Usage of Academic Libraries: The Role of Service Quality, Resources, and User Characteristics

ABSTRACT

COMPETITIVE PRESSURES FROM DIFFERENT INFORMATION providers; widely available information resources; rising costs of books, serials, and electronic resources; and emerging new technologies and services providing information to potential library users raise questions about the role of academic libraries in present times. There has been some deliberation about the necessity to better understand and define the needs and expectations of library users to provide the appropriate kind and levels of service to provide satisfaction and service quality. But whether satisfaction with services is likely to explain the use of actual facilities is a moot question--i.e., the link between user satisfaction and usage of the brick and mortar facilities may be tenuous. This study proposes and tests a model to explain the use of academic libraries. The explanatory factors include service quality factors, resources, and user characteristics. Students in three academic libraries were surveyed in Erie, Pennsylvania, over a period of three semesters. Of the 210 questionnaires that were distributed, 188 were returned. The model was significant and explained some of the variation in library usage.

INTRODUCTION

The academic library has been described as the "heart" of the learning community, providing a place for students and faculty to do their re search and advance their knowledge. The librarians and library staff provide numerous services to these users, addressing their diverse needs, characteristics, and interests.

However, with the advent of online catalogs, CD-ROMs, online databases, other electronic resources, new methods of document delivery, and access to information, the role of the academic library has begun to change. Students do not have to be physically present in the library in order to access the library's resources. With the Internet and the availability of new technologies and numerous indexes, abstracts, and databases, the range of services that academic libraries can provide has increased dramatically. Users can access the libraries' resources without stepping into the library building. They can also very easily access other libraries' resources, such as online catalogs and unrestricted databases. The Internet has opened the resources of libraries to students and faculty worldwide.

The new technologies and electronic resources available today raise the question whether the library as a place has become a dinosaur. Do users need a physical library if almost everything can be accessed electronically? Are students still using libraries the way they are supposed to use them? How many students actually still use the library and why? And consequently, should librarians play a different role from what they have always played, especially if libraries are becoming mere data warehouses? In fact, many librarians today do not exactly know their users because of the changes introduced by technological advancements. It was easier when library users walked through the doors of the library, and the library staff could actually take some sort of count of these users. The library staff was also able to develop a library-user relationship with some of the users. Today it is far more difficult to say for certain how many of their students actually visit the physical library to use the resources. It is also difficult to estimate how many utilize the services and expertise of the library staff in the library building.

With emphasis being placed on electronic resources, and users being more interested in access rather than actual ownership, libraries are facing greater competition from many sources like bookstores and information from publishers and vendors who try to provide some of the same services that libraries provide. These competitors sometimes provide their services faster and more efficiently, while virtual libraries are easily available through the Internet. Some students also seem to know more about other libraries than their own institutions' libraries.

By providing quality services and satisfaction to users, academic and research librarians can distinguish their services through friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable advice and the best technological resources available. Because academic library users have varying needs and expectations, it is the responsibility of the library staff to know these needs and expectations and strive to meet them. In this regard, Millson-Martula and Menon (1995) maintain that one of the elements of quality service is when users' personal needs and expectations are incorporated into the development of programs and services of libraries. Whether this will lead to greater usage of library facilities is, however, unclear given the options available to the users. This research, therefore, addresses the usage of academic libraries. In particular, it addresses the role of service quality and other factors offered by an academic library to explain library usage.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Much has been written about access and ownership, but there has not been very much written about the factors that influence students actually to use libraries. Some of the library and information science literature examines library usage and academic success. Other researchers examine library use and instruction, while still others discuss library skills, usage, and grade point average.