LibQUAL+ (TM) is a research and development project designed to define and measure library service quality across academic institutions and to create useful quality assessment tools for local planning. LibQUAL+ (TM) tests a tool for measuring library users' perceptions of service quality and identifies gaps between desired, perceived, and minimum expectations of service. The LibQUAL+ (TM) survey is an outcome-based assessment instrument adapted from SERVQUAL, an instrument developed for business and industry. SERVQUAL is grounded in the "Gap Theory of Service Quality" and was developed by the marketing research team of A. Parasuraman, V. A. Zeithaml, and L. L. Berry. After library trials and interviews with library users, the original SERVQUAL was modified and continues to be refined through the 1999 - 2003 pilot phase. This national project will continue as an R&D endeavor through 2003, by which time LibQUAL+ (TM) will evolve into an ongoing service quality assessment program at the Association of Research Libraries.

As a participant in the Spring 2003 program, The Lamar Soutter Library will implement the measurement tool, analyze results, identify service strengths and areas needing improvement, and utilize the information in its strategic planning process to ensure that services are closely aligned with user expectations. LibQUAL+ (TM) results will enable comparison of service quality with peer institutions, development of benchmarks, and understanding of best practices across institutions.

The entire student body and faculty of the Medical School, Nursing School and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, along with a sampling of Medical School staff will be surveyed.

The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete.

Yes. The completed surveys are transmitted directly to a server located at Texas A & M University. The responses are automatically separated from any identifying information, including the e-mail addresses of respondents who register for the prize drawing.

The Web-based survey instrument consists of 25 questions that address four service quality dimensions that have been found to be valid in previous assessments of library services: service affect, library as place, personal control, and information access. There are three main components to the survey:

1. Demographic data - the survey collects basic demographic information from respondents (e.g., age, sex, discipline, position, etc.) to enable analysis of the results by category and to check the representativeness of the responding population.
2. General survey questions - each of the 25 questions has three parts that ask respondents to indicate the minimum service level they will accept, the desired service level they expect, and the perceived level of service currently provided. This design will permit analysis of gaps between expectations, perception, and minimum acceptance level of service.
3. Health Sciences Libraries - five questions specific to the health sciences library environment.

Redundancy in questions allows the survey designers to analyze the validity of each service quality dimension through statistical methods. Over time, questions that are not as effective as others in measuring the specific dimensions of service quality will be discarded.

The survey responses are collected and compiled by the Association of Research Libraries, in collaboration with researchers at Texas A & M University. The data is analyzed and reports are generated, presenting information on the gaps between users' desired, perceived, and minimally acceptable levels of service. We will receive the Lamar Soutter Libraries results in June 2003. We will also receive access to the results of other participating libraries, which will allow us to compare our results with peer institutions. The LibQUAL+ (TM) 2003 survey results will be one of several assessment strategies used by the Lamar Soutter Library in planning services.

Paper versions of the survey are available for anyone unable to complete the web-based survey. Contact Mary Piorun at (508) 856-2206 or email libqual.survey@umassmed.edu for a paper copy of the survey.

Because this is a multi-institution survey, discipline categories have been standardized for ease of comparison. If in doubt as to what standardized discipline you should use please contact libqual.survey@umassmed.edu.

You may be using a browser that is too old for the survey to function properly. The survey runs best on Netscape Navigator version 4.7 or higher. For additional help please contact libqual.survey@umassmed.edu.

A total of 315 academic and research libraries are participating in the spring 2003 LibQUAL+ (TM) survey. The participants include university, college and community college libraries, as well as the New York Public Library and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. A complete list of 2003 participants is available at http://www.libqual.org/Information/Participants/index.cfm.