Perception of library service quality, satisfaction and frequency of use of library resources

Abstract

The aims of this paper are to assess the students’ perceived levels of library service quality, satisfaction with the library service, frequency of use of library resources, and whether there are relationships among these constructs. A survey research method using LibQUAL+^TMinstrument was used to collect data from a sample of 400 students at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students during class hours. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. As expected, factor analysis of LibQUAL+^TM items yielded 3 factors - affect of service, information control and library as a place. On average, the respondents perceived low service quality from the library staff and the extent to which library patrons can easily access and control information. The majority of respondents also rarely used the library website. There was a strong and positive correlation between all attributes of library service quality and satisfaction with the library. Even though some attributes of the library service quality had positive correlations with the use of library website, there was only a slight significant relationship between information control and the use of library website in the regression analysis. There was no relationship between satisfaction and frequency of library usage. The paper concludes that LibQUAL+^TM has acceptable applicability in Lesotho, and further recommends how affect of service and information control dimensions of library service quality at NUL can be improved.

Key words: Library; library resources; LibQUAL+^TM; satisfaction; service quality.