About the LibQUAL+ Survey
- What is the LibQUAL+ survey?
- What does the survey measure?
- How will this survey benefit the Massachusetts Maritime Academy community?
- How and when is the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library survey being conducted?
- Who will be invited to participate in the survey?
- I took this survey a couple of years ago at another institution; why am I being asked to take it again?
- Are responses confidential?
- What survey instrument is being used?
- Do all libraries use the same questions?
- What other libraries are participating in LibQUAL+?
- How can I get more information about LibQUAL+?
Completing the Survey
- How long will the survey take?
- Can I skip questions that don't apply to me?
- Will there be any special incentives for participating?
- I took the survey; when will the incentive prizes be awarded
- What Web browsers are supported for the survey?
- Is the survey exclusively web-based, or can I complete a paper version?
- Is the survey compatible with text-to-speech web browsers?
- Why isn't the survey on a Mass Maritime web address?
- What if I cannot open the URL from my email?
- Why does the survey seem to repeat the same question(s)?
- Why are reminders sent to respondents who have completed the survey?
- What discipline category should I choose for my major or area of research?
Results
- What will be done with the survey results?
- What information is shared with other institutions?
- What do the survey results look like?
- Where and when will results be posted?
About the LibQUAL+ Survey
1. What is the LibQUAL+ survey?
Service quality has always been the focus of libraries; LibQUAL+ is intended to provide a measure of the value of library service quality across multiple academic and research libraries. The current LibQUAL+ instrument measures library users' perceptions of their libraries' service quality and identifies gaps between minimal, desired and perceived levels of service. LibQUAL+ is a suite of services that libraries use to solicit, track, understand, and act upon users' opinions of service quality. These services are offered to the library community by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). The program's centerpiece is a rigorously tested Web-based survey bundled with training that helps libraries assess and improve library services, change organizational culture, and market the library. More than 500 institutions have participated in LibQUAL+ since spring 2003, including colleges and universities, community colleges, health sciences libraries, law libraries, and public librariessome through various consortia, others as independent participants. LibQUAL+ has also expanded internationally, with participating institutions in Canada, the UK, and Europe. The growing community of participants and its extensive dataset are rich resources for improving library services.
2. What does the survey measure?
The instrument addresses three service quality dimensions that have been found to be valid in previous assessments of library services: Affect of Service, Library as Place, Information Control. Each question has three parts that ask respondents to indicate (1) the minimum service level they will accept, (2) the desired service level they expect, and (3) the perceived level of service currently provided. This design will permit analysis of gaps between expectations, perception, and minimum acceptance level of service.
3. How will this survey benefit the Massachusetts Maritime Academy community?
As individual libraries receive information about areas needing improvement, this project will allow libraries to compare their service quality with other peer institutions, to develop benchmarks, and to surface best practices across institutions. By using the LibQUAL+ instrument and initiating action based on the results of this survey, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library can be more responsive to users' needs and provide services that are better aligned to users' expectations.
Also, as this is the first time the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library is participating in LibQUAL+, we are interested in gathering baseline data and comparing survey results to peer maritime institutions and Massachusetts state colleges and universities, who are also taking the survey this year. The 2007 survey data will be used for benchmarking through MCCLPHEI, an organization comprised of the library directors of the twenty-nine campuses of the Commonwealth's public higher education system.
4. How and when is the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library survey being conducted?
On Thursday, November 1st, everyone at MMA will receive an invitation via email from Susan Berteaux, the Library Director, encouraging them to complete the web-based "Library Service Quality Survey" called "LibQUAL". The URL to the survey will be embedded in the email message. Automatic reminder notices will be sent as needed. The data for all participating institutions will be collected on secure servers. Each response will be stored separately as it reaches the server, and survey results will ultimately be reported back to the participating institutions as aggregate mean score data. The Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library will receive initial results in December or January, and will share final results with the campus community in the spring of 2008.
5. Who will be invited to participate in the survey?
All members of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy community are eligible to participate in the fall 2007 survey.
6. I took this survey a couple of years ago at another institution; why am I being asked to take it again?
The Massachusetts Maritime Academy has never participated in this survey, before. Libraries are interested in measuring users' satisfaction with collections and services over time. Completing the survey will indicate areas in need of improvement and help us evolve resources and services in the new Library/Information Commons building.
7. Are responses confidential?
Yes. The LibQUAL+ approach to confidentiality is guided by the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association (see http://www.apa.org/ethics/code.html, section 4). Although some information is captured from respondents, such as email address, privacy is protected in two ways. First, only very indirect information is captured which would be difficult to trace back to an individual. Second, everything possible is done to separate personal information from survey responses. Email addresses are not saved with the responses, and once they are saved there is no way to link an individual's responses to their email address.
8. What survey instrument is being used?
The LibQUAL+ survey evolved from a conceptual model based on the SERVQUAL instrument, a popular tool for assessing service quality in the private sector grounded in the "Gap Theory of Service Quality". It was developed by Leonard L. Berry (Distinguished Professor, Texas A&M University), A. Parasuraman, and Valarie A. Zeithaml. The Texas A&M University Libraries and other libraries used modified SERVQUAL instruments for several years; those applications revealed the need for a newly adapted tool that would serve the particular requirements of libraries. From 1999, ARL, representing the largest research libraries in North America, partnered with Texas A&M University Libraries to develop, test, and refine LibQUAL+. This effort was supported in part by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). The questionnaire is straightforward and involves no deception or coercion. Potential respondents may elect not to proceed with the survey after reading the guarantees of confidentiality and privacy.
