LibQUAL+ ® 2007: An Introduction American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference Washington, DC June 25, 2007 MaShana Davis and Martha Kyrillidou Association of Research Libraries old.libqual.org

Overview Research Foundation and Current Uses of LibQUAL+ ® Preparing to Implement the Survey The Survey Process: Initial Steps Mapping Disciplines Approving and Running Your Survey General Discussion and Q&A

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Background and Overview

old.libqual.org Reference Transactions

old.libqual.org Assessment “The difficulty lies in trying to find a single model or set of simple indicators that can be used by different institutions, and that will compare something across large groups that is by definition only locally applicable—i.e., how well a library meets the needs of its institution. Librarians have either made do with oversimplified national data or have undertaken customized local evaluations of effectiveness, but there has not been devised an effective way to link the two.” Sarah Pritchard, Library Trends, 1996

old.libqual.org Multiple Methods of Listening to Customers Transactional surveys* Mystery shopping New, declining, and lost-customer surveys Focus group interviews Customer advisory panels Service reviews Customer complaint, comment, and inquiry capture Total market surveys* Employee field reporting Employee surveys Service operating data capture *A SERVQUAL-type instrument is most suitable for these methods Note. A. Parasuraman. The SERVQUAL Model: Its Evolution And Current Status. (2000). Paper presented at ARL Symposium on Measuring Service Quality, Washington, D.C.

old.libqual.org World LibQUAL+ ® Survey

old.libqual.org Premises Three Seminal Quotations

old.libqual.org PERCEPTIONS SERVICE “….only customers judge quality; all other judgments are essentially irrelevant” Note. Zeithaml, Parasuraman, Berry. (1999). Delivering quality service. NY: The Free Press. LibQUAL+ ™ Premise #1

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ™ Premise #2 “Il est plus nécessaire d'étudier les hommes que les livres” —FRANÇOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD

old.libqual.org “We only care about the things we measure.” --Bruce Thompson, CASLIN, 2006 LibQUAL+ ™ Premise #3

old.libqual.org Dimensions items56 items25 items22 items Affect of Service Library as Place Reliability Personal Control Information Control Provision of Physical Collections Self-Reliance Information Access Access to Information

old.libqual.org Interpreting Service Quality Data Three Interpretation Frameworks

old.libqual.org Benchmarking Against Peer Institutions --1,000,000 Users; 1,000 Institutions! NORMS! NORMS! NORMS! Interpretation Framework #1

old.libqual.org Score Norms Norm Conversion Tables facilitate the interpretation of observed scores using norms created for a large and representative sample. LibQUAL+™ norms have been created at both the individual and institutional level

old.libqual.org Institutional Norms for Perceived Means on 25 Core Questions Note: Thompson, B. LibQUAL+  Spring 2002 Selected Norms, (2002).

old.libqual.org Benchmarking Against Self, Longitudinally “Nobody is more like me than me!” --Anonymous Interpretation Framework #2

old.libqual.org Interpreting Perceived Scores Against Minimally-Acceptable and Desired Service Levels (i.e., “Zones of Tolerance”) Interpretation Framework #3

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Survey Structure (Detail View)

old.libqual.org Rapid Growth in Other Areas Languages –Afrikaans –American English –British English –Danish –Dutch –Finnish –French –German –Norwegian –Swedish Consortia *Each may create 5 local questions to add to their survey Countries –Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, U.K., U.S. Types of Institutions –Academic Health Sciences –Academic Law –Academic Military –College or University –Community College –Electronic –European Business –European Parliament –Family History –Research Centers (FFRDC) Libraries –High School (2007) –Hospital –National Health Service England –Natural Resources –New York Public –Public –Smithsonian –State –University/TAFE

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Participants * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® First Year Participants * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Surveys by Type Year Type Academic Health Sciences Academic Law Academic Military College or University Canadian Government 6 Community College Electronic 1 European Business 5 16 Family History 1 2 Hospital 1011 National Health Services England 10 Natural Resources 4 New York Public 1 Public Research Centers (FFRDC) Libraries 521 Smithsonian 1 1 State University/TAFE 211 * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Languages

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Surveys by Language Year Language Afrikaans 41 American English British English Danish 1 Dutch 1 2 Dutch English 11 2 Finnish 1 French Canadian French Continental 1 1 German 1 Norwegian 1 Swedish 5211 Swedish British English 1 Swedish English (A.E.) 21 * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Surveys by Consortia Year Consortium AAHSL Alabama Academic (NAAL) AJCU - Academic Libraries AJCU - Law Libraries 1 Connecticut State University Library System (CONSULS) 5 Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives 7 CUC Group (formerly CES) CUNY Libraries 19 Department of Justice Canada Libraries 6 17 European Business Schools Librarians Group Georgia Consortium 191 Harrisburg Area Community Colleges 5 Hospital/MLA 7 Keystone Library Network 15 LibQUAL Canada 63 * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Surveys by Consortia (cont’d) Year Consortium Maine URSUS Libraries 13 Massachusetts LSTA 5 MCCLPHEI 14 MERLN (Military Education & Research Library Network) 6 National Health Service England 10 New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO) 8 North Carolina Community Colleges 15 NY3Rs College and University Libraries NY3Rs Public Libraries 5 Oberlin Libraries Group OhioLINK Research Centers (FFRDC) Libraries SCONUL State University Libraries of Florida 6211 University of Wisconsin System 14 VALE 12 1 * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org Participating Libraries by Country Year Country Australia 1621 Canada Denmark 1 2 Egypt 1 21 Finland 2 France 1 21 Ireland 1121 Mexico 1 Netherlands 11 5 New Zealand 11 Norway 2 South Africa 1282 Sweden 3442 Switzerland 2 2 U.A.E. 1 U.K * 2007 data reflects Session I data only

