Service quality methods used in the Arabian gulf academic libraries : a survey

Abstract EN

The object of this paper is to enlighten the results of a survey of service quality methods used in the Arabian Gulf academic libraries.

It mainly focusses on the experiences with the LibQUAL+® survey method, highlights its drawbacks and provides suggestions/solutions for improving its quality for getting better feedback from the users.

The study was conducted using a survey method and the instrument was a questionnaire.

The questionnaire was distributed through email, and after reminders, follow up, phone calls and personal interactions, 27 libraries responded and returned the filled questionnaire.

Results reveal that academic libraries of the Arabian Gulf region do conduct library surveys periodically and a few (25%) of them have already experimented with LibQUAL+®.

Those who opted LibQUAL+® conducted their surveys between 2016 and 2017 and preferred lite-survey format instead of full-survey and opted language as Arabic.

Core dimensions of LibQUAL+® service quality method were also evaluated using paired sample t-test and the result indicates that the quality of library services provided by the respondent institutions are significantly different from those that must be provided.

This stud;y will decidedly add to the growing bod;y of information on the quality of the LibQUAL+® survey method, and for improving the standard of services provided by the academic libraries within the Arabian Gulf region.