LibQUAL+® Survey (Fall 2014)

From November 3-14, 2014, the Library deployed the LibQUAL+® survey, a standard measure developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) for soliciting, tracking, understanding, and acting upon patrons’ opinions of service quality to PTS faculty and student patrons. LibQUAL+® has been conducted with over 1 million users at over 1,200 libraries around the world. The LibQUAL+® survey was previously administered at PTS in 2011.

What is LibQUAL+®?

LibQUAL+® is a web-based survey administered by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) that measures user perceptions and expectations of library service quality in three dimensions (below). The survey measures library users' minimum, perceived, and desired levels of service quality. LibQUAL+® is just one piece of a wider library assessment program. See also – Frequently Asked Questions

  • Affect of Service (services)
  • Information Control (resources)
  • Library as Place (spaces)

Why do LibQUAL+®?

  • Provides the library with a better understanding of patrons' expectations, desires, and perceptions, which can be used to identify strengths and areas for improvement;
  • Provides the library with a consistent longitudinal measurement across years;
  • Allows the library to benchmark nationally and internationally against other libraries in key areas.

FAQs

  • How can the survey results be confidential when respondents are asked to provide their e-mail address for the incentive prize drawings? According to ARL, "extreme measures are taken to separate identifiable e-mail addresses from surveys with responses. Once they are collected, there is no way to link them to an individual's responses, ensuring confidentiality for participants in the incentive drawing."
  • Why does the survey seem to repeat the same questions? The survey examines a variety of dimensions of library services, each represented by any number of questions. Repetition or redundancy in questions allows the survey designers to analyze the validity of each service quality dimension through statistical methods.
  • How can I get more information about LibQUAL+®? For additional information on LibQUAL+®, please visit their website at https://www.libqual.org/.