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Bruce Thompson, Texas A&M University and Baylor College of Medicine
A Google™ search on "LibQUAL+" yields approximately 100,000 hits, and more than 50 refereed journal articles have been published on the protocol. Given this wealth of information, it is hard to know what are the key resources for people to use to learn about LibQUAL+®, and how to use LibQUAL+® scores to improve library service quality. The page presents a subjectively-determined list of "Top Ten" resources for people interested in learning about LibQUAL+®. The resources are divided into sections: "before," "during," and "after" the implementation.
Explains the Logistics of Doing LibQUAL+® - Read Before You Do LibQUAL+®
- The Origins/Birth of LibQUAL+®
http://www.libqual.org/About/Birth/index.cfm
This page layouts out the historical origins of LibQUAL+®.
- The LibQUAL+® Procedures Manual
http://www.libqual.org/Manual/index.cfm
This PDF download page contains all the details one needs to know about actually implementing the LibQUAL+® protocol.
- An Example of a LibQUAL+®
http://www.libqual.org/documents/SampleLibQUALNotebook.pdf
This PDF download provides an example of one of the major LibQUAL+® deliverables that each individual institution receives after LibQUAL+® has been implemented, so you can see the various ways that results are presented in the output report. [NOTE: that participants also receive their quantitative data in Excel files, may request the quantitative data in SPSS files, and also receive the open-ended qualitative comments typically written by about 40% of users.].
- Self-Paced Tutorial to Learn About LibQUAL+®
http://www.libqual.org/Information/Tools/libqualpresentation.cfm
This computer-presented, self-paced tutorial explains the "zones of tolerance" rating system, the three basic dimensions of service quality measured by LibQUAL+®, and how to read some of the charts used to report LibQUAL+® results.
How to Know (and Explain to Others) the LibQUAL+® Scores are Trustworthy (Psychometrically Reliable and Valid)
- Colleen Cook's Ph.D. Dissertation
Cook, Carol Colleen. (2002). A mixed-methods approach to the identification and measurement of academic library service quality constructs: LibQUAL+™. (Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University, 2001). Dissertation Abstracts International, 62, 2295A. (University Microfilms No. AAT3020024)
This doctoral dissertation provides a comprehensive overview of the development of LibQUAL+®, including a very extensive presentation of the qualitative interviews with library users at various institutions, which provided a grounding of the protocol within the mindset of library users.
- Article Summarizing the Qualitative Grounding of LibQUAL+®
Cook, C., & Heath, F. (2001). Users' perceptions of library service quality: A LibQUAL+™ qualitative study. Library Trends, 49: 548-584.
This is somewhat shorter (versus the dissertation summary), article-length presentation of the qualitative grounding of LibQUAL+® within users' perceptions of library service quality.
- Article Illustrating Evidence that the Scores are Trustworthy
Thompson, B., Cook, C., & Thompson, R.L. (2002). Reliability and structure of LibQUAL+™ scores: Measuring perceived library service quality. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 2: 3-12.
This article illustrates the numerous quantitative analyses conducted to support a conclusion that LibQUAL+® scores are reliable and valid.
After the LibQUAL+® Are In: Ways to Understand and Explore LibQUAL+® Results
- Using Score Norms for Benchmarking
Cook, C., Heath, F. & Thompson, B. (2002). Score norms for improving library service quality: A LibQUAL+™ study. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 2, 13-26.
This article provides a tutorial on using percentile ranks or norms tables for service quality benchmarking purposes.
Also see:
Thompson, B., Cook, C., & Kyrillidou, M. (2006, April). Stability of library service quality benchmarking norms across time and cohorts: A LibQUAL+™ study. Paper presented at the Asia-Pacific Conference of Library and Information Education and Practice, Singapore.
http://www.coe.tamu.edu/~bthompson/libq2005.htm
for a discussion of the stability of LibQUAL+® norms benchmarking tables over time.
- How to Confirm YOUR LibQUAL+® Data are Trustworthy
Thompson, B., Kyrillidou, M., & Cook, C. (2006, September). How you can evaluate the integrity of your library assessment data: Intercontinental LibQUAL+® analysis used as concrete heuristic examples. Paper presented at the Library Assessment Conference: Building Effective, Sustainable and Practical Assessment, Charlottesville, VA.
http://www.libqual.org/documents/admin/Integrity.pdf
The tutorial explains and illustrates how to use SPSS to confirm that the quantitative data from your institution are reliable and valid.
- How to Create Your Own LibQUAL+® Charts using Excel
Charting LibQUAL+™ Data, by Jeff Stark.
http://www.libqual.org/documents/admin/ChartingLibQUAL.pdf
This user-friendly tutorial uses screen-shots and narrative to illustrate how to create graphs to illustrate findings beyond those presented in the standardized LibQUAL+® report.
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