make better decisions in providing effective services and fulfilling the library’s vision and mission.
Originality/value
The study provides insight into the UKM University how to use LibQual+™ dimension to improve user’s satisfaction.
Las bibliotecas municipales son espacios públicos donde los ciudadanos pueden leer y consultar diversas fuentes bibliográficas. En la región Puno, al sur del Perú, estos espacios enfrentan desafíos ...internos y externos que hace difícil su funcionamiento y posibilidad de generar valor público. En este contexto el objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la relación entre la calidad del servicio y satisfacción de los usuarios de las bibliotecas públicas en las municipalidades provinciales de la región Puno. La metodología corresponde a un enfoque cuantitativo, de alcance correlacional, diseño no experimental y de corte transeccional. El estudio comprende al total de bibliotecas municipales provinciales que funcionan en el ámbito de estudio (11 bibliotecas). La muestra estuvo constituida por 368 usuarios que hacen uso de los servicios ofertados. Para la recolección de datos se aplicaron dos instrumentos: el primero, midió la calidad de servicio mediante la guía de autodiagnóstico de la Norma Técnica para la gestión de la calidad de servicios en sector público; y el segundo, la escala del modelo LIBQUAL para medir la satisfacción de usuarios de las bibliotecas. Los resultados reportan que nueve (09) de las once (11) bibliotecas municipales se encuentran en un nivel bajo (I y II) respecto al grado de cumplimiento de los componentes de la Norma Técnica, mientras que las bibliotecas de Puno y Moho alcanzaron un nivel III. Respecto a la satisfacción de los usuarios, ésta aún es baja. Por ello, no se halló evidencia de una correlación significativa entre la calidad de servicio y satisfacción en los usuarios.
University library plays a dynamic role in accomplishing the overall goals of its parent organization by offering a range of services to fulfill needs of the academic community. Being a service ...institution, performance assessment of a university library is essential to determine whether the library meet its specific objectives and also to justify library spending. Library users are said to be satisfied when the quality of services match their expected level of services. This study aimed at assessing the level of service quality (SQ) offered by the central library of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, (India) from users' viewpoints using LibQUAL survey instrument in printed format. The survey results discovered that the library users have maximum desired expectations in Library as Place (LP) dimension amongst three dimensions. The actual library performance was also reported maximum in LP dimension, followed by Information Control (IC), and Affect of Service (AS) based on mean scores 6.45, 6.41, and 6.19 respectively. The users' overall perceived library service quality (LSQ) was found less than their desired level of LSQ. The results of this study will be helpful in improving library underperformance by reviewing the areas and items where LSQ shortfall has been observed.
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