Abstract This paper reports on the use of the LibQUAL+ library customer satisfaction survey tool by Ireland’s Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL), and the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), in the United Kingdom. The paper discusses the consortium composition, the expectations of the customers and how these have changed over time, and the perceptions of the library service in Ireland the UK. Demonstrable outcomes from LibQUAL+® at a local and national level are also presented. Approach LibQUAL+® is a library service quality survey instrument developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in association with Texas A&M University. A consortium of CONUL and SCONUL member libraries has been successfully running LibQUAL+® in Ireland and the UK since 2003. To date more than 70 UK and Irish Higher Education Libraries have implemented the survey providing a wealth of data on the quality of academic library provision. This paper will examine the composition of the consortium and its implementation patterns. The results of the surveys at a national and international level will be discussed, providing a comprehensive picture of the performance of UK and Irish academic libraries. Additional statistical analyses are also presented which review users’ expectations of libraries, how these are changing over time, and how successful libraries are at meeting these expectations. Findings The LibQUAL+® survey results from Ireland and the UK College & University participants since 2003 are presented. Emphasis is placed on the users’ desired expectation mean scores as an indication of changing concerns amongst various library user groups. Trend analysis of how well libraries have been responding to and meeting these expectations is also presented. Examples of best practice identified from the data will be discussed, highlighting where lessons can be learnt. The paper presents evidence that users expectations may not be changing as rapidly as technology developments might suggest, and that there is still a desire for the physical academic library despite the increasing demand for electronic resources. Customer perceptions of library services have increased since 2003 indicating the results of action taken has had a positive impact. The opportunity for improvement does however remain, encouraging us to strive to further in our quest for the perfect library service. Value This paper will be of interest to those involved in library surveys or other methods of listening to users. In particular it may assist the development of deeper understanding of library users’ expectations in a changing environment, and will also therefore be of value to all those concerned with library strategy and development.

1. LibQUAL+® in Ireland and the
United Kingdom
Selena Killick
Library Quality Officer, Cranfield University
J. Stephen Town
Director of Information, The University of York

3. &

4. Consortium Composition

5. Number of SCONUL LibQUAL+® Participants by Year
25
20
15
10
5
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*
LibQUAL+ Participants Unique LibQUAL+ Participants

6. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Libraries by HE Sector /
Sector Population
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10 55% 33%
57%
7%
0
RLUK Pre-1992 Post-1992 HE colleges
LibQUAL+ Libraries Non-LibQUAL+ Libraries

7. LibQUAL+® Libraries by Mission Group
30
25
20
15
10 60% 68% 44%
82%
5
35%
0
Russell Group 1994 Group University Million+ CONUL
Alliance
LibQUAL+ Libraries Non-LibQUAL+ Libraries

8. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Repeat Participation by Style
Other Annual
18% 12%
Three-
yearly
15%
Biennial
55%

9. Expectations

10. Highest Desired
ID Question Desired Years in
(2011) Top 5
Making electronic resources accessible from my
IC-1 home or office 8.30 9
LP-1 Library space that inspires study and learning 8.16 2
A library Web site enabling me to locate
IC-2 information on my own 8.10 9
Making information easily accessible for
IC-7 independent use 8.06 2
Print and/or electronic journal collections I
IC-8 require for my work 8.06 8

11. Lowest Desired
ID Question Desired Years in
(2011) Bottom 5
AS-2 Giving users individual attention 6.77 9
LP-5 Space for group learning and group study 7.32 9
AS-1 Library staff who instill confidence in users 7.49 8
AS-6 Library staff who deal with users in a caring
fashion 7.73 9
AS-7 Library staff who understand the needs of their
users 7.74 2

12. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Dimension Minimum Mean
Comparisons
6.80
6.60
6.40
Mean
6.20
6.00
5.80
5.60
Affect of Service Information Control Library as Place Overall
Dimension
Minimum Mean 2004 Minimum Mean 2011

13. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Dimension Desired Mean
Comparisons
8.10
8.00
7.90
7.80
7.70
Mean
7.60
7.50
7.40
7.30
7.20
Affect of Service Information Control Library as Place Overall
Dimension
Desired Mean 2004 Desired Mean 2011

14. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Increasing Minimum Expectations
7.00
6.80
6.60
6.40
6.20
6.00
5.80
5.60
5.40
5.20
5.00
Space for group Making electronic Library staff who A comfortable and
learning and group resources accessible deal with users in a inviting location
study from my home or caring fashion
office
Minimum Mean 2004 Minimum Mean 2011

15. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Decreasing Desired Expectations
8.20
8.00
7.80
7.60
7.40
7.20
7.00
6.80
6.60
The printed Print and/or Giving users Quiet space for Modern
library materials I electronic journal individual individual work equipment that
need for my work collections I attention lets me easily
require for my access needed
work information
Desired Mean 2004 Desired Mean 2011

16. Perceptions

17. SCONUL Overall 2004

18. SCONUL Overall 2011

19. SCONUL LibQUAL+® Dimension Perceived Mean
Comparisons
7.20
7.00
6.80
6.60
6.40
Mean
6.20
6.00
5.80
5.60
5.40
Affect of Service Information Control Library as Place Overall
Dimension
Perceived Mean 2004 Perceived Mean 2011

20. Comparisons

21. SCONUL & ARL Comparisons: 2004 – 2011
Dimension Summary
9.00
8.00
Mean
7.00
6.00
5.00
SCONUL Overall 2004 ARL Overall 2004 SCONUL Overall 2011 ARL Overall 2011

22. SCONUL & ARL Comparisons: 2004 – 2011
Affect of Service
9.00
8.00
7.00
Mean
6.00
5.00
SCONUL Affect of ARL Affect of Service SCONUL Affect of ARL Affect of Service
Service 2004 2004 Service 2011 2011

23. SCONUL & ARL Comparisons: 2004 – 2011
Information Control
9.00
8.00
7.00
Mean
6.00
5.00
SCONUL Information ARL Information SCONUL Information ARL Information
Control 2004 Control 2004 Control 2011 Control 2011

24. SCONUL & ARL Comparisons: 2004 – 2011
Library as Place
9.00
8.00
7.00
Mean
6.00
5.00
SCONUL Library as ARL Library as Place SCONUL Library as ARL Library as Place
Place 2004 2004 Place 2011 2011

25. LibQUAL+® Results in Action

26. The Library is one of the most oppressively
depressing locations on the face of the earth;
its ugly décor and offensive lighting gnaw at
the soul and the carpeting is an invitation to
madness
£14 million improvement
programme now underway at St.
Andrews to renovate the Library,
expand the collection and increase
study space.

27. Feedback from SCONUL Participants
• Secured additional funding to increase
resources
• Increased liaison with Academic staff
• Improvements to the Library building
• Developed information literacy training
• Increased help and support

28. National Outcomes
Libraries are being transformed into rowdy social
spaces… many of the changes have had
unfortunate – even disastrous – consequences
for the place of libraries in university scholarship
and study.
Response published in the next edition of
THE from SCONUL outlining that LibQUAL+®
results show that academic staff
perceptions of library buildings are the
highest they’ve ever been.
Sharpe, K. 2009. Quiet, please. Times Higher Education . 5 November. [Available Online].

29. Conclusions
• Greater use of LibQUAL+® by Pre-1992
Universities
• Biennial participation for ~half of users
• Expectations rising in most areas
• Perceptions rising also
• Not quite as good as ARL
• LibQUAL+® helps Libraries to develop and
improve services
• The carpet at St. Andrews used to be mental!

30. Acknowledgements
• Amanda Conway, Dorothy Vuong, Karen
Ready, Jacqui Dowd, John MacColl and the
rest of the SCONUL LibQUAL+® Participants
• The ARL LibQUAL+® Participants
• SCONUL Working Group on Performance and
Quality
• Martha, Bruce, Colleen, David and the rest of
the LibQUAL+® team

31. Thank You!
Selena Killick
s.a.killick@cranfield.ac.uk
@SelenaKillick
Tel: +44(0)1793 785561
J. Stephen Town
Director of Information, The University of York