This document summarizes a study that used the LibQUAL+ survey tool to assess user satisfaction levels at the Marvdasht Islamic Azad University (MIAU) Library in Iran. The study surveyed 220 faculty members and graduate students. It found that users were most satisfied with the library's information control dimension but had higher expectations than their perceptions of service quality. There were also significant differences between maximum expectations and perceived levels of service across all dimensions. The document discusses proposals to improve the library as a place, information control, and affect of service based on the findings. It acknowledges funding support from the MIAU Research Deputy.

1. Using LibQual+ ® As a Qualitative Method: Taking One
Iranian Academic Library as an Example
Pegah Tajer
1Department of Library and Information Science, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University,
Marvdasht, Iran
QQML2012
May 22-25
Limerick
Ireland

2. Table of Contents:
• Introduction
• Research background
• Philosophy of research
• Findings
• Discussion
• Research proposals
• Acknowledgement

3. Introduction
Introduction
In the new era that library and information sciences are
comprehensively influenced by new technology which
followed by users’ higher expectation; the performance
evaluation of libraries become a considerable point for
libraries and information centers administrators. Because
the core of success for administrators is the
customer orientation, therefore, during recent years,
user-oriented concept turned into one of the most important
factors in Iranian universities which provoke libraries to
provide the highest level of services to the highest number
of members. Gradually, administrators of academic
libraries in Iran are attempting to assess the optimal
evaluation of their services through continues quality
assessment of library users’ satisfaction and their
expectations.

4. Introduction
• What is MIAU Library?

5. Introduction
• What is LibQUAL + ® ?

6. • Three dimensions:
– Affect of Service
– Information Control
– Library as Place
• Three Level of Services:
– Minimum
– Maximum
– Perceived

7. Introduction
• The main questions of the paper are as follows:
• 1) In which dimension of LibQUAL model has MIAU
library succeeded the most?
• 2) Are there any significant differences between the
Minimum level of users' expectations and the Perceived
level of services provided in MIAU library?
• 3) Are there any significant differences between the
Maximum level of users' expectations and the
Perceived level of services provided in MIAU library?
• 4) Are there any significant differences for expectation
levels of the library’s services (minimum, maximum and
the perceived level) among MIAU faculty members and
M. S. students?

8. Research Background
• Worldwide samples:
• Dole(2002)
• Empey and Murphy (2003)
• Adam (2004)
• Godwin (2005)
• Kyrillidou and Persson (2006)
• Thompson, Kyrillidou and Cook (2007)
• Ladhari and Morales (2008)
• Janice (2009) and Nadiri and Mayboudi (2010)

9. Research Background
• Iranian samples:
• Kazempour (2006)
• Mirghafouri and Maki (2007)
• Najafgholi-Nejad (2007)
• Ashrafi-rizi and Kazempour and Shabani
(2008)
• Babageibi and Fattahi (2009)
• Hariri and Afghani (2008)
• Omidifar and Mousavi (2009)

10. Philosophy of Research
• The statistical society of the research
– Faculty members (198 people)
– Masters’ degree students (1027 people)
– Sample size: 220
• LibQual+ ® Questionnaire
– Printed version
• Analyzing & studying the research
data
– SPSS software

11. Findings
• People’s personality:
Abundant Distribution of
Respondents Based on Gender
Female
Male
unknown

12. Findings
• People’s personality:
Abundant Distribution of
Respondents Based on Age
18-22
23-30
31-45
46-65
over 65
Unknown

13. Findings
• People’s personality:
Abundant Distribution of
Respondents Based on Job
Faculty member
Student
Unknown

14. Findings
• People personality:
Abundant Distribution of Faculty
Members Based on Academic Rank
Lecturer
Assistant
professor
Unknown

15. Responses to the raised questions in this
study
• 1) In which dimension of LibQUAL + ® model has
MIAU library succeeded the most?
0
1
2
3
4
5
Affect of
Service Information
Control Library as
Place
Numerical Average
Rating Average

16. Responses to the raised questions in
this study
• 2) Is there any significant difference between
minimum expectation and the perceived level in
MIAU library?
sig
d.
f
x
Rating
averag
e
Numerical
average
Dimension
0.112.6
1.5537.9
Minimum
expectationAffect of
Service
1.4535.03perceived level
0.00617.7
1.5945.3
Minimum
expectationInformation
Control
1.4140.1perceived level
0.0009111.1
1.6220.91
Minimum
expectationLibrary as
Place
1.3816.77perceived level
0.0116.3
1.59103.86
Minimum
expectation
Library
Service
Quality 1.4191.6perceived level
Significance test for differences between average of users'
scores for minimum expectation and perceived level in
LibQual dimensions.

17. Responses to the raised questions in
this study
• 3) Is there any significant difference between
maximum expectation and the perceived level in
MIAU library?
sigd.fx
Rating
average
Numerical averageDimension
0.0001112.6
1.8650.5Maximum expectation
Affect of Service
1.1435.03perceived level
0.0001109.7
1.8563.57Maximum expectationInformation
Control
1.1540.1perceived level
0.0001106.7
1.8628.23Maximum expectation
Library as Place
1.1416.7perceived level
0.0001117.6
1.88142.14Maximum expectationLibrary Service
Quality
1.1291.6perceived level
Significance test for differences between average of users'
scores for maximum expectation and perceived level in
LibQual dimensions.

18. Responses to the raised questions in
this study
• 4) Are there any significant differences for expectation levels
of the library services (minimum, maximum and the perceived
level) among MIAU faculty members and M. S. students?
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Faculty
members Students
Minimum Expectation
MaximumExpectation
Perceived Level

19. Discussion
• Library administrators should put more effort to increase the staff’s
knowledge.
• MIAU library is suffering from enough library and information
professionals
• Although, the most weakness of the MIAU library from the users'
point of view, is in the Library as Place, the library building has
recently built and newly assigned. the users believe that this
place is not comfortable, pleasant and attractive and it appears not
to have socializing or public space for learning and studying in
group or if there is any, are not satisfactory.
• The study demonstrates a gap between users’ maximum and
minimum levels of expectation and the perceived level of library
services

20. Discussion
• MIAU faculty members and M. S. students are not
much satisfied with the library. Also their maximum
expectations at all three dimensions are high
which exhibits a high expectation from the library.
Minimum level of users' expectation is a bit higher
than medium level and the users' average score
of the perceived level of Library Service Quality
is even less than their minimum expectation.
Although MIAU has always tried to
improve, strengthen and expand the higher
education, but these results are non-satisfactory
and unpleasant.

21. Research proposals
• Library as Place
– Interior design
– Social space
– Equipment
• Information Control
– Creating Audio-visual section
– Increasing search stations
– Interlibrary loan plan
– Creating abstract database of periodicals
– Special workshops for students
– Advertising

22. Research proposals
• Affect of Service
–Employ more professional
librarians
–Service training
–Staff evaluation
–Assessment Librarian
–Assessment Committee

23. Acknowledgement
• This research has been sponsored by
Islamic Azad University – Marvdasht
Branch. I wish to profoundly thank
Research Deputy of MIAU whom allowed
and agreed the executing budget for my
research

24. Thank you