LibQUAL+
Your LibQUAL+ results are in
Thanks to the over one and a half thousand of you who took the time to respond to the LibQUAL+ survey we ran in 2017. We really appreciate your input and have been carefully working through the hundreds of in depth comments received.
We were really pleased with the acknowledgement of how the library team work hard to support your studies and research. Your ratings of our ability to help, welcome and our provision of attention to you as an individual were particularly high. How dependable we are when you are having a problem with the service was felt to be less strong. We are always working to ensure the smooth delivery of your library services. Raising things with us that work less well helps us to understand issues and develop means to address them. You can see the regular results of this through the feedback hub.
Ratings for space and our resources offered greater room for improvement. Group space was appreciated and generally people felt our spaces were inviting and comfortable. The quality of computer provision in the library was also noted. The need for quiet space was an area where there was lower satisfaction and is one that we can address together. The Respect your Library campaign is an invitation for all to consider how we can best share our space along with means to get staff to help when needed.
As you would expect LibQUAL+ included a range of questions around access to resources. The picture here is that while we are meeting your needs you would like more. This desire is one we can all understand! Library Services are always investing in your collections with recent substantial increases in both paper and electronic books in support of reading lists contributing to improving access. An area of particular concern was the Library websites. These were felt to be the weakest aspect of our service. We are in the process of redesigning our Library Guides to ensure they are as useful as possible. We are also working with students to improve the Library Search experience through understanding how it is used in practice. A project to redevelop the main library website is underway but this will take a little while to come to fruition.
The comments received have been thematically analysed and used to inform our service development plans. We have included the questions raised in our themed feedback page.
LibQUAL 2017 results
Why LibQUAL+?
What is the LibQUAL+ survey?
Library Services are always seeking ways to better understand your experience and requirements. We are adopting the LibQUAL+ survey to help measure the quality of our library services. LibQUAL+ is based on the SERVQUAL model designed for assessing quality in the private sector. It was developed for the University Library sector by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and has been used by 1,200 libraries around the world.
The survey measures your perception and expectation of library service quality in three areas: Affect of Service, Information Control, Library as Place. You are asked to indicate the minimum service level you will accept, the desired service level you expect, and the level of service you perceive to be currently provided. This design means we can examine gaps between expectations, perception, and minimum acceptance level of service.
There is also an opportunity to comment on any part of our services.
For more information, see the LibQUAL+® website or contact us libraryservices@kcl.ac.uk.
What are the prizes?
There is a Kindle Fire HD6 and four £25 Amazon vouchers to be given away to randomly selected participants.
How long does it take to complete the survey?
We are using the Lite version of the survey which should only take five minutes to complete. The Survey is now closed.
How do I find out if I have won a prize?
Winners will be notified via university email. For a chance of winning, please include your university email address at the end of the survey.
Why do the survey?
- The survey gives you the opportunity to tell us what you expect from Library Services and to get involved
- We will use the information to help improve your Library Services
- We're interested in what you have to say and your experience and we want to make it better for you and other students and staff
- And don't forget, you have a chance to win a prize!
Why do the questions have three parts?
The three parts are
- minimum - The number that represents the minimum level of service that you would find acceptable
- desired - The number that represents the level of service that you personally want
- perceived service levels - The number that represents the level of service that you believe our library currently provides
LibQUAL+ lets us see where library services are below the minimum acceptable level; where they are better than the minimum, but less than the desired level; and even where they exceed expectations.
Can I skip questions that don't apply to me?
Please do not skip any questions in the LibQUAL+® survey! If a question doesn't apply to you choose 'n/a' for 'not applicable'. Surveys whose core questions are not completely filled out are not counted in the final scores.
What are the questions about?
The questions cover three aspects of the service:
- Affect of Service - how responsive or empathetic the library is to its users (e.g. responsiveness, understanding, courtesy)
- Information Control - what resources the library has and how well it provides access to them (e.g. books, journals, electronic resources)
- Library as a place - does the library provide an appropriate environment for provision of its services (e.g. environment, quiet study space, group study space).
You also have space to make general comments about any aspect of the service. These are greatly appreciated.
Who can do the survey?
The LibQUAL+ survey can be completed by all King's College London staff and students. We are very aware that final year undergraduate students are being surveyed via the NSS so if that applies to you then please do not feel obliged to complete LibQUAL+ (you are welcome to do so if you would like!).
When is the survey being run?
The survey was open from 23rd January to 3rd March 2017 and is now closed.
Can I only do the survey online?
We are not currently able to offer a print survey due to a technical issue. We are investigating potential solutions to this. If you are not able to complete the survey online please let us know via LibraryServices@kcl.ac.uk.
Is the survey compatible with text-to-speech web browsers?
Yes, the survey is compatible with the JAWS screen reader software.
What discipline category should I choose?
We can't show every Department at King's College London so we have chosen to group by Faculty for the most part. If you are in doubt as to what to select from the drop-down list on the survey, select "Other".
Will responses be treated confidentially?
Yes.
Responses will only be used in the survey analysis, and will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
Personal information is separated from survey responses.
University email addresses are optional and will only be used for the prize draw and discarded afterwards.
What information is shared with other institutions?
Your comments are never shared beyond King's College London - only summary quantitative statistics are shared with other organisations via a password-protected site.
Why are reminders sent to respondents who have already completed the survey?
Due to initial security and confidentiality features, everyone surveyed will receive reminders, even those who have already responded. When submitted, survey responses and personal information are immediately separated, so we have no way of knowing who has already responded.
Will the survey results be made available?
Yes, a brief report on the results of the survey is at the top of this page. Library Liaison Managers will be glad to talk about the findings for particular groups.
Who can I contact if I have any problems with the survey or have further questions?
You can contact the team at libraryservices@kcl.ac.uk
Contact Us
Feel free to chat to us in person, by phone or by using our 24/7 live online chat - details are on our Contact Us page
For general enquiries about Library Services, you can also email libraryservices@kcl.ac.uk
For IT-related enquiries, contact details are available on the IT Help and Support page, or you can email 8888@kcl.ac.uk