Areas of library service quality and tools for their evaluation: a literature review

Vol.15,No.2(2023)

Abstract

Purpose The article is a literature review in the field of library service quality. The aim of the overview is to identify areas of service quality that are the subject of current research in the world, the so-called dimensions of service quality. At the same time, the review summarizes and describes the approaches and tools used to measure the quality of services in libraries. The review pays attention to the significant relationship between service quality, user satisfaction and user loyalty.

Design / methodology / approach The selection of relevant literature for the review article was based on a search in the multidisciplinary bibliographic and citation database Web of Science. From the initially searched set of publications (n=149), 14 peer-reviewed journal articles in English published between 2018–2022 were selected and critically read. The article is designed as a narrative literature review, which describes and summarizes the knowledge gained from research to date in the field of the library service quality and evaluates their conclusions.

Results – The focus of current research on the library service quality is dominated by the assessment of library employees, library collections and their accessibility, as well as library as place. The key dimension of service quality is library employees, who have a significant influence on user satisfaction and loyalty. The most frequently used tool for measuring service quality in libraries is the LibQUAL and SERVQUAL model, a total quality management approach, Net Promoter Score or a scale for evaluating the satisfaction of public library users is used. Research in this area is applied mainly in academic libraries, less so in public libraries. In terms of methodology, quantitative research design prevails.

Originality / value – The review summarizes the current knowledge in the field of measuring service quality in libraries, presents the key dimensions of service quality and methodological tools used in this area. The article contributes to the orientation in the structure of the research topic focused on the evaluation of library service quality and opens this topic to Czech readers.

Keywords:
library service quality; academic libraries; public libraries; user satisfaction; user loyalty; research methods; literature review
Author biography

Pavlína Kolínová

Ústav informačních studií a knihovnictví, Filozofická fakulta, Univerzita Karlova

Pavlína Kolínová je akademickou pracovnicí působící na Ústavu informačních studií a knihovnictví Filozofické fakulty Univerzity Karlovy. Zabývá se veřejnými knihovnami, knihovními procesy a službami. V rámci doktorského studia se věnuje vnímání a hodnocení služeb veřejných knihoven.

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