LibQual + TM: an international assessment tool

Abstract

LibQual+ is a suite of services, used by libraries to solicit, track, understand and act upon users’ perceptions and expectations of library service quality. The web-based survey gathers data in the areas of affect of service, information control, and library as place. It was developed by the Association of Research Libraries and the Texas A & M. In 2004, the fifth year of Libqual+, the survey was completed by more than 112,000 users from 202 institutions in the U.S., Canada, the U. K., Australia, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands. This presentation will explain the timeline, costs, and benefits of participating in LibQual+, view a portion of the 22 question assessment tool, take a look at the results for sample libraries and explain how to read the LibQual+ charts and discuss how libraries have used this information for improvement. The implications of the cross-cultural experience and what would be involved in bringing LibQual+ to Greek academic libraries will also be discussed.