1. LibQUAL Report Ferdinand Postma Library 2005

2. What is LibQUAL+TM LibQual+TM is a questionnaire that was developed by the Association of Research Libraries that measures libraries' service levels by means of questionnaires. The completion of questionnaires makes it possible to measure users' perceptions about the quality of service-delivery and to evaluate gaps between the users' perceptions of the ideal service-delivery and the service as it is experienced by the user. In 2005, 255 libraries worldwide participated in the survey, while seven university libraries in South Africa decided to participate. The SA libraries that participated belong to the following institutions: University of Pretoria; Rhodes University; Stellenbosch University; University of Cape Town; University of the Free State; North-West University (Mafikeng) and North- West University (Potchefstroom)

3. Motivation for participation and measurement In order to continue to improve our service to our users, it was important to find out what our users expect from us with regard to service-delivery, how our service delivery is experienced at present and in which areas we could improve. Our participation would also enable us to compare our service delivery to other similar libraries within SA as well as internationally. It would therefore enable us to determine whether our service delivery, measured against international libraries, is up to standard. The survey measured three core aspects of our service, namely the attitude of our staff, the quality of our information services, and the experience of the library building as place. A number of demographic questions were included, and there was an opportunity for comments.

4. Who completed the questionnaire? All users who could be reached electronically were invited to participate in the survey. In addition to that, a number of paper copies were also made available in the library. Library staff were asked not to participate. 947 of our users completed the questionnaire; 870 of those provided valid answers that could be used in the survey. A demographic summary of the groups follows: Undergraduate 56064,3% Postgraduate 20623,6% Academic staff 829,43% Other staff 222,52%

5. DEMOGRAPHICS: Age and gender As expected, more than half of the users who completed the questionnaire were younger than 22. Age distribution: 18-2253,25% 23-3022,34% 31-4514,97% 46-658,89% 65 and older0,54% The gender distribution was fairly even, with 47,17% male respondents and 52,83% female respondents. 663 (72,22%) full-time students completed the questionnaire, as opposed to 132 (14,38%) part-time students.

6. Frequency of use The response with regard to frequency of use of material, either by visiting the library or by using the library's website, was as follows: On a daily base, 17,57% of our users used the sources in the library; 16,05% gained access to information through the library's website. Many of the users, i.e. 40,56%, accessed the internet on a daily base via non-library search engines such as Google and Yahoo. On a weekly base, the picture looked very different: almost 70% of the respondents answered that they access information by visiting the library or by making use of the library's website. The following possible assumptions can be made from this: that the library is still used in spite of commercial gateways; that students tend to make use of "gateways" such as Google and Yahoo when they are looking for instant information; that students rely on the information that they can obtain via the library when they have more time available; the need is underlined for a search engine where information can be obtained with a single search engine, the so-called “federated search”.

7. What does the questionnaire look like? The questionnaire was available in English and Afrikaans. There were 22 questions that measured users' perceptions with regard to the 3 previously mentioned dimensions of service-delivery. The users had to indicate, on a 9-point scale, the minimum service that they would be willing to accept, the service that they desired, and the service that they felt they were experiencing at the time.

8. An excerpt of the questionnaire by way of illustration:

9. A report in electronic format was made available on every institution that participated in LibQual. This detailed report is available to participating institutions on the LibQual website, so that an institution can be measured against other institutions' evaluation of their users. By making use of colourful graphic representations, users could quickly identify their strengths and weaknesses. The analyses were done in respect of the institution as a whole and also in respect of the different groups, i.e. undergraduate students, postgraduate students, academic staff and support staff. It can thus be deduced, for each user group, where there are problematic areas and where change is necessary. While analysing and reading the graphic representation, the following must be kept in mind: Each spoke of the wheel represents a question: Questions AS1-9 deal with the service-delivery of our staff, IC1-8 deal with the quality of our information services and questions LP1-5 deal with the experience of our library as building. Colour also has a very specific meaning: Red means that the users experienced the quality of service-delivery as poorer than their minimum requirement. Blue means that the users experienced the quality of service-delivery as better than their minimum requirement. Yellow means that the performance was below the desired level (the maximum) of service-delivery and Green means that the service-delivery exceeded users' desired or maximum requirement. How was feedback given?