9. Do all libraries use the same questions?
All libraries participating in the 2007 LibQUAL+ survey will use the same core questions and demographic questions. In addition, 5 optional questions were selected from a list of 113 questions. Although you will not be able to differentiate these 5 questions from therest of the survey questions, they are aligned with core services at the Academy for which we seek your opinion.
10. What other libraries are participating in LibQUAL+?
For a complete list of the 200+ participating institutions, see: http://www.libqual.org/Information/Participants/index.cfm
11. How can I get more information about LibQUAL+?
For more information, see the LibQUAL+ homepage at http://www.libqual.org. To e-mail the national headquarters for LibQUAL+, contact the Association for Research Libraries at libqual@arl.org. More information on the Massachusetts Maritime Academy LibQUAL+ survey is available at http://library.maritime.edu/libqual/.
Completing the Survey
1. How long will the survey take?
The survey typically takes about 15 minutes to complete.
2. Can I skip questions that don't apply to me?
Do not skip any questions in the LibQUAL+ survey! If you do not wish to answer a question or feel a question does not apply to you, select NA (not applicable). Surveys whose core questions are not completely filled out are not counted in the aggregate scores.
3. Will there be any special incentives for participating?
Yes! At the end of the survey, you will have an option to provide your email address to enter a drawing for one of (3) iPod shuffles or one of (6) $25 gift certificates to the bookstore. For students who take the survey, your email address will be automatically separated from your survey response by the survey software. All responses are confidential. After the survey closes on November 30th, the email addresses for students who completed the survey will be entered into a drawing, which will be held in December. Click here for more information about the incentives.
4. I took the survey; when will the incentive prizes be awarded?
Within a month of the end of the survey.
5. What Web browsers are supported for the survey?
Any browser should work so long as it is not too old. The survey does not rely on erratically supported browser features such as Java or cookies.
6. Is the survey exclusively web-based, or can I complete a paper version?
Respondents not able to complete an online questionnaire may obtain a paper copy of the survey by sending an email message to Susan Berteaux or Arlene Cardoza.
7. Is the survey compatible with text-to-speech web browsers?
Yes, the survey is compatible with the JAWS screen reader software. Please see Mrs. Folino if you need assistance.
8. Why isn't the survey on a Mass Maritime web address?
The survey is administered through the Association of Research Libraries and Texas A & M University, and the survey and data are housed on secure Texas A & M servers.
9. What if I cannot open the URL from my email?
If you have trouble opening the URL from within your email message, you can copy the URL and paste it into your Web browser. If you still cannot access the survey, please contact
Susan Berteaux or Arlene Cardoza.
10. Why does the survey seem to repeat the same question(s)?
The survey examines a variety of dimensions of library services, each represented by a number of questions. Repetition or redundancy in questions allows the survey designers to analyze the validity of each service quality dimension through statistical methods.
11. Why are reminders sent to respondents who have already completed the survey?
Due to security and confidentiality features, everyone will receive reminders, even those who have already responded. When submitted, survey responses and identifying information are immediately separated, so we have no way of knowing who has already responded. Reminders, therefore, are distributed to everyone. Reminders are also sent because research indicates that the single highest predictor of response rates in web-based surveys is the number of contacts made, including reminders. (See: Cook, Heath, and Thompson, "A meta-analysis of response rates in web- or internet-based surveys", Educational and Psychological Measurement, v. 60, 2000, p.821-836.)
12. What discipline category should I choose for my major or area of research?
Because this survey is taken by students at many colleges and universities, discipline categories have been standardized for ease of comparison. This will assist with future benchmarking activities. If you are in an interdisciplinary field or in doubt as to what discipline you should select from the drop-down list on the survey, select "Interdisciplinary" or "Other". Faculty and Staff who are not affiliated with a specific department or engaged in discipline-based research may choose "Other".
Results
1. What will be done with the survey results?
Survey data is transmitted directly from the LibQUAL+ server to a database. The data is then analyzed and reports are generated for individual libraries that provide information on how users perceive the quality of their service. Participating institutions will have access to summary results for each institution, allowing for comparisons among peer institutions and all participating academic institutions. This will aid in developing benchmarks and understanding best practices across institutions, and will help the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Library to align services with user expectations.
2. What information is shared with other institutions?
Summary statistics only are shared with other institutions. The survey summary results will be made available to participants via the World Wide Web on a password-protected Web site. Users' comments (from the comments section) will be made available exclusively to the users' institution.
3. What do the survey results look like?
Survey results will include aggregate summaries, demographics by library, item summaries, dimension summaries, and dimensions measured for survey implementation.
4. Where and when will results be posted?
Results will be compiled in a report that will be posted on the library web site in Spring 2008.
Captain Charles H. Hurley Library
LibQual+ at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy
