Getting our priorities in order: are our service values in line with the communities we serve?

Abstract

Purpose – LibQUAL+® allows users to rate their minimum, perceived, and desired levels of service for 22 items in three dimensions: information control, library as place, and service affect. Using the results from the 2005 survey at the University of Texas at Austin, this paper aims to examine how well the service priorities of library staff are aligned with the priorities of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Design/methodology/approach – The paper has re-scaled the "desired" score for each item to reflect the degree to which the item is above or below the average desired level for that individual. The rescaled scores (termed "priority" scores) for the 22 items were then compared between the four groups using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Findings – Preliminary results indicate that service priorities for library staff align more closely with those of undergraduates than with those of graduate students and faculty. Practical implications – This analysis is a first step in identifying service priority gaps between library staff and the users they serve. The intention is to promote discussion among library staff about users' needs and how closely staff service priorities align with those needs. In addition, the findings may prove useful as management information by allowing the analysis of users' service priorities and integrating the results of this analysis into organizational decision making and planning processes. Originality/value – This paper describes a development of LibQUAL+® that enables a greater depth of understanding of service priorities