Benchmarking user satisfaction in academic libraries - a case study
(2003) Benchmarking user satisfaction in academic libraries - a case study. Library and Information Research 27(87):pp. 38-46.
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Abstract
Customer satisfaction and service quality have so far been evaluated mostly from a local perspective although the quality element has been firmly established in academic library management for at least a decade. Critics of inter-institutional comparisons often object that different preconditions are not considered adequately. Examples from a joint user satisfaction survey conducted by 15 German university libraries in 2001 suggest that comparative data are a suitable means to identify cases of “best practice” and can effectively initialize processes of customer-focussed improvement. Furthermore, if compared with corresponding statistical data or performance measures, satisfaction ratings can reveal possible structural strengths and deficits relative to other libraries. On the other hand, follow-up telephone interviews with participating libraries showed that the survey results substantially challenged the institutions’ internal communication and public relations organisation, and underlined that even in a well-developed culture of assessment the need for professional mediation and coordination of comparative analyses may not be underestimated.
| Keywords: | academic libraries, customer service evaluation, user satisfaction |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | D. Libraries as physical collections. > DD. Academic libraries. F. Management. > FD. Public relations. C. Users, literacy and reading. > CB. User studies. |
| ID Code: | 3420 |
| Deposited By: | Brown, Kristina |
| Deposited On: | 18 March 2005 |
| All fields: | Show all fields |
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