LibQUAL+^TM is a standardized survey that was developed as a project of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in collaboration with the Texas A&M University Libraries.  The project’s goal is to define and measure library service quality across institutions and to create useful quality-assessment tools for libraries. A total of 140 institutions, represented academic and research libraries of all sizes in North America, are participating in the spring 2006 LibQUAL+^TM survey project.

2.    What does the survey measure?

Service quality has always been important to libraries.  LibQUAL+^TM is intended to provide a measure of the value of library service quality across multiple academic and research libraries.  The survey measures library users' perceptions of their libraries' service quality and identifies gaps between minimal, desired and perceived levels of service.

3.    How will the survey benefit library users at JMU?

This project will allow libraries to compare their service quality with other peer institutions, to develop benchmarks, and to reveal best practices across institutions. By participating in LibQUAL+^TM and initiating action based on the results of this survey, the JMU Libraries can be more responsive to users' needs and provide services that are better aligned to reflect users' expectations.

4.    Why is the survey important?

There is increasing pressure for libraries to move towards more outcome-based assessment efforts, instead of relying solely on input or resource measurements. This pressure comes from funding authorities as well as users themselves. Outcome measures show how well an organization serves its users, and assist in finding new measures of library efficiency and effectiveness.

5.    Who will be surveyed, and when?

All undergraduates and all graduate students and full-time faculty members will be surveyed. On Tuesday, March 24 2009, these individuals will receive an email message from Ralph Alberico, Dean of Libraries and Educational Technologies, containing an imbedded URL for the LibQUAL survey. The survey will be available at that site from March 24 through April 13. Automatic reminder notices from the Dean will be sent on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, and on Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

The data for all 140 participating institutions will be collected on secure servers located in the Texas A&M Library. Each response will be disaggregated as it reaches the server, and survey results will ultimately be reported back to the participating institutions as aggregate mean score data. Individual responses of participants will be wholly confidential.

Although there will be no compensation for completing the survey,  an incentive will be offered to improve response rates. At the end of the web-based survey,  respondents may elect to include their email address, which will enter them in a drawing for an iPod.

6.    What survey instrument is being used?

The LibQUAL+^TM survey is patterned after the SERVQUAL instrument developed by Leonard L. Berry (Distinguished Professor, Texas A&M University), A. Parasuraman, and Valarie A. Zeithaml, which is used extensively in private industry. 

7.    How long does it take to complete the survey?

The average time it takes to complete the survey is ten minutes.  Respondents are asked to respond to each question on three separate scales, representing minimum, desired, and perceived levels of service. The questionnaire is straightforward and involves no deception or coercion. Potential respondents may elect not to proceed with the survey after reading the guarantees of confidentiality and privacy.

8.    Is there a paper version of the survey?

Respondents not able to complete an online questionnaire may obtain a paper copy of the survey by contacting Gerald Gill at 540.568.6898 or at libqual@jmu.edu.

9.  Why is the survey so redundant?

The survey tests a variety of dimensions of library service, each represented by multiple (and seemingly redundant) questions. The use of multiple/redundant questions allows us to analyze the validity of each dimension through statistical means.

10.  Why are reminders sent to respondents who have already completed the survey?

In general, reminders are sent because research indicates that the single highest predictor of response rates in web-based surveys is the number of contacts made, including reminders. (See: Cook, Heath, and Thompson, “A meta-analysis of response rates in web- or internet-based surveys, Educational and Psychological Measurement, v. 60, 2000, p.821-836.)

The fact that reminders are sent to all respondents, including those who have already completed the survey, is a result of the project’s built-in mechanisms for security and confidentiality. Once a return is submitted to the project server, its contents are disaggregated and disassociated from the respondent’s email address. This provides maximum security, but doesn't allow for any differentiation between respondents and non-respondents. Thus, everyone gets a reminder.