old.libqual.org Surveys by Session: YearSession 1Session

old.libqual.org Preparing for the Survey Implementation

old.libqual.org Why is Your Library Participating in LibQUAL+ ® ? Institutional goals: –what do you want to get out of the survey? Survey requirements: –people, supplies, technology

old.libqual.org Get Permission from your Institutional Review Board Local group that approves human subject research May also be called –Committee for Human Subject Research –Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects Not all institutions need to obtain permission

old.libqual.org Get Permission from your Institutional Review Board If permission is required: –Seek well in advance of survey –Supply a copy of the survey, if requested –Inform them that results will be shared among participants No need to inform LibQUAL+ ® of decision

old.libqual.org Determine Whom to Survey Random sample or Entire population

old.libqual.org If You Sample… Recommendations: –At least 1,200 random addresses for each user group –Separate sample groups for undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff –Think about survey fatigue if you want to repeat the survey regularly Keep notes on your methodology as you will be asked to describe it in the Post Hoc Questionnaire

old.libqual.org If You Survey the Entire Population…. Recommendations: –Think about survey fatigue if you want to repeat the survey regularly Keep notes on your methodology as you will be asked to describe it in the Post Hoc Questionnaire

old.libqual.org Obtain Addresses Typical sources include: –Campus computing office –Campus administrative records office –Library patron database

old.libqual.org Marketing Your Survey –Place ads in campus newspaper –Write article for library newsletter –Post flyers around campus –Present at faculty meetings & student orientations –Create a survey Web site and feature on library’s home page –Take the survey to where users are: dining halls, study rooms, dorms

old.libqual.org Become Familiar with LibQUAL+ ® Resources Management Center LibQUAL+ ® Procedures Manual –Updated Version – September 2006 –Much more detail Discussion list

old.libqual.org The LibQUAL+ ® Management Center

old.libqual.org The Survey Process: Initial Steps

old.libqual.org Survey Process: Manage Your Survey Eight Sections: Preferences Customization Preview Representativeness Monitor Survey Progress Incentive Winners Post Hoc Evaluation *Sections must be completed in order

old.libqual.org Preferences Fields marked with * are required

old.libqual.org Customization: Optional/Local Questions

old.libqual.org Customization: Disciplines Results notebooks summarize findings by user group and provide a chart for, both, standard and custom disciplines Standard disciplines (based on your institution type, i.e., College/University) Customized disciplines –Recommend no more than 16 disciplines, if possible

old.libqual.org The Standard Disciplines – College/University Agriculture/Environmental Studies Architecture Business Communications/ Journalism Education Engineering/Computer Science General Studies Health Sciences Humanities Law Military/Naval Science Other Performing & Fine Arts Science/Math Social Sciences/ Psychology Undecided

old.libqual.org Customized Disciplines Use your local terminology to map to the standard disciplines Cautions: –Need to provide representativeness data for each discipline –Too many choices present challenges to users

old.libqual.org Standard Disciplines: An Academic Library

old.libqual.org Customized Disciplines: An Academic Library

old.libqual.org Customization: Branch Libraries The library you use most often.

old.libqual.org Approving and Running Your Survey

old.libqual.org Previewing and Approving Your Survey Preview Complete at least one full run of your preview survey Test in different settings, using different platforms and Web browsers Get library staff involved in testing Approved Can no longer make changes Live survey URL will appear at the top of the “Manage Your Survey” page marked as Survey URL

old.libqual.org Reviewing Comments About one-half of users include comments on their survey Download via the Monitor Survey Progress page (Excel file or text file)

old.libqual.org Sending Reminders 3-5 reminders to sample populations Thank respondents who have completed the survey Boost up marketing efforts around campus –More fliers, table tents, ads in campus newspaper –Get professors and other staff involved –Increase number or types of incentives * More examples of marketing efforts featured at the Share Fair

old.libqual.org Completing Your Representativeness Questionnaire Determines how your institutional profile compares to your survey data Requires the following information: –# of individuals per user group –# of individuals within each discipline –# of males and females –Library Statistics Volumes added during the year – Gross/Total (including e-books) Total number of current serials received (including electronic serials) Total library expenditures (U.S. dollars) Personnel – professional staff, full-time equivalent (FTE) Personnel – support staff, full-time equivalent (FTE) Must be complete BEFORE closing survey

old.libqual.org Completing Your Representativeness Questionnaire Representativeness Completed Representativeness NOT Completed

old.libqual.org Closing Your Survey We recommend a survey run of at three weeks Once you close your survey: –Retrieve list of incentive winners –Fill out Post Hoc and Evaluation Questionnaires

old.libqual.org Completing Post Hoc and Evaluation Questionnaires Post Hoc Questionnaire Information about your survey –Sample size –# of s sent –#of invalid addresses –Incentives offered –Marketing techniques –Etc. Evaluation Questionnaire Feedback about your LibQUAL+ ® experience All survey liaisons and assistants are encouraged to complete this questionnaire

old.libqual.org General Discussion and Q&A

old.libqual.org Summary and Closure

old.libqual.org LibQUAL+ ® Resources LibQUAL+ ® Web site: Publications: Events and Training: Gap Theory/Radar Graph Introduction: LibQUAL+ ® Procedures Manual:

old.libqual.org The LibQUAL+ ® Team MaShana Davis Technical Communications Liaison Yolanda Glass Administrative Assistant Kristina Justh Customer Relations Coordinator Martha Kyrillidou Director, Statistics and Service Quality Programs Khyati Nayak Senior Applications Developer Gary Roebuck Technical Operations Manager