10. Graphic representation: Undergraduate students

11. Interpretation: Undergraduate Students Undergraduate users are generally satisfied with the service-delivery regarding all aspects that were tested. In no respect were the services of the library evaluated to be poorer than the users' minimum requirement. Students are very satisfied with the location of the library and also appreciate the staff's expertise and willingness to help. From the graphic representation, it is clear that undergraduate students are unhappy about the lack of silence in the library. This is confirmed by the large number of complaints that have been received in the comments section about the noise in the library. Students are moderately satisfied with the information services, either printed material or e-material. From the comments, it seems that some users do not find our website particularly user-friendly. Comments were also made on the age of some of our books, as well as comments to the effect that there is a need for more copies for larger groups.

12. Graphic representation: Postgraduate students

13. Interpretation: Postgraduate students Postgraduate students are satisfied with the staff's readiness to serve, and with their expertise. There were also many comments in which staff were praised for their service-delivery and thanked for what they do. Students were also very satisfied with the location and the layout of the library. With regard to information services, the library touched red in places and performed below the minimum requirement. This mainly involved electronic availability of sources and convenient electronic access from the home or the office. (It is a worldwide trend that postgraduate students do not obtain sufficient specialised information from their local libraries. This problem is largely circumvented through the use of inter- library loans). Students were also unhappy about the noise levels in the library and requested more quiet spaces for research and study.

14. Graphic representation: Academic staff

15. Interpretation: Academic staff Academic staff held the library staff's service delivery and expertise in high regard. In questions dealing with politeness, the individual attention given to enquiries and the readiness to be of service, the library exceeded users' maximum requirements. The academic staff were very satisfied with the location and layout of the library. In this regard, the evaluation also exceeded users' maximum requirement. The staff were less satisfied with our collection and expressed concern about a shortage of printed as well as electronic journals.

16. General deductions: Strengths Our staff's readiness to serve and their expertise are held in high regard by all users, and are frequently evaluated above the maximum requirement. We are very happy about this, as this is one aspect where it is within the staff's ability to make a real difference. We are very thankful that the library's location on campus is such that it is easily accessible to most of our users. The users are also satisfied with the layout of the library. With regard to information services to our undergraduate students, it seems from the survey that our collection is sufficient to meet their needs. We are thankful about that, seeing as undergraduate students are (according to our statistics) approximately 90% of our student users. It is generally accepted that a university library should be able to provide for all information needs of its undergraduate students, as inter- library loans are available only to staff and postgraduate students.

17. General deductions: Our weaknesses Our collection does not meet the needs of our staff and postgraduate students in all respects. Many students do not find our website user-friendly. Many students are unhappy about the noise levels in the library, and requested more spaces where total silence should be observed.

18. Now what? We intend to look at our website with new (student) eyes, and to simplify the website. We plan to implement a single search point (similar to Google) which will enable students to search for all types of information. We also believe that, if more students can receive database training, students will be able to make better use of all the available information. We therefore plan to do better marketing for the training that we already offer. By distributing pamphlets and by asking students not to make noise, we intend to maintain silence in the Silent areas. Such areas will also be made known better so that students will know which areas are for group discussions and in which areas absolute silence should be observed. Four smaller rooms that are suited for group discussions have already been identified. We are currently engaged in talks with the Academic Student Council about their needs in respect of study spaces; after these discussions, the rooms will be equipped and made available. On a modest scale, we have already started to amass a study collection of frequently used books; these books are identified by staff and additional copies are then purchased for use in the library. A stock-taking project in respect of our books is already underway. We hope to find some misplaced books in the process and to get a better idea of the number of books that are in fact missing. Thank you very much for your participation. We have learned a great deal and will continue to try to improve our service.