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VCU LibQual+™ 2004 Survey Results

Analysis of Respondent Concerns in VCU LibQual+™ 2004 Survey Results         

Survey results on this page show an analysis of respondent concerns based on answers to survey questions #1-#27. Each of the LibQual+™ 2004 survey question falls into one of 3 categories that are dimensions of service quality. The 3 categories are:

  • Information Control (IC)  focusing on the collections and the users experience of finding information;
  • Library as Place (LP) including perceptions about the library environment/space; and
  • Affect of Service (AS) including the customer service aspects of library services and measuring qualities like empathy, responsiveness, assurance and reliability.

On the VCU LibQual+™ 2004 Survey, there were:

  • Eleven (11) questions in the Information Control (IC) category;
  • Nine (9) questions in the Affect of Service (AF) category; and
  • Seven (7) questions in the Library as Place (LP) category.

Organization of Results

Results are presented for 4 groups of VCU survey respondents: 1) all respondents 2) undergraduates 3) graduate students and 4) faculty

What the Gap Score Means

Respondent concerns for the questions in the tables below are derived from survey results with a negative gap score, or "adequacy mean" score, as it is called in LibQual+™. A negative gap score for a question indicates that a users' perceived level of service quality is below their lowest expectation of service quality. See also, LibQual+™ 2004: Comparison of VCU Undergrad, Grad Student, & Faculty Gap Scores .
In the results below, questions are ranked in order of importance by respondent group, with most important items having the highest adequacy gap scores.
All VCU LibQual+™ Respondents ( 233 total )         
Service Dimensions    Number of statements with negative service adequacy gap score
Collections, Services, Ease of Access -- Information Control (IC) unknown responses to 8 of 11 statements indicate need for improvement
Environment, space, facilities -- Library as Place (LP) unknown responses to 3 of 7 statements indicate need for improvement
Customer service aspects -- Affect of Service (AS) unknown response to 1 of 9 statements indicate need for improvement
Question Question Number Gap Score Service Dimension
Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work.  
Q24
-0.51
Information Control (IC)
Comprehensive collections of fulltext articles online.
Q6
-0.49
Information Control (IC)
The printed library materials I need for my work.  
Q8
-0.32
Information Control (IC)
The electronic information resources I need.  
Q11
-0.12
Information Control (IC)
Easy-to-use access tools that allow me to find things on my own.  
Q20
-0.11
Information Control (IC)
A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own.  
Q5
-0.08
Information Control (IC)
Efficient interlibrary loan/document delivery.  
Q14
-0.08
Information Control (IC)
Ease of use of electronic resources.  
Q12
-0.05
Information Control (IC)
Library space that inspires study and learning.  
Q3
-0.38
Library as Place (LP)
Quiet space for individual activities.  
Q9
-0.27
Library as Place (LP)
A secure and safe place.  
Q26
-0.10
Library as Place (LP)
Dependability in handling users' service problems.  
Q27
-0.18
  Affect of Service (AS)
VCU Faculty (71 respondents)  
Collections, Services, Ease of Access -- Information Control (IC) unknown responses to 9 of 11 statements indicate need for improvement
Environment, space, facilities -- Library as Place (LP) unknown responses to 2 of 7 statements indicate need for improvement
Customer service aspects -- Affect of Service (AS) unknown responses to 1 of 9 statements indicate need for improvement
Question Question Number Gap Score Service Dimension
Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work.        
Q24
-1.27
Information Control (IC)
Comprehensive collections of fulltext articles online.            
Q6
-0.81
Information Control (IC)
The printed library materials I need for my work.            
Q8
-0.76
Information Control (IC)
Efficient interlibrary loan/document delivery.            
Q14
-0.76
Information Control (IC)
The electronic information resources I need.            
Q11
-0.42
Information Control (IC)
Making electronic resources accessible from my home or office.      
Q2
-0.40
Information Control (IC)
A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own.        
Q5
-0.40
Information Control (IC)
Easy-to-use access tools that allow me to find things on my own.            
Q20
-0.31
Information Control (IC)
Ease of use of electronic resources.            
Q12
-0.26
Information Control (IC)
Quiet space for individual activities.            
Q9
-0.64
Library as Place (LP)
Library space that inspires study and learning.            
Q3
-0.30
Library as Place (LP)
Dependability in handling users' service problems.  
Q27
-0.19
  Affect of Service (AS)
VCU Undergraduates (63 respondents)  
Collections, Services, Ease of Access -- Information Control (IC) unknown responses to 0 of 11 statements indicate need for improvement
Environment, space, facilities -- Library as Place (LP) unknown responses to 1 of 7 statements indicate need for improvement
Customer service aspects -- Affect of Service (AS) unknown responses to 1 of 9 statements indicate need for improvement
Question Question Number Gap Score Service Dimension
[there were no negative gap scores for this dimension in the Undergraduate grouop]
n/a
n/a
Information Control (IC)
A safe and secure place.
Q26
-0.03
Library as Place (LP)            
Employees who are consistently courteous.            
Q7
-0.07
Affect of Service (AS)
VCU Graduate Students (55 respondents)  
Collections, Services, Ease of Access -- Information Control (IC) unknown responses to 9 of 11 statements indicate need for improvement
Environment, space, facilities -- Library as Place (LP) unknown responses to 5 of 7 statements indicate need for improvement
Customer service aspects -- Affect of Service (AS) unknown responses to 1 of 9 statements indicate need for improvement
Question Question Number Gap Score Service Dimension
Comprehensive collections of fulltext articles online.  
Q6
-0.83
Information Control (IC)  
Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work.            
Q24
-0.53
Information Control (IC)
Easy-to-use access tools that allow me to find things on my own.            
Q20
-0.39
Information Control (IC)
The electronic information resources I need.            
Q11
-0.33
Information Control (IC)
The printed library materials I need for my work.            
Q8
-0.30
Information Control (IC)
A getaway for study, learning or research.            
Q21
-0.30
Information Control (IC)
Making information easily accessible for independent use.            
Q23
-0.27
Information Control (IC)
A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my own.            
Q5
-0.22
Information Control (IC)
Modern equipment that lets me easily access needed information.            
Q17
-0.13
Information Control (IC)
Efficient interlibrary loan/document delivery.          
Q14
-0.06
Information Control (IC)
Library space that inspires study and learning.            
Q3
-0.63
Library as Place (LP)            
Quiet space for individual activities.            
Q9
-0.39
Library as Place (LP)            
A secure and safe place.            
Q26
-0.26
Library as Place (LP)            
A comfortable and inviting location.            
Q15
-0.25
Library as Place (LP)            
Convenient service hours.            
Q18
-0.25
Library as Place (LP)            
Dependability in handling users' service problems.            
Q27
-0.50
Affect of Service (AS)
 
    Prepared by LibQual+™ 2004 Task Force 10/13/04; revised 4/12/05