Customer Retention Strategies for Information Services Delivery in University Libraries in North Western States of Nigeria

Customer retention is critical to the long term survival and growth of any library and information centers. This paper discusses customer retention strategies for information service delivery in University Libraries in North Western States of Nigeria. Survey research method was used and questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Library staff in the relevant divisions and units constitute the population of the study. The study identified among other things that the use of soft and low voice, friendliness to library users and regular outreach were the customer attraction strategies used by University libraries studied while provision of adequate reading facilities, friendliness and courtesy and beautification of environment were some of the customer retention strategies used by theuniversity libraries studied. Also, it was concluded that the low level of use of University libraries and the ever growing apathy among customers on the choice of Internet cafes over libraries would be gone if university libraries institute customer attraction and retention programmes. Therefore, the need for intensified efforts at attracting and retaining customers by university libraries via the provision of quality information resources and services, recruitment of qualified library staff, and regular needs assessment and communication have been recommended

Application of total quality management (TQM) in evaluating the quality of library services at the Aga Khan University Library

The study investigated the service quality of the Aga Khan University (AKU) library as an example of an academic library in Kenya using SERVQUAL, a user based assessment tool. Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy formed the basis of the study; a philosophy that is customer oriented and lays great emphasis on enhancing customer satisfaction. The study adopted a survey design and data was collected using a structured selfadministered questionnaire by the name of SERVQUAL. The study sample consisted of nursing and medical faculty; nursing and medical students. A total of 78 (63%) respondents responded to the questionnaire. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0. Descriptive statistics was provided and univariate analysis was applied to examine the characteristics of the 2 main variables; perceptions and expectations. The findings of the study established that the expectations of AKU library users are higher than their perceptions. It is also evident from the findings that there are service quality gaps in a number of library services offered by AKU library. This is demonstrated through the gap analysis between the AKU library users‟ perceptions and the users‟ expectations of AKU library. The study recommends that AKU library as well as other academic libraries in Kenya adopt user based assessment tools such as SERVQUAL in the evaluation of library service quality. The study further recommends that AKU library needs to address gaps between the library users‟ perception and the users‟ expectation in order to enhance customer satisfaction through the provision of quality services. The study also recommends that AKU library needs to address the gaps in service attributes such as those relating to AKU library staff, reliability and efficiency of AKU library service delivery. In line with the findings the study further recommends more training for AKU library staff in areas such as customer service skills as well as the need for AKU library to invest more in its physical facility and equipment.Information ScienceM.A. (Information Science

Breast cancer screening barriers from the womans perspective: A meta-synthesis

Background: The principal aim of health service providers in the field of breast cancer is to detect and treat lesions at an appropriate time. Therefore, identification of barriers to screening can be very helpful. The present study aimed to systematically review the qualitative studies for extracting and reporting the barriers of screening for breast cancer from the womans perspective. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review; Pubmed, Google Scholar, Ovid Scopus, Cochrane Library, Iranmedex, and SID were searched using the keywords: screening barriers, cancer, qualitative studies, breast and their Persian equivalents, and the needed data were extracted and analyzed using an extraction table. To assess the quality of the studies, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was used. Results: From 2,134 related articles that were found, 21 articles were eventually included in the study. The most important barriers from the point of view of 1,084 women were lack of knowledge, access barriers (financial, geographical, cultural), fear (of results and pain), performance of service providers, women's beliefs, procrastination of screening, embarrassment, long wait for getting an appointment, language problems, and previous negative experiences. Articles' assessment score was 68.9. Conclusions: Increasing women's knowledge, reducing the costs of screening services, cultural promotion for screening, presenting less painful methods, changing beliefs of health service providers, provision of privacy for giving service, decreasing the waiting time, and providing high quality services in a respectful manner can be effective ways to increase breast cancer screening

Adult users’ perceptions of library services provided by Nongoma Public Library, Kwazulu-Natal.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The study investigated adult users’ perceptions of the library services provided by the Nongoma Public Library (NPL) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). It examined the quality of service provided by the library to its adult library users, by determining their expectations and perceptions of the services provided and whether there were any gaps between users’ expectations and perceptions. It also investigated users’ level of satisfaction with the quality of services rendered. Since its inception in 1996 and despite its importance, no assessment of the NPL had been conducted from the perspective of its users. This study intended to fill this gap and it is assumed that the findings will form a baseline and framework for future services provided by the library. Using convenience sampling a sample of 262 adults was selected from the 819 registered adult library users. One hundred and thirteen (113) users completed the questionnaire giving a response rate of 43.1% which was considered acceptable for purposes of analysis and reporting. The study adopted a quantitative approach using the survey design. The LibQUAL+TM survey instrument which was used to collect data was modified and adapted for use in a public library. In line with the quantitative approach, the majority of the questions asked were closed. The results from the questionnaire survey were analysed using SPSS to determine the frequency of responses and were presented in the form of tables and figures. The results of the survey support the usefulness of the LibQUAL+TM instrument used in the study and its importance in the context of public library services. The findings indicate that in most instances, expectations exceeded perceptions regarding the quality of the services provided by the library. However, the gaps between the two were, for the most part, not significant and the extent of the gap depended on the individual services. Significant gaps were found in the categories “Library facility” and “Access to information”. Certain aspects of the category “Staff services” were found to be of concern. Findings revealed that the majority of adult users ranked the overall quality of services as good and that the library is, to a large extent, excelling in service provision. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to address the problems identified in the study. The results will be used for service improvements and to make informed decisions concerning the quality of services that are offered at the NPL. The thesis concluded with suggestions for further research. The findings of the survey that indicated that although the adult library users were satisfied with library services they received from Nongoma Public Library but there was a room for improvement. The respondents mentioned the most problematic services as the lack of adequate computers and access to Internet. The respondents further reported that there were gaps in sections involving Access to Information, Access to Electronic Resources, Library Staff and the Library facility. The study recommends that service quality be improved, in a way that the library would satisfy its adult user

Quality Assessment for E-learning: a Benchmarking Approach (Third edition)

The primary purpose of this manual is to provide a set of benchmarks, quality criteria and notes for guidance against which e-learning programmes and their support systems may be judged. The manual should therefore be seen primarily as a reference tool for the assessment or review of e-learning programmes and the systems which support them. However, the manual should also prove to be useful to staff in institutions concerned with the design, development, teaching, assessment and support of e-learning programmes. It is hoped that course developers, teachers and other stakeholders will see the manual as a useful development and/or improvement tool for incorporation in their own institutional systems of monitoring, evaluation and enhancement