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The purpose of this paper is to study of services of front desk staff using SERVQUAL aims to measure the perception and expectations of the library users. The librarians, keeping in view the expectations will get an idea that how much the services should be improved while the users will have an idea that what they want, and what are they provided with. In additions, the difference between the perception and expectations of the male library users and female library users is explored to give an idea to the librarians that what dimension of the services they need to explore.

Quantitative research method was used to conduct this study. The SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure the levels of perception and expectation through a structured questionnaire at the five points Likert scale. The tool was used with the permission of the author Berry et al. (1985). All the libraries of affiliated medical college with the University of Health Sciences were the population for this study. Through random sampling technique, 20 questionnaires per medical colleges were filled by the students of medical colleges. In total, 202 questionnaires returned and were analyzed after data entry in Statistical Package for Social Science version 19.

Mean of the total respondents indicate that the improvement in all the five dimensions of the service quality is required as the expectations found to be higher in all the five dimensions as compared to the perceptions. Perceived values are higher among female library users, so the library front desk staff requires increasing the perceived values of male users through improving their services to male library users. While comparing the expectations between male and female users, the results indicate that male library users want more responsiveness and reliability from the staff.

This study measures the perceptions and expectations of the student library users of the medical college affiliated with University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Only main libraries excluding the small departmental libraries are included in this study. This study can be generalized in other private medical colleges as well as other researchers can study further in their own environment.

The results indicate that the expectations are higher. Keeping in view, the librarians will work to meet the expectations of the users. The expectation of the female users are higher in tangibility and empathy dimensions, while the male users expect more in reliability, responsiveness and assurance dimensions. In short, all the results showed that the expectations were higher than the perceptions. Keeping this study in view, the librarians can improve their weak areas of front desk staff services to meet the expectations of the users.

It is the first study of its type to measure the service quality of front desk staff. The service quality of front desk staff is never been measured in medical colleges using SERVQUAL in Lahore. The results of this study provide the guidelines to satisfy library users. The difference between the perception and expectations provides librarians and library managers with a road map to develop the service quality of front desk staff to meet the expectation level of the user’s for their satisfaction. This study can be generalized to the medical colleges other than Lahore.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for the assessment of library space use and user experience by combining seating studies, surveys and observational data.

Seating usage studies (called seating sweeps), technology-assisted face-to-face surveys and observational data were used to assess library space usage and identify user behaviors.

Results from the study revealed higher library use than expected and provided insight into user behaviors and patterns.

The methods and study described aid in raising awareness of user experience within library spaces and provide valuable data for space redesign efforts.

The study builds upon methods described by Linn (2013) and combines traditional user experience methodologies to gain insight into library space use and user needs.

Research into the library as place investigates the role of public library buildings as destinations, physical places where people go for various reasons ranging from making use of the library's resources and services or seeking to fulfill an information or reading need to less easily identified reasons that may include using the library's building as a place to make social or business contacts, to build or reinforce community or political ties, or to create or reinforce a personal identity. This study asks: How are one rural US public library system's newly constructed buildings functioning as places? The answer is derived from answers to sub-questions about adult library users, user, and staff perceptions of library use, and observed use of library facilities. The findings are contextualized using a framework built of theories from human geography, sociology, and information studies.

This case study replicates a mixed-methods case study conducted at the main public libraries in Toronto and Vancouver in the late1990s and first reproduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2006. It tests methods used in large urban settings in a rural, small-town environment. This study also expands on its antecedents by using thematic analysis to determine which conceptualizations of the role of the public library as place are most relevant to the community under investigation.

The study relies on quantitative and qualitative data collected via surveys and interviews of adult library users, interviews of library public service staff members, structured observations of people using the libraries, and analysis of selected administrative documents. The five sets of data are triangulated to answer the research sub-questions.

Thematic analysis grounded in the conceptual framework finds that public realm theory best contextualizes the relationships that develop between library staff members and adult library users over time. The study finds that the libraries serve their communities as informational places and as familiarized locales rather than as third places, and that the libraries facilitate the generation of social capital for their users.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate digital reference services at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and the University of Namibia (UNAM) library. Two aspects were evaluated, namely, “resources” and “elements of the general digital reference model”.

This study adopted a descriptive case study approach and used qualitative research methods, which comprised interviews and an observation checklist. The population consisted of librarians working at NUST and UNAM Library.

The research findings showed that these libraries used the general digital reference model in providing responses to the library users. The study established that the two libraries did not follow the International Federation of Library Associations and Reference and User Services Association standards of staffing and training of librarians working with digital reference services. The study further found that a lack of ability to fully demonstrate to users how to access various library services was one of the major problems that the librarians experienced.

The study was limited to two academic libraries: UNAM and NUST.

The study could contribute to a better understanding of digital reference services provided by NUST and the UNAM libraries and contribute to the body of knowledge on the subject of digital reference services, especially in an African context, where few studies have been conducted on this subject. The two libraries could use the findings to improve digital reference services, plan for intervention and develop the services.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize a library use study of the central and community branches of a Canadian public library. An exit survey documented the in-branch activities of users as a part of a library strategic planning process. Survey results were used in combination with branch statistics, postal code circulation statistics, neighbourhood demographics and other data sources to document the in-library use of the two facilities.

Questionnaires were administered to library users 15 years of age or older at the exits of the central and community branches. The survey collected data on their activities and services used during their current visit. Additional sources such as branch-level statistics, furniture tally sheets, photographs, Canada Census data and circulation analysis by patron postal code and lending branch were used during the analysis stage.