11.  Why don't the discipline categories in the survey match JMU's college/department structure?

Because this is a multi-institution survey, discipline categories have been standardized for ease of comparison on a national level. This will assist with future benchmarking activities. To determine what standardized discipline you should use to identify yourself, consult the following list:

Libraries participating in the LibQUAL+^TM Survey, Spring 2009 
(140 libraries)

• Aberdeen University Library
• Aga Khan University
• Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• American University Library
• Austin Peay State University
• Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y.)
• California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
• California State University Northridge
• California State University, Chico
• California State University, Sacramento
• California State University, San Bernardino
• Campbell University
• Capital University
• Central Washington University
• Chaminade University, Sullivan Family Library
• Coastal Carolina University
• Columbia University in the City of New York
• Cranfield University
• DeSales University
• Drury University
• Duquesne University
• East Carolina University
• Eastern Michigan University
• Fanshawe College
• Finger Lakes Community College
• Florida State University
• Franklin & Marshall College
• Gannon University
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Hedmark University College
• Hedmark university college - Norwegian
• Indiana State University
• Indiana University, Bloomington
• Institute of Technology Tallaght
• Iowa State University Library
• James Madison University
• Kent State University
• Loyola University New Orleans
• Lycoming College
• Merrimack College
• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies - English
• National University
• National University of Singapore
• Niagara College
• North Carolina Central University
• Northeastern Illinois University
• Northern Kentucky University
• Northern State University
• Northwestern University School of Law, Pritzker Legal Research Center
• Norwich University
• Ohio University Libraries, Athens CampusPoint Loma Nazarene University - Ryan Library
• Radford University Library
• Rasmussen College
• Regent University
• Rollins College
• Royal College of Nursing
• Royal Holloway University of London
• Saint Mary's University, Patrick Power Library
• San Jose State University Library
• Santa Clara University
• Sciences Po
• Service Commun de Documentation - Université de Provence
• Shippensburg University
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• St George's, University of London
• SUNY Buffalo State College
• Temple University Health Sciences Center
• Temple University Libraries
• Texas A&M University, College Station
• Texas A&M University, Texarkana
• Texas State University-San Marcos
• The NTNU Library
• The University of Scranton
• The University of South Dakota
• Trinity College Library Dublin
• Universidad de Guadalajara
• Université catholique de Louvain
• Université de Bretagne Occidentale - Service Commun de Documentation
• Université de la Polynésie française
• Université de Liège
• Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
• Université du Sud Toulon-Var
• Université Libre de Bruxelles
• Université Paris 12 Val de Marne
• Université Sorbonne nouvelle - Paris 3
• Universitetet i Oslo - Norwegian
• Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen
• University of Agder
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lister Hill Library
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mervyn H. Sterne Library
• University of Alberta Libraries
• University of Arizona Library
• University of Bath
• University of Bergen Library
• University of Birmingham
• University of Bradford
• University of British Columbia Library
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Central Florida Library
• University of Central Oklahoma
• University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries
• University of Glasgow Library
• University of Guelph-Humber
• University of Haifa
• University of Houston Libraries
• University of Idaho
• University of Kansas Libraries
• University of Leeds
• University of Limerick
• University of Manchester
• University of Mississippi, Oxford
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries
• University of New Hampshire
• University of Oslo – English
• University of Ottawa - English
• University of Ottawa - French
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Pretoria, Department of Library Services
• University of Rhode Island Library
• University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee
• University of St. Andrews
• University of Texas at Galveston Medical Branch, Moody Medical Library
• University of Tromsø Library - English
• University of Tromsø Library - Norwegian
• University of Ulster
• University of Vermont
• University of Vermont, Dana Medical Library
• UNT Libraries
• Utrecht University Library
• Utrecht University Library - English
• Vanderbilt University, Jean and Alexander Heard Library
• Virginia State University
• West Virginia University Libraries
• Widener University, Wolfgram Memorial Library
• Wilkes University
• Xavier University of Louisiana