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LibQUAL+: Assessing Library Service Quality in NHS Libraries

LibQUAL+ is a survey tool used to assess the quality of library services. It helps libraries understand user perceptions, collect feedback, and identify best practices. This report discusses the pilot implementation of LibQUAL+ in NHS libraries, including issues identified, feedback received, and potential benefits.

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LibQUAL+: Assessing Library Service Quality in NHS Libraries

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  1. LibQUAL + National Library for Health pilot Cath McCafferty Mersey Care NHS Trust

  2. What is LibQUAL+ ? • Survey tool for assessing quality of library services • Developed by Association of Research Libraries in the United States • Used widely in UK Higher Education • $2250 per library – around £1500 • First used in 2001 – to date over 500 libraries have taken part

  3. A tool that enables the library to: • Solicit, understand, and act upon users’ opinions of service quality • Foster a culture of excellence in providing library service • Help libraries understand user perceptions of library service quality • Collect and interpret library user feedback systematically over time

  4. Survey Data • Poses questions in three sections: effect of service, library as place and information control • Identifies best practices, analyses deficits, and effective allocation of resources • Enables the assessment of whether the library service is meeting user expectations • Aggregates data and allows comparison of library performance with peer institutions

  5. NLH Pilot • The pilot is part of the work programme developing the National Service Framework (NSF) • The NSF will define what users should expectfrom library services. • So … can LibQUAL+ be used by NHS libraries as a tool for measuring user expectation?

  6. NLH Pilot sites • Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust • Berkshire Shared Services • East Lancashire NHS Trust • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust • Hull and East Riding Primary Care Trusts • Islington Primary Care Trust • John Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust • Leicestershire General Hospitals NHS Trust • Merseycare NHS Trust • Royal College of Nursing

  7. Mersey Care NHS Trust • Mental Health Trust with 32 service points • 4, 500 staff • 3 library service points for staff • Approx 2,000 library members • 132 completed surveys/792 attempts

  8. The Pilot • Questionnaire live for 3-4 weeks during April / May and one final site in July (pilot not yet ended) • Promotional material raised awareness of the questionnaire

  9. Post Pilot • Pilot sites receive a report from LibQUAL+ based on response data • An SPSS file containing local response data, plus any qualitative data.

  10. The questionnaire • Online or written (but if written library staff have to input the response online) • Questions cover: • The library space • Library staff • Library resources • The pilot questionnaire contained 35 questions divided into 3 sections

  11. What does it look like?

  12. Preliminary issues identified • Questionnaire Sampling • Demographic information • Some of the questions not appropriate to all users • Library as space inappropriate for community based staff or those accessing services remotely • Usability of the online questionnaire • Around 75% who looked at the questionnaire did not complete it • Disappointingly small response rate

  13. Feedback – the good • Straightforward and easy to set up • Having such rich data is amazing • Comments made about library services very positive • We have found out information that we might otherwise never have discovered. • If the NHS could afford to get LibQUAL to tailor it more to our needs it would be brilliant

  14. Feedback – the bad • The concept of answering a question 3 times is hard to grasp • Insufficient training from LibQUAL • Not having an effective email base, we could not send out targeted email reminders • Numerous telephone calls and emails asking for explanations and guidance on filling the form in • Required quite a lot of staff time to set up, learn about, publicise etc

  15. Feedback – the ugly • I would be disappointed if LibQUAL became the survey tool for NHS libraries • It is fine to pilot these tools, but I hope the NHS does not now feel duty bound to purchase the product • It was “absolutely awful” and [doctor] couldn’t do it. • Too gimmicky….purchasing LibQUAL would be a huge mistake

  16. In a nutshell • If the NHS could afford to get LibQUAL to tailor it more to our needs it would be brilliant

  17. Project Report • The project report will be available in October 2006 • Colin Davies • Service Development Programme Manager • National Library for Health • 07880 772495 • Colin.Davies@cfh.nhs.uk

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