Both branches are heavily used but in different ways. Branch circulation and gate count per square foot of floor space were high relative to other Canadian libraries. Patron visits to the community branch were short in duration, in line with previous public library studies. User visit duration and in-library activities within the main branch somewhat resembled those of the central branch of a larger library system but likely for different reasons.

The study was exploratory. Data were collected during two coinciding days of library operation, a Thursday and a Saturday, and may not be representative of the underlying population. The study was limited in scope as it was a community service project for undergraduate university students.

Branch library use surveys, in combination with library statistics and demographics, can provide useful insights concerning in-library patron behaviour when the use of ethnographic techniques is not feasible.

The study explored differences and similarities in user behaviour in two types of library facilities, a central and a community branch. Few published studies make such a direct comparison. The study explored the perceived benefits received by patrons from public library use and incorporated branch statistics, circulation analysis and Census data.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are a significant part of smart libraries in the information age. Hence, their adoption is inevitable in the technological age. This study aims to examine VR and AR as predictors of library users’ intention to make use of public libraries.

The study adopts a descriptive survey approach. Using the random sampling technique, a questionnaire was adopted to collect data from the users of public libraries in Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State, Nigeria. The sample size for the study is 229. Data were analysed using the IBM-Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (version 23). Descriptive statistics (frequency counts and simple percentage) and inferential statistical (simple linear regression and Sobel test) were used to analyse collected data.

The findings revealed that the users have a positive valence towards VR and AR. Results showed that library users would be influenced by subjective norms to make use of VR and AR. Findings revealed that users need the cooperation of librarians to use the technologies.

The study established that the users have a positive attitude and normative beliefs towards using the library if VR and AR technologies are introduced in library and information services in public libraries. This provides a theoretical underpinning to use VR and AR to enhance users’ intention to use public library.

The purpose of this paper is to describe, analyze and understand international users' library experience in the Digital Age in order to inform library service design and ensure it provides an inclusive environment. In this study, the behavioral and experiential aspects of user library experience are merged to develop essential interconnections between information behavior (IB) and user experience (UX) in the context of the academic library with the goal of constructing a more holistic understanding of ‘library experience.

The study was built on the concept “library experience” through analyzing its essential components of IB and UX. It was developed through findings from mixed methods research, consisting of the quantitative investigation from a library log analysis, and qualitative investigations via cognitive mapping exercises and semi-structured interviews, both targeted on the largest single group of international students in United Kingdom – international Chinese students.

The findings demonstrated the complexity and multilayered characteristics of international Chinese students' library context, and three unique contexts emerged from the data shaping their library experience. Building on the previous findings on the connections between IB and UX, the work attempted to redefine “library experience” by joining both behavioral and experiential aspects. It is found that the key components of cultural library experience are the multilayered context, cultural group's perception needs, sense-making process and subjective evaluations.

This study joins the behavioral and experiential perspectives together to explore library experience in a more holistic way and proposes a systematic structure to understand and analyze library experience, especially that of international users in a cross-cultural context, which, in turn, will better serve their information needs and inform the design of a more equal and inclusive library system.

This research study is conducted to thoroughly investigate the users' expectations for excellent library service quality (LSQ) from college libraries. It will also identify whether there is any difference in the desired library service quality among different type of users, gender and academic discipline.

A survey method was used, and the data were collected from 998 respondents, which included faculty members, masters, bachelor's and intermediate students. In order to conduct the study, LibQUAL + instrument were adapted.

The results demonstrated that the users expected a higher level of services from the college libraries of Pakistan. The highest desired expectation of the users were related to “library as a place (LP)” dimension, while the lowest expectation was with regards to the “information control (IC)” dimension. The results indicated a significant difference among the various types of users and academic disciplines regarding their expectations with library services.

The appointment of college librarians against nearly 500 vacant posts would significantly improve the LSQ in these libraries. The result of the study would indeed be useful for the college administration, librarians the Government of the Punjab and the Punjab Higher Education Commission (HEC) for future planning, improvement of services and allocation of resources.

This study is the first in-depth effort into investigating the LSQ of the college libraries of the Punjab, Pakistan. This study will be helpful to understand the LSQ from developing countries’ perspective.

This study presents findings with a particular digital library system, the Belgian‐American Research Collection at the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center (UWDCC). It focuses on the ways in which a usability study can inform the future design of the collection and other UWDCC projects. The study uses two formal testing instruments: a focus group and a task‐oriented field test. Both of these techniques yielded solid data about user expectations, problems and actions with the collection. While the findings can aid UWDCC designers as they begin to envision another iteration of the Belgian‐American Research Collection, the findings also point to a need for a shift in the development of more complete digital library systems. This study proposes the development of digital library systems that have a strong orientation toward users and usability as well as advanced search interfaces and full metadata. In the end, it is not just about cataloging and organizing information; it is also about presenting information logically and intuitively for your users.

The aim of this paper is to provide an in-depth examination of the use and non-use of text reference service among library users, seeking to evaluate the service from library users' perspective and hence enhance the professional understanding of the best practices of text reference service.

A survey study was conducted among library users, examining user demographics, user's texting behavior, user awareness of text reference service, and users' use or non-use of the service.

Findings suggest that the majority of library users have not used the service and their non-use is primarily attributed to their lack of awareness. Users who have used the service report a high degree of satisfaction and appreciate the convenience, ease of use and speediness of the service.

The paper helps interested libraries develop an enriched view of texting's affordance as a reference service venue and thus make more informed decisions in successfully implementing the service.

Text reference is the most recent reference development and it does not have a large body of literature. Current reports are primarily of a single library's experience and rarely investigate users' experience with text reference service. This paper fills the void in the literature by presenting a thorough study of text reference service from the user's point-of-view.